MP3 vs FLAC
- Thread starter CliffyBiro
- Start date
majority of my MP3's are 192kbps, I have however started buying more CD's throughout 2010 and have been ripping them as lossless. To me the lossless songs do sound a bit more crisp compared to the MP3 versions of the same song. I should probably try with 320kbps MP3's too. I listen on low-mid range amp and speakers that is connected to my PC via optical (Mission M33i speakers, Denon 1905 AV amp and an old X-Mystique soundcard with DDL disabled and it acting as a simple pass-through to the amp).
It may very well be completely placebo but at the end of the day who cares? If I feel/think it sounds better then I'm more than likely going to enjoy it more.
It may very well be completely placebo but at the end of the day who cares? If I feel/think it sounds better then I'm more than likely going to enjoy it more.
Soldato
- Joined
- 26 Apr 2004
- Posts
- 10,007
- Location
- Milton Keynes
Just to place a reference against my post, the equipment I've been using where I've noticed very slight differences (extreme/highest quality VBR stil sounds very good and close to CBR320) between FLAC and MP3, has been via a DAC, with Goldring DR150s and my IE7.
On lower end equipment you dont/cant notice it unless something went horribly wrong in the transcode, and its usually only very very slight artifacts or similar during complex sections, on background noise/sounds, as through when its tried to remove, its removed something a little funky and left a tiny artifact.
This is extreme pickiness though, most mp3 192Kbps or higher still sounds good, although lower can be pretty noticeable.
On lower end equipment you dont/cant notice it unless something went horribly wrong in the transcode, and its usually only very very slight artifacts or similar during complex sections, on background noise/sounds, as through when its tried to remove, its removed something a little funky and left a tiny artifact.
This is extreme pickiness though, most mp3 192Kbps or higher still sounds good, although lower can be pretty noticeable.
Creative X-fi2 32Gb and Sennheiser Headphones
Also i can tell an even bigger difference on my PC, Creative X-fi gamer + a ceapo pair of Philips headphones
But i have always had exceptional hearing. I used to be able to pick out every individual sound out of every track thrown at me.
Soldato
- Joined
- 11 May 2006
- Posts
- 5,786
Have you done double blind testing?
Remember that your ears are simply one link in the chain that is called 'hearing'. The brain can radically change your final perception of sound based on your current state of mind.
LOL. you guys really are full of ****. your claims are ridiculous. it's like me saying i could beat usain bolt over 100m and expecting you to take my word for it. it's possible but not very likely, is it? 
feel free to prove me wrong....
one thing i didn't make clear earlier is that you can use any song you like. anything to make your life easier.. all i ask is that you create the mp3 using lame from your original lossless source. it would hardly be fair to use something you found online......
feel free to prove me wrong....
install foobar2000. http://www.foobar2000.org/download
you can use portable mode so it won't affect anything on your system.
now download this zip file.... http://www.foobar2000.org/components/view/foo_abx
open foobar. goto file>preferences>components and click on install. browse to where the the above zip file is and then restart when prompted.
now goto file>add and select the 2 files - one flac and one mp3. now highlight both tracks in the playlist. right click>utilities>abx two tracks.
from here it's fairly straight forward. just click A, B, X or Y to start playback. if A is the flac then B must be the mp3 (or vice versa). same goes for X and Y. you can switch between them taking as long as you like and then all you do do is match A to either X or Y and B to the odd one out. easy peasy considering your statement that i quoted above?
edited 07/01/2011. 13 correct guesses from 16 attempts is considered good enough.
one thing i didn't make clear earlier is that you can use any song you like. anything to make your life easier.. all i ask is that you create the mp3 using lame from your original lossless source. it would hardly be fair to use something you found online......
Last edited:
Caporegime
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
- Posts
- 34,662
- Location
- Warwickshire
13 trials without failure?! Seems excessive tbh.
Can you do 12?
Caporegime
- Joined
- 13 May 2003
- Posts
- 34,662
- Location
- Warwickshire
I failed entirely if you read the thread.
given the language used by these people, i expect passing this test to be a doddle??
anyway, the number is all about statistics to rule out the possibility you could be guessing. a bit like tossing a coin, there's a 50/50 chance you'll get it right. it doesn't mean you're psychic when you do get it right. that's why you need to repeat it X amount of times.
You don't have to take my word for this parable.
But I can tell the difference - It's not neccessarily a positive difference, just a crisper hissing and acoustics/reverb on particular instruments. I'm a classically trained musical theorist - grade 8 classical guitar/musical theory/piano.
I still use mp3s at 320kbps - for everything. Whilst I can tell the difference between 192/320kbps easily at a mediocre/loud volume - 320/flac really is excessive in my opinion.
Once again, it's just my opinion. If you enjoy flacs then rip them - the blind test will determine whether they'll truly benefit you. Just don't go bragging around about your flac collection if you can't pass the test ^^
But I can tell the difference - It's not neccessarily a positive difference, just a crisper hissing and acoustics/reverb on particular instruments. I'm a classically trained musical theorist - grade 8 classical guitar/musical theory/piano.
I still use mp3s at 320kbps - for everything. Whilst I can tell the difference between 192/320kbps easily at a mediocre/loud volume - 320/flac really is excessive in my opinion.
Once again, it's just my opinion. If you enjoy flacs then rip them - the blind test will determine whether they'll truly benefit you. Just don't go bragging around about your flac collection if you can't pass the test ^^
Soldato
- Joined
- 26 Apr 2004
- Posts
- 10,007
- Location
- Milton Keynes
Well I'll admit quite happily I wasn't perfect even with the VBR0 (Did it 8 times and got it right 5 times) using different sections of the track I was testing. (but then I never stated I was perfect)
Problem is I tend to notice minor artifacts at this sort of level rather than anything else, so when both tracks sound fine (and at this level 95% of the time they do), I won't particularly notice, this is how I've noticed DPC latency on a few machines that has passed the majority by.
(but then I never stated I was perfect)Problem is I tend to notice minor artifacts at this sort of level rather than anything else, so when both tracks sound fine (and at this level 95% of the time they do), I won't particularly notice, this is how I've noticed DPC latency on a few machines that has passed the majority by.
Last edited:
i think everybody who still buys CDs should rip them all to a lossless codec of their choice so they have a perfect backup. that isn't the issue here.
what i really take issue with is all the blanket statements of how easy it is to tell them apart - especially at the quite frankly ludicrous 320kbps setting. try some v2 (~190kbps) or v4 (~165kbps) while you're at it. you might be surprised....
Last edited:
LOL. you guys really are full of ****. your claims are ridiculous. it's like me saying i could beat usain bolt over 100m and expecting you to take my word for it. it's possible but not very likely, is it?
feel free to prove me wrong....
I don't give a toss if you believe me or not, I can hear a huge difference and i will use what i like encode
But i don't have the space on my MP3 player to have everything in FLAC, so MP3 @ 320Kbps is the next best thing.
I don't give a toss if you believe me or not, I can hear a huge difference and i will use what i like encode
The point is simply that the majority of people who believe they can tell the difference can't really tell the difference when put to the test.
I don't give a toss if you believe me or not, I can hear a huge difference and i will use what i like encode
you see this is what really bugs me. you make it sound so easy that passing the test should actually take less time than it does spouting all this drivel in these posts of yours.
This. And if you try and ask these people to ABX or similar they won't.
Personally I say let them be, they probably also pay £400/m for speaker cable and think What Hi-Fi? is a great, impartial magazine.
But I CAN tell the difference between FLAC/WAV and 320kbps MP3. I have a professional audio interface and monitors, and it is clear to my ears (which have been trained through music production). Yes, of course there is no difference when listening on generic desktop speakers and bog-standard hi-fis, what do you expect?
Last edited:
I don't believe you.
I cannot tell the difference and that's me using Shure SE-535s with custom moulded sleeves from ACS using an Asus Xonar Essence STX. And more importantly that's me trying to hear the difference.
I believe you -think- you can hear the difference, but I don't think you can.