Flac vs mp3 320 reddit. That's your lossless. Feb 15, 2025 · Bud3 Pro user here with UHQ enabl...

Flac vs mp3 320 reddit. That's your lossless. Feb 15, 2025 · Bud3 Pro user here with UHQ enabled, and basically I can hear almost no difference in most songs going from 320 kbps MP3 to 24 bit FLAC. You can’t hear a difference in containers. So I absolutely don't mind to have a part of my library in 320 MP3. • audio·phile: a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound and music. ) Supposedly most of the population can't even distinguish between 192 kbps MP3s, but I believe this is definitely a point where a trained professional could. Oct 16, 2023 · In the realm of digital audio, the debate surrounding the superiority of lossless FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and 320 kbps MP3 is a persistent and contentious one. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. While I can't if they are played on my computer stored locally, I CAN very much tell if a FLAC file of mine has been uploaded to Google Play Music, which converts it to a 320kbps MP3, which is then streamed back. I have a large music collection of MP3 files ripped from CDs at the highest bitrate, 320kbps. Thus I use FLAC, as storage is cheap, and ripping CD to FLAC is easy. On both, I can't tell the difference between 320k mp3 and 16 bit/44kHz FLAC songs. I tested myself with 320bit MP3 file I made from a FLAC using the best setting of LAME. Some people here have a different opinion on this ? I'd like to hear it ;) But i wanted to know before buying the service, what support should i have to really hear the difference between Spotify's 320/kbps and Tidal 16 bit/44,1 kHz? I have Anker Soundcore q30 headphones, but i don't know if i can hear some difference since they're not very expensive or professional headphones. I challenge any one of you to document a double blind test where you’re accurately discerning the difference between FLAC and, say, 256 or 320 MP3. I'm not familiar with Foobar but most media players support transcoding, converting the format on the fly when syncing to a portable. I can not find any mistakes here, so I can not explain why v0 scored better than 320 maybe it was just by chance? If thats the case, then maybe everything was meaningless? : ( Is my test flawed? Its pretty much blind tested, I even got a partner who We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Can I hear the difference between 320kbps MP3 and FLAC? It depends on several factors, including the quality of your audio equipment, your listening environment, and your personal sensitivity to sound. FLAC test. I personally can't tell the difference between FLAC and 320 kbps MP3, did several ABX testing and had no clue. DO NOT convert mp3 to flac this will probably get you banned by other users. Or at the very least Vorbis or AAC. My advice is if you are going to the effort of re-downloading your music, go Lossless vs 128kbps mp3 vs 320kbps mp3 blind test Archived post. Depending on the person, song, and sound system, they can sound different (worse) than FLAC. It can only retain so much of the quality of an audio file with that amount of information that's being used for each second, but that's enough to sound really good still. Start off with something lossless (FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, WAV). MP3 320 is capped at 320kbps. I've read that this is CD sound quality, essentially lossless. I pay the subscription and will continue to do so, but don't like the Apple Music app on android (it's glitchy and sometimes logs me out of apple randomly). I can't hear any difference between 320kbps mp3 and flac on headphones or stereos unless it's at a really high maxed volume. Period. MP3 debate ultimately comes down to your personal preferences and priorities. In this comparison I used 44. MP3 320 covers the 20-20k spectrum, and it's 100% transparent, ie it sounds identical to the original to the human ear. I use 7hz zero with a cheap dac. : r/headphones Go to headphones r/headphones r/headphones There are so many blind studies to show people can’t tell between 320/wav no matter what they say elsewhere. MP3 CBR: Bitrate 320kbps MP3 VBR: Quality 0. The song I'm testing out today is "Jumpsuit by twenty one pilots". Is there any way to verify quality of songs? Don't wanna be wasting space on same quality songs. First I listen for little echos, ticks, or So if I were to pay attention in FLAC vs MP3 (320 kbps), the difference won't be in sampling rate and how far in treble I can hear, but a dynamic range of a music. The question is whether or not you will notice the difference between raw audio or FLAC and 192-320kbps MP3 and the only one who can answer that question is you. It isn't. What would be the best option here? Thanks! On Mac, for anyone wanting to do this: Use XLD. In this article, we will delve into the differences between … FLAC vs. No MQA involved. If the latter is indeed true, then do we really need a high fidelity headphone or amp in order to fully replicate the quality of an 320 mp3? I'm wondering if there is a limit to the quality of an mp3 no matter how good the headphone/amp is. UPDATE: We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. I personally find MP3 on favourite albums more “tinsel” sounding especially on flac vs spotify That is a bit unlucky phrased as FLAC is a file format and Spotify is not a file format but a streaming audio service. People submit music to Spotify in either WAV or FLAC format, and they get processed into 3 quality levels which appear to use several different formats and bitrates, the highest quality being Ogg/Vorbis 320 kbps. Why bother fiddling with settings that make no effective difference, especially if the old setup has been producing reliable results for ages. First I listen for little echos, ticks, or it is subjective but technically there is an observable and measurable difference in sound quality from 128kbps up to lossless (flac/wav) files, I don't expect you would hear much or any difference between 128 vs 160 but maybe you will between 128 vs 320 and above. MP3 at 320 kbs and V0 (which is a variable bit rate) and 256 kbps AAC are impossible for most people to distinguish from lossless audio (WAV, FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, etc. Jan 26, 2026 · FLAC delivers studio sound, but MP3 offers portability. I know it is sacrilegious to convert from FLAC to MP3 It isn't. Going further up to 224kbps is becoming far more subtle so AAC with 256 kbps VBR (it's what Apple uses, good compromise) is smaller than MP3 320 kbps CBR, while containing more audio information. If it's music I'm not that familiar with it's substantially harder for me to hear the difference without repeated back and forth listening between the two types. The quality differences are also negligible. 256k AAC (iTunes) is nearly equivalent. mp3 and a . But even if I don't hear any difference, I always try to get my new LPs in lossless, because the hard drive space is really cheap now, and it's For me I can tell the difference between flac and 320 for busier tracks and well mastered tracks especially tracks with lots of instruments. r/audiophile is a subreddit for the pursuit of quality audio reproduction of all forms, budgets, and sizes of speakers. MP3 320K is supposedly transparent to a lot of people (and yes, I know some people will say they can tell a FLAC from an MP3) so in theory should sound as good as the FLAC as a 'maximum', but surprisingly the FLAC's from Deezer sound worse. AAC is even better than MP3, obtaining transparency at lower bit rates. Can I hear the difference between a high end (or even entry level decent 6XX with amp) headphone and a shit headphone? Absolutely. Millions But I easily can hear the difference between audio devices of the different quality, like my phone vs btr5 vs laptop vs dac or the different headphones So the hadware really makes most of the difference. Mar 12, 2026 · Compatibility: MP3 is widely supported across most devices, whereas FLAC may not be compatible with older devices or software. Jan 6, 2017 · FLAC is lossless but the track still has to be recorded and mastered for it to sound good. I mean, mp3 at LAME V2 was transparent two decades ago, and if people could not tell that from WAV and FLAC, then they cannot tell current V0 from CBR 320 either. Some songs have better mastery in lossless format but 9 out of 10 times it's like i'm re-listening to the song again. I like the idea of using FLAC because it is more valuable from the mathematical standpoint - it's closest to the truth usually. Compare file sizes, quality, and compatibility to find the best choice for your audio files. Comprehensive comparison of audio formats from lossless FLAC to compressed MP3 - learn which format delivers the best quality, compatibility, and file size for your needs Have To Turn Volume Up More When Listening to FLAC? I just realized something that has interested me for some time. But for all practical purposes, 320 kbps MP3’s sound identical to uncompressed formats. In same cases as well, under extreme pitch bending circumstances, the difference may be clear. A 320kbps MP3, or 256kbps ACC is totally fine for excellent listening. I tried and tried but could not hear a difference. I believe Spotify also applies ReplayGain to the files if the "Loudness Normalization" setting is enabled on the client. Sep 27, 2025 · AAC is a superior codec to MP3 320 because AAC can both do a better job at the same bit rate, or an equivalent job at a slightly lower bit rate. I know this sounds like a strange question, but this is a Betamax vs VHS question. Reply reply omarccx • Nov 6, 2017 · With good headphones, I can tell the difference between FLAC and MP3 320 kbps - of course, provided the song is also something quality, not some commercial pop that's mastered super loud. People arguing over FLAC vs 320 kbps are missing the point, in the same way that vinyl (analogue) vs mp3 (digital) does. But how about the difference between 160 kbps and 320 kbps? Mar 13, 2026 · By using this NoteBurner tool, you an extract and save YouTube Music as MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, AIFF, or ALAC open-source music files directly. A more expensive stereo system simply won't improve the streaming of a poorly remastered source. So why is 320kbps MP3 still the defacto piracy format? Im not even arguing that 256 AAC is better or worse than 320 MP3. These two formats represent distinct approaches to achieving a balance between audio quality and file size. MP3 (and AAC) are designed for those situations where bandwidth and/or diskspace is Comprehensive comparison of audio formats from lossless FLAC to compressed MP3 - learn which format delivers the best quality, compatibility, and file size for your needs Some people hear a different on those files because they're testing different sources, it's not from the compression. Nov 10, 2020 · A common question that pops up when discussing 320kbps vs FLAC is can you hear a noticeable improvement in audio quality when listening to FLAC music files vs 320kbps (320 bitrate or MP3 320kbps or just 320 MP3)? Is FLAC better than 320 MP3? Some people will say yes, others will say no, and others will say it depends. Aug 11, 2023 · In the realm of digital audio, the competition between FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) and MP3 320kbps stands as a pivotal point of contention. Really depends on the bitrate of MP3 you're looking at. You should be able to hear that difference. Your ears are not broken. But, between 24bit/192kMz FLAC songs and 320k mp3 , I can tell the differences on DX90, but not on 100ll. Sep 6, 2025 · Honestly don't touch MP3, it's 2025, at a bare minimum use AAC. Oct 12, 2023 · In conclusion, the FLAC vs. Was just listening to a few I got and they sounded shit. Also It seems like a stupid question but is 16 bit flac more "compressed" than 24 bit? See for yourself! Download foobar and this component, rip a song in 128 & 320 and do the test. I have a huge FLAC library on my laptop and I would like to convert it to MP3 for portable use on my smartphone. Is the difference between 320kbps MP3 and FLAC/WAV really that huge? I don't know all that much about different audio formats, but I often hear FLAC being considered the highest quality. I can't tell the difference between 320kbps mp3 and a FLAC. It future proofs you. 1 kHz file of a song that comes from an album that was well mastered will sound better than a song at any higher bit rate or sampling rate that was poorly mastered. Started recently upgrading my library bit by bit from MP3 to lossless. I think that even if you can’t identify and describe the difference, you can sense it and will enjoy the listening experience much more with FLAC. Even an equivalent bit rate AAC would be smaller in size - better from a bandwidth cost perspective. If I remember correctly, it's an mp3 vs. 128 is debatable, you might start to hear some compression artifacts around there. Yes, playing anything less than 320 is more easily discernible, even for the average customer. If you take a FLAC and compress it yourself down to 320, giving you the same source for both, I can guarantee you won't be able to tell the difference in a blind test with any sort of consistency. Personally I can't tell the difference between 320 and FLAC with ABX testing, but I can with some lower bitrates. FLAC is functionally the same as a ZIP file. FLAC measures better regardless of listener perception so why not. Without surprise, the MP3 sacrifices much of the quality during compression, but AAC 320 is almost identical to FLAC and offers a file even lighter than MP3 320! In conclusion, if you don't have terabytes of space available but still want to enjoy good quality music, AAC 320 is your go-to, I now only use this format to constitute my music library. Our primary goal is insightful discussion of home audio equipment, sources, music, and concepts. You may not even notice a difference between AAC 256 and MP3 320. Next, convert that file to WAV, unless it's already WAV. 256 Kbps AAC? Which one sounds the best with the least compression? Thanks. The compression of the highs and lows is incredibly apparent. But 320kbps and flac are nearly imperceptible. It compresses the data, but in a way that means after decompression it's exactly the same as before compression. It's the original remastered sources that are the major problem with ALL of these streaming services. That's usually not a problem, as 320 Kbps and even 256 Kbps MP3 files are difficult to differentiate from FLAC. But with high quality lossy formats vs FLAC or WAV? Absolutely not. 320 Kbps AAC Vs. For your lossy file, convert the original to MP3 320 and that resulting file to WAV. What percentage of human population can actually tell 320kb/s mp3 and lossless apart? Or even 128bk/s from lossless? I've recently done an ABX test and failed at 128kb/s despite having good hearing and pretty good gear. FLAC (16/44,1) - lossless - 24,2 MB FLAC to AAC 320kbps - ABR vs VBR vs CBR (XLD) : r/audiophile r/audiophile Current search is within r/audiophile Remove r/audiophile filter and expand search to all of Reddit Yes. Audiophiles and music enthusiasts are often divided on which format reigns supreme in terms of sound quality. Rick Beato is absolutely right on the money about experience playing a factor, when I was younger I wasn't as sensitive to 320kbps mp3, but years playing with orchestras and strings instruments probably make me more sensitive than the average person, maybe (dare I say) even a few audiophiles. Makes one wonder what you have compared with FLAC. However I wouldn't argue that 128kbps sounds like absolute trash, it's good enough at what it does for it's bitrate. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. The jump from 320 kbps to wav is more subtle and some people just can't hear the difference, but mp3s and lower bitrate audio in general is mushy, smeary, grainy, blurry and harsh compared to wav. AAC with 256 kbps VBR (it's what Apple uses, good compromise) is smaller than MP3 320 kbps CBR, while containing more audio information. What is the best Paid or Free software to convert Apple Music to MP3's? Looking for the best software (for Windows) to convert my Apple Music library into MP3's. 128kbps MP3 vs FLAC: I found that there was a slight difference is sound quality, by no means was it massive or insane but during more intense and crowded parts of the song I found FLAC generally represented quieter details better. The only time I can hear the difference between FLAC or 320 mp3 is if it's a song I know quite well, and even then the difference is minor. If I record a set of all FLAC vs 320 wouldn't the FLAC recording sound better on a home HiFi? Jul 24, 2015 · You answered your own question: FLAC is lossless, which makes it technically better. 2 days ago · FLAC vs MP3 320 kbps: Which One Really Sounds Better in 2026? In 2026, the debate between FLAC and MP3 320 kbps is still alive, but the context has changed. This means AAC 320 is better than MP3 320, however you will likely not notice the difference. Foobar2000 player has a plugin that allows one to make ABX tests. There are so many blind studies to show people can’t tell between 320/wav no matter what they say elsewhere. Is the difference between 160kbps and 320 kbps mp3 noticeable in most cases? I know that an average person with average gear wouldn't be able to notice the difference between 320 kbps and flac (as many pointed out). Playing YouTube tips is totally obvious. Afterward, you can freely copy YouTube Music to USB drive, upload to your video project, mix on DJ software, and any other usage you need. Spotify uses AAC 128 kbit/s on its Spotify Free plan and AAC 256 kbit/s on the Spotify Premium. FLAC (16/44,1) - lossless - 24,2 MB This is how much data you lose listening to mp3 vs FLAC (24-96) Recently I bought the lossless version of Trench by twenty one pilots at 24bits and 96kHz and decided to test how much data someone loses listening to standard streaming on Spotify at Ogg 320kbps. How lush volume transitions are, how different instrument A from instrument B in loudness, and overall quality of sound when it reaching it's max volume. Others claim that a 320kbps mp3 is humanely indistinguishable from FLAC. MP3 is fine if storage is an issue. I doubt Spotify Premium (which I listen to most) would be any different? Here's a twist. Here's a twist. 1kHz/16bit FLAC tracks that I converted into 320kbps AAC and 320kbps OGG files. 320 Kbps MP3 Vs. Make sure the actual source is lossless. Again, if the recording is of high quality, then lossless FLAC will of course beat the lossy mp3. 320 is obviously "suitable" for listening, there's nothing wrong with it at all. Going from 128kbps to 160kbps and 192kbps are quite noticeable improvements to me. For this slight downgrade in quality, you get 3-5 mb files. Can anyone comment on the sound quality of FLAC vs MP3@320kbps; are they similar/the same in sound quality and detail? I wonder whether it would be a big improvement or even a noticeable improvement in sound quality to replace my MP3 files FLAC is digital, but it much better approximates analogue, whereas mp3 is the worst form of digital some folks say they can’t hear the difference. Preferrably I would like to retain all the metadata that my FLAC files have (title, artist, album art, etc) so I don't have to add them all over again. Lossless compression literally means it keeps all the data. So I made a comparison of FLAC, AAC (Apple) and OGG (Vorbis) to see which one of the better lossy formats is closer to lossless in quality. this is because, in short, mp3 format cuts data off the file. I downloaded nearly 2000 songs in the past month, but most of it is in 320kbps mp3 or mm4, and maybe just a few in WAV or OGG, I can't quite remember. You might consider AAC as it is a better MP3 than MP3. I also downloaded a FLAC album I already had losslessly and again in an A/B test my existing copy won out. . Nov 2, 2018 · I did several single-blind tests where my wife would select either an AAC 256, MP3 320, or lossless FLAC file using YouTube Music, Tidal, Qobuz, and/or Amazon HD music and I'm usually able to get about 9 out of 10 right when comparing lossy to lossless. I suppose, with a good encoder 320 bit is enough, and it A 320 kbps 44. If you're managing or starting a music library, you can likely tell a difference between MP3-320 so you will have to decide for yourself whether you need the additional compression or not. Extremely high quality lossy compression like 320 MP3 is what you're actually describing. Being able to transcode something into a new lossless format without extra losses is a fully legitimate and reasonable reason to use lossless encoding though (like FLAC). Aug 26, 2011 · MP3 at 320 kbps sounds exactly like a WAV or Flac file in my opinion. I understand that FLAC is lossless, so it has the super-huge files. Personally, I like to use lossless formats because you can't convert an MP3 to FLAC or WAV or whatever, but with a lossless file, you can convert it into pretty much any file format you want. Like playing mp3's at full volume in the system in my car I can hear my speakers have more of a hissing sound on highs and bass sounds different then flac , kinda muffled. Read Also: YouTube to MP3 320 kbps: Is It Really Available? Is 16 bit flac "audiophile" enough because I cant seem to find a 24 bit version of the song Im looking for. when you convert this to flac (which is a format that doesn’t cut off any data) you don’t gain any new data, it’s just a bigger file with the equal amount of data and quality, and people will be MP3 320K is supposedly transparent to a lot of people (and yes, I know some people will say they can tell a FLAC from an MP3) so in theory should sound as good as the FLAC as a 'maximum', but surprisingly the FLAC's from Deezer sound worse. MP3 320, v0, and FLAC? I'm a bit confused when it comes to audio formats. Stick with MP3 for now. For instance yesterday I was listening to Avengers 2012 (320 mp3) and I could be at 50 volume to be be at a comfortable listening level. Technology has evolved, storage is no longer a limitation, and more listeners have access to better audio equipment than ever before. Jul 24, 2015 · You answered your own question: FLAC is lossless, which makes it technically better. FLAC has a lot of additional metadata capabilities that WAV does not, which is helpful when managing a music library. A year ago my library was all MP3 CBR 320, until I asked on r/musichoarder if I should've started with FLAC instead before reaching the point where I have too much music to easily replace. I would say my library is split 80% lossless FLAC and 20% lossy MP3. Bad MP3s, of course, with low bitrate, can sound really bad. 0 and V0 file was always smaller than 320 file. They are probably MP3s labeled as 24/96 FLAC. flac (lossless) audio file? : [x-post r/askscience] MP3 is simply a container it doesn’t imply bitrate. Going further up to 224kbps is becoming far more subtle so We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Try rendering out a 128 kbps mp3 and compare to a 320 kbps mp3 or wav. On a poor quality (or incorrectly setup) system with poor high frequency response, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. 320 kbps mp3 is still more than good enough, even for a $50k sound system. Why MP3 though? Don't their devices support any of the better lossy codecs? They could use Opus and get the same quality at half the bitrate vs MP3. Now you have 2 WAVs. It's not a case of formats, but a case of mastering quality. Archived post. Is there a substantial difference between MP3 320kbps, OGG 320kbps, and FLAC when it comes to modern pop and rap music? Hi all. I'm not able to tell the difference. Yet, I believe I hear difference between lossless and lossy Apple Music on some songs, or between YouTube Music Premiem and lossless Apple Music. 320kbps Audio Comparison Read More » Is there any perceivable difference between a 320kbps . If you have lossless FLAC files to go back to, you can make the best possible AAC files that AAC can achieve, without compounding the losses already baked into MP3, and then later make the best possible OGG files, etc. But the main benefits from FLAC is really that they're lossless so you can create any conversions from them you want, and they're appropriate for archiving. Even then FLAC means you loose NOTHING from the original source, if you want to transcode it later you can with no degradation, but converting a lossy file like AAC or MP3 to anything, you can never get back the information that is lost. In theory, a great recording quality in 320 can sound better than a poor quality track in FLAC. This article delves deep into the intricacies of FLAC and MP3 320kbps, exploring their technical … FLAC vs MP3 320kbps Read More » Why would you? Better to do it with your own music. There are other reasons to have lossless (timestreching, archival, other warping/processing), but a well encoded 320 is virtually indistinguishable from a wav/flac. oomj mrvkc xmsyay wskxeks ijoupl urx tcojh bnmwtg nskepx nnyytcg