Audio converting question.

[Vans]

Tell me what codec configuration are you using on your Zune ( wma, mp3, aac? bitrate? ) and how good is the battery life with it ( how long will it last until you plug it to computer ). And can you tell any difference between 320 kbps and, lets say, 192 kbps ??

[CrowdAds]

[NSILMike]

wma and mp3. I rip to high quality wma vbr, and my mp3's are from amazon or zune marketplace. wma vs. mp3: at the same bit rate wma sounds better (at 128k, up to maybe 256k...after that they both sound pretty darn good.) wma is a more modern format than mp3, so the comparison is a bit 'unfair' to the format. aac is also more modern, and probably compares about the same to mp3.
And, yes, unless your hearing is poor or your headphones are too cheap, you will hear a difference between 320 and 192 on demanding passages for sure, and in general most of the time. (if the music is 'easy' or the recording engineer didn't pay much attention to her job, then you may find it more difficult to pick out the higher bit rate file.) Just about the hardest music to reproduce 'well' is loud piano. If you want to pick out the best speakers or headphones, take a sample of piano music (that you are familiar with) to use as the test!

[Vans]

No, I meant the other thing ( sorry, english is not my native language so it's hard to explain something )
I was more like: how does codecs affects on battery? What codec is more apropriate for long battery life without much loosing sound quality, is there a big difference (in playing time) between low and high bitrates ( couple hours or just 5 minutes ).
p.s. I'd prefer listening lossless with dad's sennheiser's hd 595, but i think zune's charge will not last long )))
sorry for inconvinience, if any..

[Satellite_6]

In my experience (with other players, not the zune) the bitrate does affect battery life but it has not detered me from using high bit rate files. wma performs worse than LAME mp3 these days IIRC.

Even with the HD 595s I wouldn't bother using lossless. High bit rate mp3s encoded by LAME are probably your best bet for a balance of sound quality and battery life.

[Vans]

I thought so, sticking with lame 320 vbr would be the best solution... I asked this stupid question 'cause my Zune won't play more than 11 hours (non-stop or with sleep, it doesn't matter), and that's odd. Wi-fi is turned off, screen is set to medium and playing nothing but music. Something wrong with him..

[Satellite_6]

Originally Posted by Vans

I thought so, sticking with lame 320 vbr would be the best solution... I asked this stupid question 'cause my Zune won't play more than 11 hours (non-stop or with sleep, it doesn't matter), and that's odd. Wi-fi is turned off, screen is set to medium and playing nothing but music. Something wrong with him..

mp3 is limited at 320, 320 vbr isn't supposed to exist.

[dfkt]

There are some nonsensical tweaks one can do to push VBR up to close-to-320-CBR... but of course that's silly, since in most instances even -v2 is transparent. (Speaking of LAME here, of course that doesn't work with sub-par encoders like FHG, Xing, and the like.)

[Marvin the Martian]

V2 is good enough for me. Sounds fine, and saves some space over V0, and especially wasteful CBR.

[Vans]

Originally Posted by dfkt

There are some nonsensical tweaks one can do to push VBR up to close-to-320-CBR... but of course that's silly, since in most instances even -v2 is transparent. (Speaking of LAME here, of course that doesn't work with sub-par encoders like FHG, Xing, and the like.)

I've mixed up everything...))) I thought it's droping bitrate in the places where it not needed (don't need such high bitrate in pauses), to make file more compact though

[Vans]

To my hearing V2 is already pretty transparent, I can't tell any difference between V2 and V0 in most cases.
and i'm totally agree

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

...Sounds fine, and saves some space over V0, and especially wasteful CBR.

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by Vans

I've mixed up everything...))) I thought it's droping bitrate in the places where it not needed (don't need such high bitrate in pauses), to make file more compact though

yes...you have that right. and sorry for misunderstanding your question above. Bitrate has a substantial effect on battery life....however I have never tested or noticed a significant difference between wma and mp3 at the same bit rates.

[Vans]

So...one question is closed )) ...but one still remains: does anyone besides me suffers from fast enough Zune discharging, despite file or codec type (i still think that 11 hours or even less - is not good)
p.s. sorry for the offtop...

[NSILMike]

Originally Posted by Vans

So...one question is closed )) ...but one still remains: does anyone besides me suffers from fast enough Zune discharging, despite file or codec type (i still think that 11 hours or even less - is not good)
p.s. sorry for the offtop...

it can be affected by many things. to get the estimates they post, MS uses 'ideal' circumstances, including low (128K) bit rates and playlists (no skipping, no screen display, no wifi, etc.) If you keep the display up constantly by skipping songs, and playing games, you might in fact be getting great battery life...