[Ti] [OT] Applemusic.com - is the price right?

[Frank Farwell]

..............
> For example, by using "lame" to encode my CD rips, I can produce mp3's 
> that are smaller in size _and_ sound noticeably better (more true to 
> the sound of the original CD playing on my system) than the same track 
> encoded to mp3 in iTunes from the same original rip.

The Fraunhoffer codec in iTunes is better at low bit rates such as 128k 
even compared to Lame codecd BUT once you go to about 192 + K lame far 
exceeds the Fraunhoffer codec even at the same bit rate. You can get 
itunes to encode with Lame with some basics software installed but 
since AAC is rated so much better im not sure tis worth it unless you 
use a Mp3 player only.

I wonder if DVD players will decode AAC audio that we put on a CD-R or 
DVD-Rs?  Many of course will handle mp3 files just fine.
>
> I am looking for more information about the AACs that they have 
> created and what they sound like -- but as the music shop is USA only 
> at present, will be a while I suppose.
>

Tarik

seems to me we should pick some different songs of different types - 
orchestrations, rock, jazz, electronica and so on then encode them as 
AAC, Lame Mp3 and plain aiff and see what they sound like.
use quicktime have the sound files open at the same time and switch 
between them and compare. this should be done with studio headphones 
for best comparison. Grados might do well for this as well as some 
others.
id be interested in doing this with some others so one could take a 
genre of music and try 3-4 songs of different intensity and so forth.

Frank Farwell