Music download quality

Unclepetey

I'd be interested in others' thoughts and experiences of the different quality of download available from the various websites that sell music.

I have always assumed that if you are just listening to an MP3 player with basic headphones most people will not hear the compression in a bog standard download. But what about playing downloaded music through a good hi fi separates system with quality speakers? Is it worth paying more for so-called "lossless" download quality?

Also, what sort of download quality compares to CD-quality sound (if any)?

£$&*"($£&(

No usual download quality is the same as CD quality. Wav file are CD quality and FLAC files are lossless and I recently downloaded some albums in FLAC format ( a bands freebies). I doubt too many people could really tell the difference between the highest quality lossy formats even if played though a decent system. You probably won't find the option to buy lossless formats to pay for and download. Might as well just get the CD. Not that CD quality is really considered quality. You need DVD audio quality or analogue for that.

amcluesent

>Also, what sort of download quality compares to CD-quality sound (if any)?<

FLAC lossless is same as CD. Hi-rez FLAC (24bit/96Khz) from Linn Records etc. are better than CD, you need something like a Squeezebox Touch to decode and play them to best advantage with a good hi fi separates system with quality speakers

Donnie

FLAC is playable with the VLC Player.

googler

grahawk wrote: »

I doubt too many people could really tell the difference between the highest quality lossy formats even if played though a decent system.

What is your 'doubt' of other peoples' auditory ability based on?

Your research? Someone else's research? Or perhaps, just perhaps, you're just waffling?

googler

OP - the only person who can judge whether or not the lossless downloads sound better is YOU, 'cos you're the only one who can listen with your ears. Anyone else's opinion or thoughts are coloured by the inescapable fact that they have a different set of ears to you.

General rule of thumb - CDs are encoded at 44.1kHz, 16-bit. Anything with higher numbers than these has a 'higher resolution' and, theoretically at least, should 'sound better' - that's by no means a guarantee, as it will depend on the source material, and the recording and reproduction chain.

96kHz, 24-bit should be better than CD-quality at 44.1kHz and 16-bit.

If you need to take the increase in numbers to the infinite level, and attain the highest quality, you need to go download those 12" slabs of black stuff from physical sites known as record shops .....