Audio Codecs: Best Audio Codec?

[Encoder Master]

I want to ask what are your experience with some Audio-Codecs.
What do you think ist the best.
I think WMA is a little bit better than MP3.

What do you think.

[kwag]

I a short word: AAC
It's probably the world's most advanced audio CODEC at this time.
Note that this is an audio CODEC only available for audio playback, such as iTunes (Apple) and some standalone audio CD players (Philips). So no DVD player can reproduce it. There are also WinAmp plugins available.
There's AAC MPEG-4 and AAC MPEG-2.
Check here: www.hydrogenaudio.org
and here:
http://rarewares.hydrogenaudio.org/

-kwag

[Encoder Master]

I've read in some Computer paper that WMA is the best one.

[kwag]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Encoder Master

I've read in some Computer paper that WMA is the best one.

AAC audio encoded at 128Kbps is hardly distinguished from an original CD audio track. The same track encoded as MP3 must be encoded "at least" at 192Kbps to sound close to it. Read the links I posted above. You can also see the real results here: http://www.kvcd.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4511
WMA is very good, but it's far FAR behind AAC
Ever wondered why Apple choosed AAC as their iTunes encoding engine

-kwag

[Encoder Master]

O.K. Thanks for your help.

[Anonymous]

I'm against


1 - who know about music usually don't like WMA, in my opinion WMA never reach transparency and Microsoft don't put in public the magic algorythims they use for the compression. (Hate Microsoft).

2 - AAC is very good for 128kb, But MPC (Musepack) is better even if this codec has been developed for high bitrates, MP3 is just outdated, although have much hardware support.

3 - All this codecs are LOSSY, so they always loose quality, always, don't matter if you puch MPC/AAC/MP3 to the limit(320kb or 512kb), they will always loose quality because they are Lossy.

4 - If you want the best quality, you should try FLAC or APE, they are lossless and have the same quality as the CD you rip. EXACTLY the same.


My quality Graph (Best/Worst)

64kb - Mp3Pro/Ogg q0 - Wma and AAC very bad at this bitrate
128KB - MPC/AAC Or Ogg/Wma Pro/Lame
More than 128Kpbs - MPC


If you want to use AAC, use Quicktime codec or Pystel (Free)

HE - AAC - it's still in recent age but is developed for low bitrates.


Hope this help you

[kwag]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sniffer

4 - If you want the best quality, you should try FLAC or APE, they are lossless and have the same quality as the CD you rip. EXACTLY the same.

APE is really good
The only problem is the size
It only compresses about 50%. Just like a HuffYUV CODEC for video, which is lossless, but only compressed by half.

Quote:

If you want to use AAC, use Quicktime codec or Pystel (Free)

The Built-in AAC CODEC in "Nero" supercedes Psytel . It was designed by the same person who developed the Psytel CODEC

Quote:

HE - AAC - it's still in recent age but is developed for low bitrates.

I wasn't aware of "HE AAC". I'll go freshen up on it

Thanks,
-kwag

[Anonymous]

Quote:

The only problem is the size
It only compresses about 50%

Unfortanely is more or less like this

35MB - WAV File
25.9MB - Flac file
25.3MB - Ape File


Yes the space it takes it's huge

But for a quality maniac as ME, space isn't important