I have a question on sonic quality. Do the downloads from iTunes have as good as freq response, s/n ratio, and whatever other parameter of hi fidelity is used (compression, expansion, “openness”, etc) to denote good listening as a CD? (please, let’s not get into vinyl and tube amps vs digital media - unless you really want to :-] )
Thanks for the input.
Well, no -
Any compressed music file (mp3, or mp4 or AAC - which is a type of mp4) is just that: compressed.
A regular aiff file is what you would find on a cd. each one of these would run around 70 MB (depending on length of the song) - now, an mp3 or a AAC file can be around 3 to 5 MB.
Most people will never tell the difference. You certainly don’t need to worry about high fidelity on an iPod or a car stereo, but it certainly does not contain as much “data” as a file that would be on your cd.
FWIW - I’ve recorded several of mine and other bands on analog and digital, making both vinyl and cds - You will never replace the warmth and sonic integrity of analog.
Thanks.
In the real world, what does it mean sonically if I download from iTunes, burn to a disc and then play in my home stereo? Will I notice a little or a lot of difference in sound quality as compared to a commercial CD of the same music?
Thanks again for your input.
I find mp3s and the like fall apart when run through a high-end system, using a surround processor. The back channels sound like they’re underwater or someone is gargling (or drowning!) Don’t get that with uncompressed music (CDs, etc.)
Okay, my home unit is a $400 home theater system. Not too bad, but definitely not high-end. Will it make a difference in this case, IYHO?
It depends on the compression level of the song. The theory behind MP3s is that you compress the song by eliminating tones that the human ear can’t hear. It doesn’t work perfectly, but it works fairly well. In general, you can hear a difference, but so long as the song isn’t too compressed it should sound fairly good.
To clarify what I mean by compression: Lets say a typical 4 minute song is 50 MB. A MP3 of the same song could be compressed to about 3-4 MB. But, in general, that 4 minute song compressed into a 9 MB MP3 will sound better than the same song compressed to 4 MBs.
When I download MP3s I try to download the least compressed version I can find. I find those tend to sound a little better. Hope that helps.
I’ll bet you could hear it with side-by-side listening. By itself, you may not notice, but perhaps if you listen carefully to the surround channels. For its purpose (personal listening (isolation) device), compressed music is OK because it’s not listened to carefully, only as filler, background, kind of like elevator music.
Now, if you rip your own music, set a low compression factor. iTunes has a setting that cuts the file size down by half while claiming no destructive compression.
There have been studies, but I’m not going to research them, that suggest that extended listening to distorted music, and compressed music is a form of distortion, can make you irratable, raise your blood pressure, etc. The distortions, although subtle, perhaps inaudible, still can affect you.
That said, I have itunes music playing all day in my office. I’m trying to drown out the hum of three computers, air conditioning, and most important, my phone.
Like everyone has said, there are different levels to compression, but in general you probably could tell between the two if played side by side. A song that has been compressed at a decent quailty and codec (type of compression - AAC works pretty darn well) is still very good.
On a side note - when working in a professional enviroment, you can fatigue your ears a lot faster when working with digitally recorded music vs analog (and we’re talking multi-million $$ studio equipment)
But, I use my iPod constantly with AAC files - it’s great.
Is this iTunes compression setting user adjustable? Where/how?
Is this iTunes compression setting user adjustable? Where/how?
Open iTunes, Select Edit, then Preferences. Select the Importing tab. Adjust to your liking. Note, these settings have no effect importing iTunes Music Store songs. Have fun!
I love music, but my hearing’s shot (tinnitus), so it doesn’t really matter to me. If I was in a sensory deprivation tank, I would still hear a field of crickets. Even the clearest recordings sound like mediocre bootlegs.