I recently purchased a 40GB Apple iPod, and I've been gradually ripping my classic rock CD collection onto it at 128 kbps. I've read that --- for rock, not classical music --- 128 kbps produces MP3's that sound perfectly OK to most people's ears.

I plan to rip my classical/baroque CD's as well, but at a higher bit rate, perhaps at 256 kbps, since classical music has more complex and quiet passages than your average rock tune.

Has anybody else had experience with the difference in sound between different sampling/ripping rates when turning CD tracks into MP3's for an iPod or any other similar MP3 player?

This is all a lot of new information for me!  Has anybody else dealt with these issues, especially the differences, if any, in rock -- versus -- classical music and 64 kbps -- versus -- 128 kbps -- versus higher rates of MP3 recording?

Any insights/stories/experiences/advice/suggestions will be much appreciated.  Thanks.

Johnny D

Hiya!

I have a Nomad 40gb MP3 player (an essential tool for my boring job). MP3 format is a compressed media which eliminates certain frequencies that are not neccessarily required for the song (which is why you will not get 'perfect' CD quality on your player).

A WAV file is an MP3 file uncompressed so, despite it being longer (maybe 4 times as long as MP3) it gives you a better sound (probably better than the 320 bit rate which I use). However, it may take up huge chunks of your memory so is not advisable to use (10,000 kb on average for one song is bad enough).

If you have a graphic equaliser on your player, try adjusting it to 10 (100/bass), 10 (800/treble), 0 (3k) and 10 (12k). This works for me because it cuts out less of the tinny sound, gives you a deeper bass and more of an enriched sound. Try it for yourself.

Lastly, I think it's better to rip stuff onto your player using a constant bitrate. I have used the variable bitrate approach but it doesn't work for me.

Hope this has helped.  :)