Luxofreak

Not to be a **** but any compressed version of music sounds like.... you know what. Even the 44.1 Khz resolution of a normal audio CD still leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to depth and warmth. SACDs are better, I could be very happy with a SACD player in a car. I wonder if the LS-460 Mark Levinson system reproduces SACDs.

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

No, but it does DVD-Audio

Ex-Lexic

I bought one of those dock connectors so as not to take the iPod signal from the headphone jack. It works, however, I couldn't detect much increase in sound quality. Also, you must have a connector inserted in the headphone jack (going to nowhere) in order for the dock connector to receive a signal. Strange.

encore888

Everyone here is clearly more attuned to sound quality than I am...call me old-fashioned, but I remember a time when 'CD quality audio' was an excellent standard...

vraa

iTrader: (2)

It actually depends. You'd be hard-pressed to be able to tell the quality difference between 320kbps aps LAME mp3's versus almost anything lossless unless you have major major major money invested into your output (speakers and what not).
For those of us with $xxx,xxx theaters, you can tell the difference, but then you'd also know now to play measly mp3's.
For the rest of us listening in the background, 320kbps mp3's might even be overkill!

I just know one thing, almost all music is ripped in 320kbps, because who knows if dad one day decides to become a home-audio nut!

DaveGS4

iTrader: (2)

Not true IMO. I can definitely tell a difference even on an OEM Lexus standard Non ML system of a CD with high quality burned MP3s converted back to WAV or played as MP3s compared to store-bought CDs of the same music. Noticably brighter highs, deeper bass on the store bought CD.

I can tell a much bigger difference when listening on our 2 channel music setup or even a home theater.

Mr. Jones

I've downloaded hundreds of 256kbs/320kbs mp3s, direct from source mIRC and private chatrooms. These were not altered encodings.

There is a noticible difference between mp3's and CD's, which is why I haven't bothered with mp3's in years.

spwolf

no wonder IPODs sell :-).
At best, quality of sound through Ipod connected to ML system would be 3rd after CD and DVD-A, which DVD-A being apsolutly the best option which makes Ipod look like cheap taiwainese boombox.

In most cases, HDD-256kbs will sound a lot better than anything on Ipod due to aux out and the fact that most songs people have are not better than 256kbs.

vraa

iTrader: (2)

If you can tell a difference from 320kbps mp3's and CD, I wnt to know what CD's you're listening to and what equipment so I can replicate it!

If your iPod has the rockbox firmware, you can use .flac which is lossless meaning it'll sound the same as whatever source you're ripping it from UNLESS the connector (inside the cneter box) is somehow downgrading the source.

Luxofreak

A few months ago I custom ordered UE-10 Pro in-ear monitors from Ultimate Ears. Listening to 320Kbps compressed audio sounds like AM radio compared to CDs and SACDs. When you pop a DVD audio with 96Khz resolution it feels like the band and/or orchestra is inside your head and your neck veins shake.

So no mp3 crap for me.