128 vs 192 vs 320

[anthrax]

Do you make the difference between 128kbps, 160, 192, 256 and 320kbps?

If it properly encoded I can hardly say whether it's 128 or 320 on my PC

Maybe with a high quality stereo it's more discernable

 

[lardo5150]

depends on the power crystals.

 

[Devastation]

absolutely. 256 and 320 is a little tougher tho

 

[anthrax]

absolutely. 256 and 320 is a little tougher tho

So what do you think is the best compromise quality/size?

 

[blut wump]

It all depends on how much you value your drive space and how much music you hold. I like to grab things at 320VBR. My brother refuses to use anything but Apple lossless encoding. Most of all it depends on whether you, personally, can tell the difference with your best set of headphones/speakers.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

depends on the stereo equipment youre using, and the type of music youre listening to. generally, theres a big difference between 128 and 190, but once youre at 190 and are thinking of encoding even higher, you have to be an audiophile with a bionic ear and a really, really good stereo to really pick the difference. ive found that acoustic stuff and vocals suffer most at low compression...but that could just be me

 

[blut wump]

I mostly use Sony MDR-V700 headphones with an iPod and it's the clearest sound I could hope for.

If I'm just loading up my Creative Labs 256meg jobby for a gym visit I sometimes re-encode my mp3s to lower quality since I can fit more on the thing and I won't be able to tell the difference over the gym noise.

 

[anthrax]

Since I've a limited space on my MP3 player I currently encode at 160 or 192 kbps... but can hardly make the difference with older songs in 128

 

[pintoca]

128 all the way