So right now I import my CDs as 320 kbps mp3s, but I'm considering reimporting them as VBR iTunes Plus aacs. I know at lower bitrates aac is supposed to be higher quality, but I've heard mp3 can be as good or better at some higher ones. Which would I be better off using in this case? Everything I've googled on the subject seems to be years old and discussion among serious audiophiles.
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Considering switching from mp3 to aac...
- Thread starter devburke
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I think you'll find AAC will have roughly the same quality as MP3, but at a lower bitrate (as you mention). My own cursory tests seem to show that too - I'd say a 128kbps AAC is as good as a 160kbps MP3 (I think my "test" was as fixed bit rates).
IMO - since you have them at 320kbps MP3, I'm not sure it's worth the effort to re-encode them (unless you need the space - but you'd have to have a large collection for the savings to add up to anything significant).
My suggestion would be to take a few select tracks, reimport them, and take a listen. I'm guessing it'll be pretty difficult to tell the difference.
IMO - since you have them at 320kbps MP3, I'm not sure it's worth the effort to re-encode them (unless you need the space - but you'd have to have a large collection for the savings to add up to anything significant).
My suggestion would be to take a few select tracks, reimport them, and take a listen. I'm guessing it'll be pretty difficult to tell the difference.
What exactly do you want to accomplish by re-importing? If it's higher sound quality then 320 kbps mp3 -> AAC is going to be a negligible improvement (if any) in sound quality. If you are looking to preserve your music files, rip to Apple Lossless or FLAC.
Mostly looking to save some space and generally keep everything streamlined and up-to-date. I'm kinda anal about my iTunes library (although I don't use things like genre...trying to get everything labeled correctly there is pretty much impossible, so I don't have any genres).