Only use MP3 if you need compatibility with ancient non-Apple players. You'll need about 320 kbps for an MP3 to sound as good as a 128 kbps VBR AAC. It's much less advanced than AAC, so it doesn't sound as good at any given data rate or file size. The only reason not to use VBR is if you have an ancient iPod incompatible with VBR files.ĭon't use MP3, which is a very popular but inferior older format. It gives improved sound because it lets iTunes use a few more bits wherever it needs to to optimize the sound. VBR (Variable Bit Rate) is a newer and smarter way of encoding music. Apple's default used to be 128 kbps with no VBR. 128 or 160 kbps AAC sounds perfect.įeel free to use higher data rates, like Apple's current default of 256 kbps AAC VBR, but the music won't sound any better and you'll only be able to fit half as many songs on your device. Satellite radio like Sirius XM sounds relatively awful because it's only about 20 kbps. If you're happy with internet audio, you're probably only getting 80 kbps (80 kbps AAC HE (High Efficiency)) which sounds about 90% perfect. 128 or 160 kbps AAC VBR sounds 100% perfect, while 96 kbps VBR sounds 95% perfect even on an advanced audio system. Honestly, even at 96 kbps AAC VBR it still sounds really, really good. These settings are from my own research into what settings sound exactly like the original CD while listening on state of the art pro audio gear. This is because the first thing that suffers with reduced data rates is that the stereo image starts to collapse at softer levels and in reverberation tails.įor classical music, I import my CDs at these settings just to be safe: Popular music is actually recorded with multiple mono mics, which makes it easier to encode efficiently.įor acoustic classical, baroque, medieval, renaissance, romantic, chamber music and opera that's actually recorded in real stereo with spaced stereo pairs of microphones, we need to import our CDs with slightly higher data rates to capture all that extra stereo information. Different versions of iTunes will have different ways to set these, but the values to set remain the same.įor 99% of the music most people love, like rock, jazz, AOR, country, hip-hop, funk, jazz, techno, pop, R&B, rap, western, reggae, Christian, punk, bayou, industrial, disco, Latin, gospel, bluegrass, folk & etc., set: I've used the same settings since 2006 and will use these in the future. I'll get into details below, but here are the best settings to use to import your CDs into iTunes (and therefore your iPods, iPads and iPhones) with perfect fidelity, as well as fitting as many songs as possible into these devices. There are a zillion settings in iTunes, but most make big files that limit how many songs will fit, while others don't sound as good. B&H Photo - Video - Pro Audio I use these stores.
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