128 V 160 192 320 Etc

[digmen1]

At present I d/l most of my songs at 128, as it seems the most popular.
Also I only have an onboard sound card and crappy speakers (finance)

I know some purists swear by 320 etc

And I know others swear they can't tell the difference between any of them.

But I have a serious question.

In the near future I want to put on a music show and want to know if the songs I am d/l at 128 will put out a good fat sound through a good PA system.

Or do I really need to go to one of the higher rates ?

Can I have serious answers only please.

Digby

[Adster]

to be honest??

on a good PA system 128s sound shit

the crappy speakers I too have on my PC makes 128s sound good but when there played on my stereo they sound crap!

I go for the 192s at minimum and that is the standard these days

[3RA1N1AC]

if you're going to deejay with mp3s on high-quality equipment, you'd do well to avoid 128 and try to stick with 320 (as much as possible) unless you want people to complain about the sound quality 'cos there's bound to be at least a few people in the crowd who can tell the difference.

but it kinda depends on the type & quality of source audio you intend to play, too, since some music just sounds worse at 128. for instance, if you're going to play oldies or punk, 128 would prolly not sound too bad. but if you're going to play electronic dance music, hip-hop, or something along those lines (where the music has a wider range of highs & lows), the music would generally benefit from higher bitrates.

[Illuminati]

I aim to get 320s - I'm unfortunately one of those who can tell the difference between a properly-ripped 320 track and a properly-ripped 192 (though when the 320 or 192 is ripped cackly, there's very little difference).

The only problem is that finding 320 tracks (compared to other bit rates) is rare, finding full 320 albums even rarer. The general consensus is becoming 192 though when it used to be 128, so seeing more & more 320s may be happening soon

As for broadcasting them through a PA system, I dunno to be honest but usually those PA systems I do listen to regularly are crap quality anyway, so I don't think many would mind (unless there was a lot of screeching ).

[god-of-rock]

Originally posted by digmen1@7 January 2004 - 10:11
At present I d/l most of my songs at 128, as it seems the most popular.

I know some purists swear by 320 etc

bitrates ain't no popularity contest, it's how good quality YOU want from your music...

If you're satisfied with 128, and you don't hear any differance from 192 you probably should get a doctor check your ears...


edit: removed offensive material

[Jayhawk]

well i would recommend getting 192 cause if you do decide to get good speakers you will be albe to tell so its up to you if you want quality later

[digmen1]

Thanks guys,

Very intelligent contributions !

So it looks like its really 192 !

I must admit that when I search I do not see so much 192, but I will start to look for it in a big way for my favourite artists.

But I would still like to hear from a DJ in a club etc to see what they use.

Thanks

Digby

[Jayhawk]

what program do you use to d/l your music?

[summerlinda]

Originally posted by KwahyaJ@7 January 2004 - 19:37
what program do you use to d/l your music?

You just couldnt resist eh?

[Spider_dude]

i am coming round to the way of thinking vbr.