What quality should I encode at?

[scoobysi]

I've been reading quite a bit about the OGG quality levels and it looks as though 6 is approx. CD quality. However many people seem to use 7 or even 8, for what reason? I've not really started encoding my collection yet and I don't(won't) use the DB function so I guess I'm in a good starting position to use any format.

Cheers
Si

[divad6719]

Personaly if I were to use Ogg Vorbis it would be at q6, it's a fair balance between quality and file size.

Don't discount the other formats yet though, bear in mind that MP3 is still the most widely compatible format for use with just about anything.
While WMA proports to give equal quality at lesser file sizes.

It comes down to your own choice really, try a few formats/ settings out and choose whatever your happy with. Just don't get to caught up in it and stop paying attention to whats really important, listening to your music

[seadzz]

listening to your music

I couldn't have said it better divad.

First things first. It is not a good idea to post things like this without reading the FAQ section first and doing some homework. This forum has very easygoing folks residing here. However, should you post something like this at the iRiverzoo or Hydrogen Audio expect people to rip your head off.

Codecs and bitrates are religious topics...people get downright militant. Similar to the Mac/PC fistfights.

scoobis, since you are new here you will get off easy and I and the rest of the Mods|Admins will protect ya but next time do groundwork before asking questions that are bound to have people looking for tar and feathers.

I voted ogg Q8 but that is just to make you happy.

sdz

[pomegranate]

I use mp3 192kbps...there are of course many many pros and cons of different formats and sub-formats...but for me the massive ubiquity of mp3 is the best argument, it means I can share music across the network in my shared house without people having to install extra programs, and play music on ANY digital music device (except Sony portables, I guess?)
Seeing as I only play digital music through my iHP and fairly basic Creative computer speakers I'm not sure the audio quality is ever going to be *all that*, no matter what specification I use, beyond a certain point.
However if you have any serious plans to play your files through a mp3-enabled hi-fi or using decent headphones with a quality soundcard in your computer, you might want to use a higher bitrate than you would with a portable

Personally my ideal solution (with a infinite budget) would be two sets of ripped music - 192k mp3 for portable, and EAC or WAV-ripped CDs on a non-portable HD hifi player...niiiice...

[Exo]

As pomegranate quite rightly mentions, MP3 has it's compatibilty advantages.
However, I found MP3 not good enough for me until I reached 256kpbs, otherwise it just sounds compressed and nothing like the CD (although on cheap headphones, standard car stereos or the usual domestic hi-fi MP3 is fine and most can't tell the difference).

I chose Ogg for 3 reasons

1. Highest quality for a popular compressed format.
2. File size is a lot smaller than that of MP3
3. I don't have to share with my sad iPod mates, cos they can't play Ogg

I found -Q6 the best overall setting for file size and sound, It is also the starting point of full-bandwidth encoding.
For those happy with MP3 Lame 256 kbps, they'll find -Q6 virtually equal (apart from Ogg's file sizes are a LOT smaller).

I use -Q6 for general ripping, but although it's VERY hard to hear the difference between -Q6 and the CD, I use -Q7 for my favourite music anyway!

I was in the same position as you, poised ready to rip my entire CD collection and knew I had to make the right choice before spending weeks doing it!
I did all the tests, read articles and Ogg seemed to be perfect in every way, works well with WinAmp (my choice of media player for the PC) and playlists too.

I'm so glad I didn't use MP3 now!

[y0da]

q6

for most of it...i had alot of mp3's before i got the player but anything new that goes into the "H" now is ogg q6...unless its stolen

[divad6719]

Hee hee scoobysi, I think pomegranate's and rshea's post illustrate the futility of this question (no offence guys). One for MP3 and one for Ogg Vorbis, but thats their choice and they are rightly entitled to it.

The problem comes when a question like your's gets asked and you end up more confused than ever because everybody has a different opinion.
As seadzz said, do some research and decide for yourself, it's far easier in the long run.

If you have troubles when trying things out, there are many here who will help you with that side of it.

Have fun.

[danmitchell]

Originally Posted by scoobysi

I don't(won't) use the DB function

Just for the record, iHP Tool and iRipDB let you use the DB with oggs. I've actually used the latter (linux version) and can verify that it works nicely.

Daniel

[scoobysi]

Originally Posted by seadzz

I couldn't have said it better divad.

First things first. It is not a good idea to post things like this without reading the FAQ section first and doing some homework. This forum has very easygoing folks residing here. However, should you post something like this at the iRiverzoo or Hydrogen Audio expect people to rip your head off.

Codecs and bitrates are religious topics...people get downright militant. Similar to the Mac/PC fistfights.

scoobis, since you are new here you will get off easy and I and the rest of the Mods|Admins will protect ya but next time do groundwork before asking questions that are bound to have people looking for tar and feathers.

I voted ogg Q8 but that is just to make you happy.

sdz

Seems I've upset you a bit here Seadzz with my OGG and Headphone questions, not sure why, all I'm after is an opinion. The reason I posted the polls was that I've done a lot of reading and what's out there is very confusing, even the FAQs.

I'm not into my OGG is better than your MP3 or my Sennheiser is better than your Shure. What I am after is some guidance based on the sub-selection that I've made, that's all. I don't expect a war to break out based on one of my polls.

[ianjohnson]

Well might as well add my 2c worth. I'm quite a fussy listener so I played around with different rip rates for mp3 and ogg. Drove me around the bend. I spent hours straining my ears to pick nuances in my test tracks. I must have driven my neighbours up the wall as well, constantly repeating the same tracks through the hi-fi. I finally settled on ogg at q5 because:
- with 600 or so CDs, I could fit them all on my 140.
- I couldn't tell the difference between q5 & anything higher. Those who can hear the difference at q8 must have mighty good ears
- sitting on a tube train there is no way I would be able to pick the difference anyway, it was hard enough in my "test" environment.

Quite frankly I thought q3 was just fine in most cases but figured I'd go for q5 since I had the space for it and thought I would hedge my bets.

If I was ripping LPs, I'd probably rip at a higher rate, so as to use it as a genuine source if I lost the LP, or it wore out, etc. But I'll always have my CDs as my reference material so it doesn't matter if the iHP tracks are inferior.

Fact is, scooby, you'll get so many different answers to this question that you might as well bite the bullet & do the tests yourself. I researched posts extensively and ended up more confused than before, there are so many points of view. I think what sdz is getting at is that this topic has been covered many, many times already.

Consider the following and you'll do fine:
- ability to transfer your files to other players
- battery life (somewhere on this site or maybe the iriver international site forum there is a battery life test comparing codecs, find that, on balance, ogg = slightly shorter battery life than mp3)
- your own listening preference!