MP3 Ripper - Page 2

03-17-06, 04:20 PM

Originally Posted by Eric12341

Wma is the way to go they take up alot less space than mp3 because u can get a cd quality file with a bitrate of as low as 48kbps whereas mp3 doesnt reach cd quality till 192kbps.

hell will freeze over before a 48kbps wma will sound transparent to a cd.
wma is shoddy compared to lame

:icon_lame is the way to go. as already stated by me and another, EAC is the best, bar none. combine with -V# (aka --alt-preset) switches for the optimal mp3s. V4 is transparent to me (~192vbr)

spauldio · 03-17-06, 04:39 PM

Originally Posted by Eric12341

Why would anyone want to have mp3s on an axim ur so much better off with wma as I have explained in the post above

I use GSPlayer which doesn't support wma.

jnev · 03-17-06, 09:27 PM

Originally Posted by Eric12341

Wma is the way to go they take up alot less space than mp3 because u can get a cd quality file with a bitrate of as low as 48kbps whereas mp3 doesnt reach cd quality till 192kbps.

I'm sorry, but that's simply not true. 48kbps doesn't even come CLOSE to CD quality. Of course it depends a lot on your source/headphones, but unless you use $2 phones from Radioshack, you're not going to be very happy with 48kbps. Also, while WMA does have some redeaming qualities, just the fact that it's DRM-ridden turns me off from it. OGG features close to the same (if not better) quality/size ration as WMA, yet is open-source.

Me personally, I prefer EAC/LAME. EAC is the best audio extractor, bar none, and LAME is known by audiophiles around the world as the best MP3 encoder. Yes, I realize that MP3 has a larger file size than does WMA/OGG, but just the fact that it's universally accepted makes it appeal to me. I like to rip at 256VBR. I find that it gives me the best quality at a file size I can live with.

Eric12341 · 03-17-06, 09:41 PM

48kbps wma at sample rate of 48khz is cd quality whereas the standard 44.1khz wma is at cd quality at 64kbps and thats what the majority of the files on my axim are some are 96 but most are 64 and they are all 2mb or less! With better sound than mp3 at 192kbps at least to me

Eric12341 · 03-17-06, 09:46 PM

Originally Posted by spauldio

I use GSPlayer which doesn't support wma.

Use WMP10 mobile for wmas

jnev · 03-18-06, 12:11 AM

Originally Posted by Eric12341

48kbps wma at sample rate of 48khz is cd quality whereas the standard 44.1khz wma is at cd quality at 64kbps and thats what the majority of the files on my axim are some are 96 but most are 64 and they are all 2mb or less! With better sound than mp3 at 192kbps at least to me

if that sounds good to you then all power to you! as for me, I cannot bear the sound of anything less than 256VBA mp3, preferably higher. only reason i compress my music is to fit more on the card, otherwise I would leave all my music as FLAC.

kylerk · 03-18-06, 10:59 AM

EAC/LAME MP3 ripping is the de facto standard for portable (as close as possible to) audiophile hi-fi. This site: http://www.chrismyden.com/bestmp3guide.php will get you going with everything you need.

All the talk about bit rates, sampling, etc. is only pertinent if you have a quality -- source, amplifier, and headphones to process the sound. There's a lot of subjectivity involved here. Such talk may not even apply when using an Axim as your source and amplifier. I suggest that you spend some time checking out the http://www.head-fi.org/ forums. If you register you can use the search mechanism. Do a search for "Dell Axim" and you will find many threads relating to these matters.

A very important factor is the headphones you choose to use. One of the things you will discover at head-fi is that you don't necessarily have to pay a lot of money for a good pair of headphones that will match up well with your Axim to produce good quality sound. On the other hand - you could end up paying a lot for something that does not sound that great. So do your homework before you buy anything.

0gopogo · 03-18-06, 01:55 PM

Great first post after almost 3 years of lurking ;). Thanks.

OUBeaver · 03-18-06, 03:32 PM

Is there a way to reduce the size of an MP3 without loosing to much quality?

kylerk · 03-18-06, 05:25 PM

I think that Size vs. Quality is the classic trade-off that you can never get around. However, the reason why I brought up the subject of headphone quality in my previous post is because if you don't have decent headphones, then don't bother ripping at anything above 128bps.

For example, if I listen to my MP3 player with the $5 buds that came with it, I can't tell the difference between a track ripped at 128bps vs. the same track ripped at 256bps. But if I'm wearing a pair of my quality headphones, and/or using an external amplifier with my MP3 player - I or anyone else can clearly tell the difference.

So I think the point is: Don't rip at a high bit rate unless you have the equipment that can notice the difference. To determine the case with your Axim and the headphones you plan to use with it is very easy. Just rip your favorite track, or something you are very familiar with, at 128bps and 256bps. Then listen to each version. YOU have to be the judge - Is the improvement in sound quality worth the extra storage space?

It can also depend upon the type of music you listen to. For example, classical, accoustic, and jazz will sound better with high-detail headphones (like Etymotic) and ripped at a high bit rate to preserve the detail. For heavy metal, punk, rap, hip hop, etc. detail is not as important, and a pure rock n' roll headphone like Grados would be a better choice, and you can probably get away with lower bit-rate. There are 10s of thousands of posts debating these issues at www.head-fi.org. There is no right or wrong answer.

Eric12341 · 03-20-06, 10:27 AM

To preserve the best sound quality u will want to rip all audio at cd quality which for mp3 is 192kbps ogg I believe is 96kbps wma standard is 64kbps and wma professional is 32-48kbps.