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Topic: iTunes 8.0.0.35 and QuickTime 7.5.5 encoding (Read 4914 times) previous topic - next topic
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iTunes 8.0.0.35 and QuickTime 7.5.5 encoding

Hey all at Hydrogenaudio,

I've been reading on this website for years now and it has helped me a lot with ripping my CD collection to my PC and iPod. However I have some questions I would like to ask you. So this is my first post.

Firstly I'll describe the way I rip my CD's.
I used to rip my CD's using EAC and Lame 3.97 but resently switched to the AAC format. The reason I switched is because I want the maximum quality in my lossy rips from my CD collection. Even do I might not be able to ABX the difference, but I want the highest possible quality since I will be using it for archiving. I use iTunes for organizing my music libary and I love it. I fully understand and support your reasons that I should rip my collection to a lossless format. However, I'm short in storage capacity and still a poor student.

Right now I use the folloing setup to (re)rip my CD collection:
- Exact Audio Copy V0.99 prebeta 4 (Fully configured following the guides on the Wiki including the ussage of AccurateRip)
- iTunes 8.0.0.35 and QuickTime 7.5.5 (AAC, 256 kbps, VBR)
- iTunesEncode 4.6 (to use the iTunes AAC encoder in EAC)

During the (re)ripping of my CD collection I noticed that with the new iTunes 8 some CD's I had previously riped with iTunes now resulted in larger files even tho I was using the same settings in iTunes. See some examples below:

Robbie Williams\Greates Hits\
Total CD size:
iTunes 6 or 7: 148 MB
iTunes 8: 156 MB
Example track:
04 Let Me Entertain You
iTunes 6 or 7: 8,19 MB
iTunes 8: 8,88 MB

Lily Allen\Alright, Still\
Total CD size:
iTunes 6 or 7: 68,9 MB
iTunes 8: 72,6 MB
Example track:
01 Smile
iTunes 6 or 7: 5,99 MB
iTunes 8: 6,14 MB

Another thing I noticed is that the new VBR encoded AAC files in iTunes now show as "256 kbps (VBR)" instead of only showing the bitrate it was encoded at.

I was wondering if the iTunes AAC encoder was updated.

What I file as strange is that with now showing the VBR behind the bitrate I assumed true VBR in this case. But even with less complex songs it results in larger files.

Another question I have is: Do you have any recommendations to improve the way I rip, to lossy, my CD collection.

Kind Regards,

Barry

iTunes 8.0.0.35 and QuickTime 7.5.5 encoding

Reply #1 –
my suggestion, and I mentioned this in another thread, is start with a lossless source (whether it be from a CD or physical lossless files)... download and configure XLD to encode to MPEG-4 AAC/true VBR/whatever quality you prefer- I'd suggest pushing the slider all the way to the right (-q 127) if you're accustomed to encoding your files at higher bitrates.  then rip the CD with XLD (or your preferred ripper) and XLD will automatically encode to AAC.  or if you've already imported your CD to a lossless archive, navigate to those files, select all/right click and choose "Open with XLD."

I won't make any quality claims as I haven't done any ABX testing since switching to Quicktime AAC, but audio quality at -q 120 (average bitrate of 160kbps) sounds crisp and clear to my ears.
Archive- FLAC (-v 8)
Portable- QuickTime AAC (True VBR/-q 77)
 

iTunes 8.0.0.35 and QuickTime 7.5.5 encoding

Reply #2 –
At 256kbps, quality differences between LAME and iTunes AAC are negligible. I suggest that you save yourself the trouble of re-ripping and stick to your MP3s.