Which audio codec do you like the best?

[Dude111]

Let me start by saying I DO NOT LIKE DIGITAL.. If I can get it IN ANALOGUE,i prefer it 1000%

Of course when we are on the internet,WE ARE ONLY GOING TO GET DIGITAL VIDEO/AUDIO...

For audio I think WMA sounds BETTER than anything else I have heard.... The nicest sound indeed.........

Take this WMA stream,doesnt it sound good??

32k: [color=1]http://wms-rly.181.fm/181-awesome80s[/color] (Live Stream)


I do have a 2nd favourite and thats RM (real media)

32k: http://web.archive.org/web/20060527...om/iraq/9la7-alba7r/9la7-alba7r_agla-alnas.rm (This is a song)


What do you think??

 

[saheb11123]

Flac is a good option for 24bit 96k songs which I listen to often. Most of the tracks in my collection are flac with some exceptions which are 320kbps mp3's , they sound horrible though.

 

[crestdelta]

Use FLAC . I have a full HDD ( 2TB ) of songs connected to my ONKYO AVReceiver via its USB . I have tried almost all the formats in lossless , FLAC serves the best if you want to listen ur tracks from some AV unit .For iPOD i suggest ripping the CDs even in Apple Lossless sounds great

 

[noknor]

All the different codecs, they all sound the same to me, except when listening to some low quality mp3.
Is it audible, the differences, when using different codecs?

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Most of it is in the mind. I was pissed off when one source stopped selling FLACs and went to 320K MP3 --- then I decided to stop letting this get between me and the music. When listening try not to think about file formats, bit rates, etc etc; it just spoils the experience.

If 320K MP3 sounds "horrible," something is wrong, because it really really shouldn't.

32K, though, as in some internet streaming, is another matter. It is fatiguing to the point where I can loose interest in even speech/drama/comedy. There's a digital artifact that may have not have been listed yet: the jokes don't sound funny any more! :lol: But seriously... that's true.

 

[Dude111]

Indeed like on Super 80s 32k WMA streams,they must not have them configured right!!

The one I listed above though sounds quite good!! (oopps I listed the first link above as 32k .. Its 64k WMA!! (Got mixed up with the other one))

 

[IndianEars]

For Lossless I prefer WAV

Amongst the compressed formats, I like .ape (by Monkey Audio) for its relatively small file size, despite being lossless. I also like the sound quality of .ape files.

For lossy compression, I feel mp3 320Kbps is very good.

 

[Nikhil]

All the different codecs, they all sound the same to me, except when listening to some low quality mp3.
Is it audible, the differences, when using different codecs?

Very true because so much depends on the setup.

In response to the OP: Windows Media Audio (WMA) and Real Media (RM) are obsolete formats to the best of my knowledge. WMA was cooked up by Microsoft to supposedly handle the deficiencies of the MP3 format. Real Media primary function is media transfer over internet.

I agree with IndianEars - wav is really good for uncompressed.
I use mostly flac for compressed but have a fair share of ape files as well.

Apart from what sounds best - file format preferences nowadays offer features like tagging which becomes important as your collection grows. Most of the major media players can decode most formats so really it boils down to how much media is available in a format and of course the quality. At the moment, flac seems to be the format that is emerging. In terms of availability MP3 is king.

 

[reignofchaos]

Until recently, I could not distinguish between .flac and uncompressed .wav. However after optimizing my computer, I most definitely hear a difference between the two.

So for me unadulterated 44.1kHz 16bit .wav it is for me. High res is a hit or miss. Some sound great, some sound processed and worse than CD. Never tried dsd files cos I don't have a dac that plays dsd natively.

 

[Rupam]

My baby is HD WAV 16Bit 44.1kHz Studio Master. Nothing compares to it and people who think mp3 and HD wav are same, may become zombie very soon !

HD WAV 16Bit 44.1kHz Studio Master | Hifitrack.com

 

[Ashwin84]

flac is the way to go.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

Real Media was dead. It has been resurrected --- to the sound of universal groans.

Ignore it and it will go away again :lol:

 

[global rhythms]

Most of my music collection is in FLAC but I have always felt .ape sounds better than FLAC

 

[Dude111]

Real Media was dead. It has been resurrected --- to the sound of universal groans.

It may be but IT DOES SOUND G00D BUD!!

 

[Falcon21]

preferably Flac 24/16 bit depending upon availability

or else mp3 320kbps(CBR)

 

[asliarun]

IMHO, the only way to reliably compare two different codecs is to create the two copies from the exact same source.

All other subjective conclusions are unreliable. The source makes such a huge impact on sound quality that the codec's ability becomes an insignificant factor. We mostly complain about mp3's poor quality because it was ripped and reripped, and/or it was ripped from a really poor source to begin with (often an mp3 of even poorer quality).

Only my two cents.

 

[jkarthik]

I agree with asliarun.
Most of the collections I am having in .FLAC format.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

IMHO, the only way to reliably compare two different codecs is to create the two copies from the exact same source.

And then blind/double-blind test.

That is such a hassle that few of us, even those who believe it, really get around to it, but if the question Does format A sound different/better than format B is really important to a person that is the way to go. Otherwise, you are just as likely to be testing what you had for breakfast this morning.

(Well, actually, ABX testing with Foobar plugins is not such a hassle. I wish they would make a Linux version! The only ABX comparator I have come across for Linux is written in java and setting the output device is arcane, such that I haven't found out how. It might work for many, but not for me)

 

[rav_mk1]

For me Flac give the best Sound : space value compared to any other format even the much touted WAV, coupled with a decent DAC you get CD quality reproduction (assuming the source recording was of that quality):thumbsup: