...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

[ethan417]

Hi
I'm a senor citizen and new to ripping my CDs - I have about 700.
My question - what format should I choose?

I have 2 listening scenarios:
1. My living room - B&W speakers, Krell amp.
2. My car - using my Android phone.

In the past I just ripped the CDs to standard MP3 format, 190 bps. The sound is not that great.

I read that 320 bps is best for MP3s - but only see "Extreem" as the best MP3 option.

What format should I choose for my phone - please include settings, mode, etc. - this whole ripping thing totally confuses me.

Should I choose a separate format for my home - FLAC?

Keep in mind I have about 6,000 songs on my phone - sigh, I've already done a lot of ripping and am not really pleased with the results.

Or, is there one format for phone and home.

Thanks so much.

Be safe - stay healthy.
- Ethan

[Spoon]

Re: ...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

Rip to FLAC, then to create your car library from the FLAC files, use m4a (AAC), you can use something like TuneFUSION (which automates the process of creating m4a AAC from FLAC):

https://www.dbpoweramp.com/tunefusion.htm

[Dat Ei]

Re: ...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

Hey Ethan,

ripping is a job you only want to do once in your life time. So I can only recommend to rip to a lossless format with a good metadata support like flac. Once you have your digital negatives, the flac files, you can convert it as often as you want to other formats like mp3 for your mobile / car.


Dat Ei

[ethan417]

Re: ...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

Rip to FLAC, then to create your car library from the FLAC files, use m4a (AAC), you can use something like TuneFUSION (which automates the process of creating m4a AAC from FLAC):

https://www.dbpoweramp.com/tunefusion.htm

Thank you for your help.

as an Android user I thought the MP3 was the most common format?
Is M4A (AAC) for Apple products?

Question re MP3 conversion from FLAC
I see DBPoweramp has a Mode: VBR vs CBR - which do I choose.

Quality:
I see it only goes as high as 240 bps - will that provide sufficient sound quality in the car
Does MP3/DBPoweramp support 320 bps?

Thanks so much

[Spoon]

Re: ...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

m4a AAC is universal as mp3 is, pretty much these days. If your device is < 5 years old, it should play AAC.

If you choose CBR then you can set 320kbps.

[ethan417]

Re: ...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

m4a AAC is universal as mp3 is, pretty much these days. If your device is < 5 years old, it should play AAC.

If you choose CBR then you can set 320kbps.

Hi Spoon
You've been incredibly helpful.
When using m4a AAC - which do you suggest for my Android phone
VBR or CBR
and - how many kbps do you recommend?
Thank you

[Spoon]

Re: ...Newbee to Ripping CDs - Question re Format

The settings you use are very subjective, you have to balance how many files you have, and how much storage is used if you go for higher bit rates. VBR is more efficient and should be a first choice.