MP3/WMA Bit rate

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Hmmmm.... Just confirmed the Pioneer's max bit rate for WMA is 192Kbs as I suspected, but it will play MP3s at 320kbs tho....

 

So as I've ripped all my Vinyl at 320kbs, the HU ignores them, joy!

 

Is there a way of dropping the bit rate after they've been encoded? I don't fancy doing them all again as it took me 2 weeks to rip them all in the first place!

 

I am happy to lose a little quality but not too much!

 

Cheers

K

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Ignore this, I've found a utility on my PC that will drop them down. It can also encode with lossless and VBR...... but lossless goes up to 475kbs! The HU would throw a fit...... shame :(

[VR6 0]

Can't you just rip them off the CD at a lower BR?

[Kevin Bacon 5]

So as I've ripped all my Vinyl at 320kbs, the HU ignores them, joy!

 

:wink:

[VR6 0]

But how do you know that your HU won't play these 320kbs tracks? ;)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Because the HU skips them as already said.... what's up with your reading skills tonight??? :lol:

 

And the manual corroborates that by saying 192Kbs max for WMA. If in doubt, RTFM!! Wish I'd read it *before* ripping the sodding records.... never mind.

 

It's converted them now anyway and they don't sound much different, so cool 8)

[VR6 0]

So you tried putting vinyl in the HU?

 

Surely you must have the tracks on a CD to be able to re-rip them at a lower rate?

[dr_mat 0]

You can re-encode them, no trouble. I assume you've found such a utility?

Only trouble is you'll lose more quality by doing -> 320kb wma then -> 192kb WMA than you would have done by going straight to 192kb.. :(

You could of course transcode them to 320kb MP3, which will lose less detail... (but still not perfect).

And there's DEFINITELY no point in using lossless encoding when they've already been squished with lossy encoding to 320kb! :)

If you have the option of VBR in future, I'd definitely recommend it. Everything (even mp3) sounds much better with variable bitrate than without.

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Yeah I tried but the display came up with "ERR 21" :wink: Looking in the manual, ERR 21 means I don't have the optional pickup arm or needle installed.

 

Just for you Tom - I ripped the Vinyl (black 12" discs popular in the 70s/80s) to WMAs using an Analog recorder program on the PC, which uses the sound card's input and converts the analogue (waveforms) signal to digital (1s and 0s). Got it?

[dr_mat 0]

Ah, ERR21: the drug addict's nightmare: ENONEEDLE

[Tekara 0]

For quick conversions i use a program called "Mp3 To All Converter" it will do what you like. Will convert WMA to MP3 and vice versa. Full choice of bit rates, only deals with constant not variable rates. Depending on the speed of your computer should do a track in under 30 seconds

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I forgot I had the MS media plus pack on my PC, which covers pretty much everything too. I'm not too bothered about ultimate sound quality from the WMAs though. I have my Alpine reference CD for pure Sound Quality, or I just put the originals in the player if I'm in the mood for some serious SQ, otherwise WMAs are fine to entertain me during the hum drum daily grind. Drowns out engine and exhaust noise beautifully :wink:

[Musicman 0]

I reckon you need to get a vinyl deck for the car - I heard Marilyn Monroe had one installed in her Buick :-P

[Kevin Bacon 5]

Nah, what you really want is a TEAC 8 track reel-to-reel tape deck :wink:

[GIXXERUK 0]

but it will play MP3s at 320kbs tho....

 

this is the max bitrate , then is there a minimum it will accept ? this is the pioneer hu isnt it ?

[Louie Lungbubble 0]

8 track reel to reel tape?

 

The marvells of modern sience.

 

I've just stumbled on a pic of you BEFORE you must've first visited your local audioshack, Kev!

 

:lol:

[Supercharged 2]

LOL :lol:

[Kevin Bacon 5]

PMSL!! That is pretty much what I have in the car, less the yorkshire terrier though :lol:

[Campaign 0]

Which Pioneer HU have you got? All the ones I've tried have had little problem playing 320kbps MP3s (they skip a little, but I think that's the discs I'm using)

 

I have to disagree that VBR is better than normal MP3s. It compresses better, granted, but overall sound quality is very well, wallowy.

 

320kbps all the way now, unless I use Monkey Audio, which I do for my Vinyl, but that's unplayable in the car. (until I get the car computer...)

[Kevin Bacon 5]

I've got the Pioneer DEH-P77MP.

 

It plays MP3s at up to 320Kbs, WMA at up to 192Kbs and VBR WMA/MP3s.....

 

I should have checked that *before* ripping all my records to 320kbs WMAs. That'll teach me :lol:

 

They're all knocked down to 192Kbs now anyway and don't sound much different to be honest.

[dr_mat 0]

I have to disagree that VBR is better than normal MP3s. It compresses better, granted, but overall sound quality is very well, wallowy.

 

Interesting. For the same bit-rate I've ALWAYS found VBR to be a vast improvement over fixed. Have you compared both using the same bitrate and the same encoder?

 

Fixed bit rate always makes treble sound mushy and like it's underwater. Horrible: particularly if you're not giving it more than 120kbit to play with. 112kbit is awful, but the same files encoded to 112kbit (average) using VBR are usually much more bearable.

[dinkus 10]

Interesting. For the same bit-rate I've ALWAYS found VBR to be a vast improvement over fixed. Have you compared both using the same bitrate and the same encoder?

 

Fixed bit rate always makes treble sound mushy and like it's underwater. Horrible: particularly if you're not giving it more than 120kbit to play with. 112kbit is awful, but the same files encoded to 112kbit (average) using VBR are usually much more bearable.

 

Err not really surprising that a VBR with 112 average is going to sound better than a 112 constant one. The VBR track will use up to 320kb when it's needed, whereas the 112 CBR one will only ever use 112k.

 

But... if you just rip everything at 320k then it's all going to sound better ;)

 

The only real reason for VBR is to get a better compression rate, but TBH you might as well spend the extra 15p on another CD-R and rip them all at the best quality you can. You'll still get 100 or so tracks on a single disc.

[dr_mat 0]

Not really, most VBR implementations aim for an average bit-rate that matches your requested rate. That means you get a file that overall is approximately 112kbit, so it uses the same space, but as you say, sounds better simply because it can reallocate those bits to where it needs them most.

All win, no lose.

This is what I'm saying - for a given bitrate, VBR is all gain. There is no drawback!