iTunes: MP3 encoder sucks??

[cprice]

Okay, so you may have seen my other post regarding iTuned being unable to import using AAC encoding:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/103529/

Well, I got fed up, completely reinstalled Panther, and the problem still remains. Frustrated, I decided to give the MP3 encoder another shot. Same as before, but I will readdress this topic from another angle: Does the MP3 encoder on iTunes really suck this bad? I encoded @ 192kbps and the highs are horrible. As I mentioned in my other post, it sounds almost as though the highs are "cassette quality"...What gives? Should I try encoding using some other program? Suggestions??

Thanks in advance
Chris

 

[grapes911]

I've never had a problem with iTunes encoding. I think its pretty good. How good are your speackers?

 

[JeDiBoYTJ]

I find iTunes mp3 encoding to be some of the best in the market. I encode all my songs in 224kb/s MP3, and all my CD Imports sound beautiful. I have a set of Bose Headphones, and im a HUGE audiophile when it comes to sound quality... so believe me

 

[cprice]

Indeed. I would not expect any less from apple which is why I am baffled at my problems. Please check out my other post for additional information on my scenario as a whole.

p.s. Speakers are great - I have those new Bose headphones and they are great...if anyone has some suggestions please let me know. By the way, I tried importing from an external CD drive just to be sure and got the same thing, thus eliminating the possibility of hardware (CDROM) issues.

Thanks

 

[Daveway]

Agreed. Apple surely did not cut corners on its encoding.

 

[dubbz]

Try using the LAME encoder. If you still have quality issues, then the problem must be somewhere else.

Edit: iTunes-LAME whould probably be helpful. (You may want to try LAME 3.90.3 first).

 

[cprice]

Excellent suggestion. Worked great as far as overall sound quality. However, now I get weird glitches throughout encoded files...

I am guessing there may be some command line options to LAME that could help overcome this.

I feel like I'm getting closer to the solution, though. Thanks for your help.