Can you hear the difference? FLAC vs mp3

[micropino]

Theoritically mp3@192kbps sounds transparent (like original lossless)

My question:
In Reality at what mp3 encoding bitrate your ears can't differentiate between Flac (lossless) and mp3 (lossy) in an A/B comparison test?
1- 96 kbps
2- 128 kbps
3- 160 kbps
4- 192 kbps
5- 256 kbps
6- 320 kbps

Please reply only if you did that test before :)

[twister]

probably depends on the quality of your speakers/headphones.

[S!X]

For me LAME V0 (VBR) sounds the closest to FLAC imo.

[micropino]

probably depends on the quality of your speakers/headphones.

Yes, you have to have good soundcard with accurate speakers and perhaps a good room acoustics :)


For me LAME V0 (VBR) sounds the closest to FLAC imo.
Lame V0 is from 220...260 kbps

[KultNavn]

Never wash my ears, so it's a no for me.

[pakhe]

lol....somewhat

[bicape]

yea sometimes i do. i don't really get flac though. i usually aim for 320kbps cuz my old music collection has some low bit rates

[iLOVENZB]

Misread the poll, my vote was meant to be 320 lol.

If the source is the same, and you are using the same location/equipment then the answer must be 320 unless you're like Daredevil and have abnormal hearing.

[micropino]

If the source is the same, and you are using the same location/equipment then the answer must be 320 unless you're like Daredevil and have abnormal hearing.

This is a good one :D
And remember you have to have a hi quality sound card and speakers to catch the difference!

[uqc]

to be honest....at 320k I can't tell the difference sometimes,but not always

[micropino]

to be honest....at 320k I can't tell the difference sometimes,but not always
same here :D

[bladesharp]

always depends on player/speaker/headphones

I can easily diff in my cowon s9

[UnGodly]

I don't get why people want flac unless they are working with the music not just to listen to

[micropino]

I don't get why people want flac unless they are working with the music not just to listen to
flac seeking people are simillar to HD 1080p addicted people; they want to have the best sound system with the best audio quality to listen to all tiny sound details in the whole audible frequencey range :)

[mbucari1]

I can only tell the difference between mp3's (320) and flac if I play the same section of the same song back to back. It's not a great enough difference for me to keep flac on my pc. BTW, this is with my z-5500 computer speakers.

Now I do have a couple of DVD-A's on my PC. I really like listening to some stuff in surround sound. Hotel California is 2.36GB in flac! Come to think of it, I really should convert them to aac.

[micropino]

Now I do have a couple of DVD-A's on my PC. I really like listening to some stuff in surround sound. Hotel California is 2.36GB in flac! Come to think of it, I really should convert them to aac.

This will take us to the point that lossy compressed audio format lacks few details than the lossless files (flac for instance).

I really agree with you that aac/mp3 save a lot of space... so it is a matter of compromising since the audible difference is minimal (to many) and the need for disk space is important too ;)

[Dolphin]

Flac has a so much "real" sound & u can hear it much clearer then 320kbps mp3.

[micropino]

Yes, so you can hear the difference even @320 kbps... sounds like many people can :)

[100%]

I prefer to lick sound

[The_Martinator]

It's hard to tell the difference at 320. That doesn't mean there isn't any. It helps if you have 8 speakers around you ,though, lol.

[micropino]

It's hard to tell the difference at 320. That doesn't mean there isn't any. It helps if you have 8 speakers around you ,though, lol.
why 8 speakers? :D

[The_Martinator]

I misscounted, actually there are only 6, 2 rear, 2 front, a central one and a woofer.
Why? HD movies are not just about the pic quality, plus I like music, lol. (plus my bruth payed half)

[Bone.W.Machine]

I can't hear any difference on any bitrate.

[micropino]

I can't hear any difference on any bitrate.
were you listening to music or talk conversation?

[Bone.W.Machine]

I can't hear any difference on any bitrate.
were you listening to music or talk conversation?
music, but I guess it's because I use headsets and not speakers.

[micropino]

were you listening to music or talk conversation?
music, but I guess it's because I use headsets and not speakers.

You will surely notice the difference @96kbps using any decent quality headphones, just try to focus on the hi freq. (treble) while listening. There is huge difference in that area @ 96kbps...

[Bone.W.Machine]

music, but I guess it's because I use headsets and not speakers.

You will surely notice the difference @96kbps using any decent quality headphones, just try to focus on the hi freq. (treble) while listening. There is huge difference in that area @ 96kbps...
my headsets aren't quality I guess :happy:

[micropino]

You will surely notice the difference @96kbps using any decent quality headphones, just try to focus on the hi freq. (treble) while listening. There is huge difference in that area @ 96kbps...
my headsets aren't quality I guess :happy:
This could be the reason!

[Glitterstep]

:unsure:..never!!!

[Overlord]

I dare the ones who voted for the high bitrates to do some comparison tests.

[micropino]

I dare the ones who voted for the high bitrates to do some comparison tests.
Liked this one, would you like to up 2 samples for A/B comparison :naughty:

[Overlord]

Easy enough to do on your own... ;)

[micropino]

Easy enough to do on your own... ;)
Will think about it :cool:

[iceman0113]

320 is a bit much, but around 256, I can't tell. FLAC just takes up so much space, so V0 is perfect for me. V2, I can tell just a bit on some songs. It really depends on your speakers and sound card.

[micropino]

320 is a bit much, but around 256, I can't tell. FLAC just takes up so much space, so V0 is perfect for me. V2, I can tell just a bit on some songs. It really depends on your speakers and sound card.
thank you iceman for your input and yes it is totally dependable upon your sound card and speakers :)