Do older iPods support AAC?

[alexf]

Can someone please let me know whether previous generation iPods support the AAC format?

If so, are there any disadvantages to importing all of my music in this new format, which Apple seems to be pushing especially hard now, instead of MP3?

Thanks for the help-

 

[crazzyeddie]

Yes, they do support it via iPod software updates. I find AAC to sound much better than MP3 at 128kbps. I can't hear any distortion compared to playing an AIFF file (straight off the CD), but I can with a 128kbps MP3. Needless to say, I rip everything in AAC.

 

[alexf]

Thanks for the reply.

So, if I am importing music primarily to listen to on my computer and iPod, is there really any reason not to use AAC?

If this is so, why then are so many people still using MP3?

One more thing: can someone tell me whether I should be using Variable Bit Rate encoding (VBR) if I do import in the MP3 format?

Forgive my naïvety; I'm a newbie in the digital music world.