iPod d/l kbps question

[stevesaks]

Hey Everyone,
I've recently got an iPod nano for my birthday this past summer..it's a 2gb iPod. Anyway I have gotten hooked on it, and d/l from my computer all my favorite cd's as well as cd's I am about to review for www.LivingFormetal.com for which I write for...(beats lugging around my cd walkman and a bag of cd's..lol)

The questions I have is...I know 320kbps is the best rate you can have, but it takes up too much room on my iPod, I usually always at least d/l at 192kbps...But Now I have even cut back to 128kbps to make more space for my Metal!!! haha!
Can I go lower than 128kbps to say 96? or should 128kbps be the lowest rate I go as far as sound quality? are there any difference's you can hear on the iPod between 128 and 192 or even 96?

That's my question....sorry for rambling..lol , I just want to get the best sound quality at the lowest rate to save space on my iPod..


Thanks,
Steve Saks
www.LivingForMetal.com

Thanks

 

[EtherForBreakfast]

We know you are just masquerading as a "metal" fan and that in reality your ipod is 2GB of solid ABBA.

Here is what I'd suggest. Encode Dancing Queen (from your original ABBA GOLD Box Set that you bought yourself last christmas) at 192, 128, and 96. Listen to each version. You will hear that 192 is the best, 128 is "ok" and 96 is irksome/bogart.

Personally I prefer everything at 192k. 128 is tolerable but I notice plenty of artifacts. 96 is dog shit. Your findings will be the same.

 

[SPLASTiK]

Call me picky but it's 192 or above only here...

 

[stevesaks]

thanks..lol..How did you know about ABBA? haha!

yeah, I found 128 is as low as I can go...I just have to rotate my playslits more often, I guess. Doesn't take long at all once it's on your computer.

I have some at 192 and others at 128, no more 320 on my iPod..takes up too much space..

thanks again!

 

[Thorax the Herdsman]

192 or above for me too. Some people can't even notice at much lower bitrates though - I remember being in a taxi on the way back from Wacken one year and commenting about the high level of aliasing/compression which was clearly audible on the drivers speakerphone, whilst my friends looked at me like I was a freak...

 

[Fabbio]

I personally hate every compression under the AAC 320 kbs.

I can listen to mp3s at 192 and it's passable but every original CD album I own goes into my iPod Nano 4 gigs at AAC 320.

And still at these high bit rate I can have in the Nano 40 albums! When I get tired of some album I can easily erase it from the iPod and uploading another.

At about 670 albums in my iTunes library the total bytes space is 67 gigabytes. And that's like my whole collection and metal/musical in general life from 1990 to now.

Please don't choose a poor listening experience for quantity's sake.