converting to Apple lossless?

[Big Aura]

While doing some iTunes maintenance, I found that if I right click on a song, I'm given a "Create Apple lossless version" option.

It turned one song from 128kbps to 752. How does that work? Surely if it's been so heavily compressed, the data is lost? Where/how does the song re-acquire the information (or does it).

Is it worth doing this to my entire library?

thanks

 

[John Duncan]

No. The 'Create [whatever] version' option is whatever you have your import settings at. If you had been importing at 256k AAC, that option would say 'Create AAC version'.

Dunno where it's getting the extra file size from, but it's still only 128k quality underneath.

 

[psurquhart]

I have never understood this option either.

Quite possibly the most useless option ever to be optioned !!!

Whats the point of it ? All it achieves is confusion.

I asked the same thing when I started using iTunes.

 

[Xanderzdad]

I have mine all in Lossless but that option is useful for converting selected tracks to a 'lesser' format for my sons iPod etc.

You have to change the ripping options under 'preferences' first (and don't forget to swap option back before ripping CD's again).

 

[professorhat]

Whats the point of it ? All it achieves is confusion.

I guess if you ever acquired a device that only played WAV files (or AIFF, or ALAC etc), it would allow you to easily convert music in whatever format you current Library was in into this format and therefore playback the files, though obviously it would not improve the quality.

 

[John Duncan]

that option is useful for converting selected tracks to a 'lesser' format for my sons iPod etc.

+1

 

[piper1st]

Whats the point of it ? All it achieves is confusion.

I guess if you ever acquired a device that only played WAV files (or AIFF, or ALAC etc), it would allow you to easily convert music in whatever format you current Library was in into this format and therefore playback the files, though obviously it would not improve the quality.

+ 1

 

[Anonymous]

I'm planning on purchasing 'Bowers and Wilkins - P5' Headphones. I'm wondering, is it worth it using 320+ Bit rate for these headphones? Also planning on getting a 16gb iPhone 4, so I'm worried about the memory that this bit rate will take up. I think it's about 10mb a song at 320.

 

[Anonymous]

While I try to have as much of my music lossless as possible most of it by far is still at lower resolution and I am convinced you will be happy with 256kbps or 320kbps in terms of sound quality as there isn't much in it and lossless files use about 3 times as much memory.

If you are ripping CDs and have the memory space on your laptop rip them in lossless though and then you can always convert the file to a lower res format for your iPod etc (this gives you flexibility of choice as you cannot upscale them to lossless if you initially rip them in a lower resolution).

Once you get up to 256kbps or 320kbps the biggest difference in my view will be equipment you use to listen to it so I would buy whatever headphones you want to buy and don't get too fixated on the file resolution - just enjoy the music!