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Any opinions on what's the best mp3 codec these days? I'd be willing to pay for it if it's killer. I'd like to hear some non-mangled high end if it's possible.

cheers
Phil

I don't think there's better than LAME

philbrown wrote: I'd like to hear some non-mangled high end if it's possible.

It's definitely possible...just don't convert to MP3 and the high-end should be fine

..that's my wise-ass way of saying, you can't escape degrading the audio when you convert to MP3. LAME is a good implementation, just play with the settings. VBR MP3s tend to sound marginally better the CBR. At one time, though, VBR MP3s weren't universally supported. I think the format & players have come along enough that that is no longer a concern.

I dislike most of the audio file codecs so much that my entire iTunes library is ripped as AIFF files. Not only can I hear a difference in the extreme frequencies, I can also hear a difference in the depth and dimension of the recordings.

But then again...maybe that's just me.

I second : Lame is rather good.

But mp3 do suffer from some loss of high frequencies.
Sometimes difficult to point.

The best way to make envidence is coding very complex high frequency content : brushing or breathing acoustic instruments recorded with high end mic and pre. I use 192 coding mp3 for test.
Obviously high end listening system and surrounding.

Then you'll know what your'e dealing with.

Thanks to all. I just thought maybe someone might have built a slightly better mouse trap

LAME, LAME, LAME, LAME...Sorry, had to. LAME is your best choice for MP3, but seriousls go for FLAC or APE (http://www.monkeysaudio.com/). Both are good, APE is a little smaller, but a bit more restrictive because it's less wildly used.

aitikin wrote:LAME, LAME, LAME, LAME...Sorry, had to. LAME is your best choice for MP3, but seriousls go for FLAC or APE (http://www.monkeysaudio.com/). Both are good, APE is a little smaller, but a bit more restrictive because it's less wildly used.

It's nearly impossible to get trhough a thread about LAME with a quip or 2.