[Hoots]

I love the idea of a Jukebox hooked up to my Stereo but MP3 seems like a step backwards. What file formats are popular that are equal to CD but compressed smaller than a typical wav file?


I currently use MusicMatch 7.5 Plus but I've heard good things about SoundFordge and others. What are the key advantages of others? I only really want to jukebox, write CDs, and copy LPs to CD. I like the interface and cover art of MusicMatch.


KJ


Mitsubish WS55819

Outlaw 1050 AV Receiver

Klipsch Cornwalls & Heresys

B&O Beogram TT

 

[work permit]

The only thing significantly better than 320kbps mp3 is lossless compression. Check out FLAC or Monkey's Audio (ie ape). There's also OptimFrog, LPAC, Wavpack, Shorteneck...


I suppose MPC is superior to mp3, but the difference probably isn't worth the hassle.


I beleive Music Jukebox will ive you a usable MMJ frontend replacement, and it supports Monkey's Audio

 

[philba]

work permit is right - lossless is the best bet. however, are you comparing 128Kb MP3s? This is the most common standard. I rip at 192Kb and that provides pretty darn good quality. You should try 192K, 256K and 320K to see what you think. I bet you will be ok with one of these rates.


The easiest lossless is PCM - a straight rip off the CD. Note that it is about 10MByte/Minute of audio so you run out of space really fast. I believe some devices support this format.


Also, there are several alternatives to MP3 compression that provide better quality for a given bit rate: AAC, ATRAC3, WMA and OGVorbis (sp?). WMA has the broadest support but is worse than MP3 (regardless what MS says). ATRAC3 is available from sony and realnetworks. AAC is currently not supported by other than a few japanese portable devices. OGV is freeware.


However, given highly limited support for this stuff in stereo devices, you are stuck with MP3, WMA or PCM (.wav). If I were you, I'd go to 192Kb MP3 or higher.


Phil

 

[jriver]

Quote:

Originally posted by work permit I beleive Music Jukebox will give you a usable MMJ frontend replacement, and it supports Monkey's Audio

Do you mean Media Jukebox?

 

[work permit]

Yes, definetly meant media jukebox.