CD or MP3

[gazman51]

G'day
Now that we have a car with MP3 player I have started ripping the Cd collection to MP3 discs.
I have only started doing a few and believe that I can hear some loss of quality despite opting for maximum quality when burning them.

I would like to ask others with the Rockford Fosgate system what they think and use.
Sitting in the garage and listening is one thing but do you really pick the difference when driving ?

I think to be 100% sure I would have to listen to same album in Cd format then in MP3 format immediately after

Garry

[dannyboi]

There's compression with MP3s, so there will always be some loss in quality. That said, I think 320kbps should be fairly decent.

I have another issue with some of my MP3 files not being recognised by the player, so I've opted for CDs for the time being.

[tjoz]

MP3 discs would be fine in the car, with the amount of other noises going on you wont notice much of a difference. With the MP3, normal listening you wont be able to tell much. Turn it up louder and you will pick up the lesser quality in sound.

I still use CD's, still buy them too

[M@verik]

I use MP3's. Nothing beats 100 tracks per cd lol.

[BR14AN]

My thoughts- why bother upgrading to a better sound system (Rockford or after market) if your just going to use low quality mp3s diminishing the sound quality.

Thats just me.

[Mizta B]

I still use CDs and also connect an MP3 player for trips
Doesn't sound too bad really
The MMCS only has single disc capability,a hassle on long distance drives

[Mitch]

i tend to use CD'S AND Iphone

sound quality is pretty good no sound loss i reckon

[Itachi]

Just copy all the CDs to an iPod and you're sorted, thats what I would do if I wasn't lazy

[SirGalantHad]

The MMCS only has single disc capability,a hassle on long distance drives

yeah but the mmcs reads DVD discs so you can have 4.7gb of mp3 on on disc instead of 650mb like on cd

so approx 7x cds worth on the dvd disc = more than a 6 stacker of mp3 anyway

[Mizta B]

Thanks James
Ofey pointed this out to me, so that's what I'll do
I have the MP3 player as a backup
Appreciate the help guys, I am a recent MMCS convert

[scraverX]

I don't use MP3 period. Way too lossy and yes I can hear it. It's not too bad if you just have the basic ES stereo which is crap anyway.

I have an iPod, which I mostly use when I can't be assed switching CD's. All the CD's that I have ripped on iTunes are done as Apple Lossless. Yes the files are big but the quality is way better then MP3.

For those wondering, compression on MP3 isn't just to save file size. The compression is in the upper (tweeter) and lower (mid-bass/bass) frequencies - which is why you might notice it if you have better then the basic ES stereo. There are a couple reasons for this, one of these is that MP3 was originally aimed more at portable devices and hence listening over headphones. Yes, you can get some good headphones but most won't play as full a range of frequencies as a good set of speakers so those frequencies can be cut or compressed and most people won't notice. It also saves your ears, or at least that's the theory.

In short, for me with my after-market stereo which is aimed at SQ (Sound Quality) It's CD or Apple Lossless.

- Oh yeah, for those of you out there with iPod/iPhone and particularly after-market head units or MMCS with direct iPod cable it's a good idea to set the EQ on your iPod/iPhone to Flat.

- And one other little point... iPod/iPhone and a bunch of other similar devices can generally hold even more then a DVD - mine is 16gig and currently only has around 5gig used which equates to some 303 tracks.

[Chubb]

The MMCS only has single disc capability,a hassle on long distance drives

yeah but the mmcs reads DVD discs so you can have 4.7gb of mp3 on on disc instead of 650mb like on cd

so approx 7x cds worth on the dvd disc = more than a 6 stacker of mp3 anyway

MMCS + IPOD = WIN :D

[gazman51]

G'day
A few different ideas here , so now I think it is worth looking at the ipod option.

Now we have never had one or even used one so what are the things to consider?
In our case it would most likely only ever get used in the car.

Can I copy CDs to a ipod using our computer with no compression or loss?

Do we have to keep the battery supplies up to it ? or can power outlet in car be used?

I see that a ipod classic is available with 160gb capacity so I think that would be the way to go.

I guess what we want is CD quality without having to eject and load discs too often.

Is there anything else to consider if looking at the ipod option?

Garry

[anghel132]

[quote:f0b16e8de4=Mizta B]The MMCS only has single disc capability,a hassle on long distance drives[/quote:f0b16e8de4] yeah but the mmcs reads DVD discs so you can have 4.7gb of mp3 on on disc instead of 650mb like on cd so approx 7x cds worth on the dvd disc = more than a 6 stacker of mp3 anyway

I just tried a DVD MP3 disc and it didn't read - said "Check Disc"

[Fizzlefuzzle]

Vrx = 6 cd stacker <3 and aux for my iPod! I love both! Although the sound quality is always better with CDs! So I opt for bass CDs for my sub and heaps of random music for long trips on my iPod!