mp3 or wma 192bit for space and sound quality?

[johnnr892]

Like the title suggests, which sounds better @192, and which takes up the most space. I'm open to suggestions that provide better sound quality than the creative zen software(not that it is at all bad) just open to suggestions. Thanks,john.

Zen software gives options to rip @ mp3 or wma, so hopefully you can help me decide
John

[5lab]

wma is supposedly better, per meg, than mp3, however variable bitrate wmv (set so the same overall size is about the same as 192) should be better still..

[Aaron]

VBR mp3 and WMV are pretty much identical in terms of file size and quality. WMV probably just about edges it but it's a matter of taste.

Personally, I'd stick with mp3 for compatibility sakes.

[directhex]

MP3 will wi out on compatability, but quality wise, WMA9 is simply better.

WMA9 and AAC are about the same, with Vorbis marginally better (but not audibly so).

then again, with MP3, the quality of your encoder can make a lot of difference - be sure to use a LAME-based encoder, not Microsoft's MP3 codec or similar

generally, you can expect identical audio quality with 33-50% lower bitrates, compared to MP3, when using WMA/Vorbis/AAC

[noah]

generally, you can expect identical audio quality with 33-50% lower bitrates, compared to MP3, when using WMA/Vorbis/AAC

seconded here, iuse mp3 normally, but wma if i need a low bitrate small file, there's a big differnece at low levels for me.

[DsW]

Audio quality is very subjective, I'm afraid - try both and compare if possible.

[johnnr892]

So general view is that i should stick with wma and at low bit rates, unless i can find a really awesome mp3 decoder which uses LAME?/

[Timmy!!!]

If you have an MP3 player you might want to go with MP3 as it uses more battery to decode WMA (I think).

I personally use WMA 192Kbps VBR 2-Pass and use dbpoweramp to do this. I did a test to see which quality I prefered and what bitrate to use. After the (blind obiously) test I opted for WMA - it keeps better stereo seperation at lower bitrates imo.

[johnnr892]

does anybody have a link to a mp3 converter using LAME because I cannot find one which is free or without features taken away. Thanks, John.

[Aaron]

CDex is a good one. It's totally free too!

[johnnr892]

thanks, this is a good tool!!