Nikhil;277815 Wrote: > > That's something I have been wanting to ask for a while. Just to be on > the safe side (future proof and archival value), and since storage is > becoming cheaper by the day, I have been using FLAC for quite a few > years now. I can certainly spot the limitations of 128 kbps mp3s and > very early in this game, I was very unhappy even with 256kbps encoded > mp3s. But in the several years since I bothered to test, the encoding > has obviously got a lot better. Are there any particular tracks that > can showcase the limitations of todays best mp3 encodings (ie, 320 kbps > or high VBR mp3s?)
I too use FLAC, and for the same reasons haven't paid that much attention to lossy formats. However my impression is that the MP3 codec has improved considerably in recent years. One obvious thing is to use VBR (variable bit rate) rather than CBR. AFAIK VBR is always superior, and yet most MP3s don't use it. As for 320, my understanding is that if you know the weak points of the particular MP3 encoder you're using you can find of construct a track that will reveal them pretty easily. I've never seen a positive ABX result for 320 MP3, but I wouldn't be surprised if they exist. Actually if I had to guess I'd say the best bet is a strongly asymmetric test tone. You can hear absolute polarity inversion with that pretty easily, and I think all these lossy algorithms completely destroy phase coherency, so that should manifest itself as a subtle change in the pitch of asymmetric tones. Never tried it though. The best place I know of to ask questions like that is the hydrogenaudio forums - I think some of the designers of these codecs hang out there. -- opaqueice ------------------------------------------------------------------------ opaqueice's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=4234 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=44532 _______________________________________________ audiophiles mailing list [email protected] http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
