What formats do you listen to most?

[Digital_Man]

Online(youtube, internet radio etc)and cds. I still don't have an ipod.

[Scott Bails]

Is there a way to convert my mp3 files on i-tunes to wav or lossless files?

You can convert them, but you can't upgrade them. Whatever audio quality is lost by converting them to mp3 format cannot be retrieved.

[moecurlythanu]

Is there a way to convert my mp3 files on i-tunes to wav or lossless files?

Not lossless. mp3s are called "lossy," because information has been removed. Once that has happened, you cannot put information back in. You can convert them to .wav, but there's no real point, unless you can only play .wav on your player.

[spellbound]

CDs

[walt]

CDs and three over the air NYC area FM stations,WKCR,WQXR and WFMU.

[Brian Griffin]

90% MP-3, the balance are DVD-A / SACD in my 5.1 collection

CD's typically are ripped immediately then filed away

BG

[zombywoof]

Mostly MP3s, which are okay, but if I'm doing 'serious' listening or listening in the car - CDs (or surround when applicable). I still buy everything, so I can support the artist and control the format.

[Trane]

100% CD

and when I have no other choice, vinyl

[Phlakaton]

FLAC

[zombywoof]

I only listen to vinyl once in a blue moon, but I do listen to it.

[Sputnik]

I'm 100% CD. I have no vinyl anymore (actually haven had vinyl since the late 80s), and I've never had an mp3 player. I have some ROIOs on my computer that I hardly ever listen to, and a few downloads of albums that are either OOP or were never released on CD, some of which I've burned to CDR and listen to occasionally. I'd happily buy legit CDs of these albums if they ever came available, new or used.

If I ever get rid of a CD, I do not keep a copy of it in any medium.

Bill

[happytheman]

CD / Mp3.. rarely do my vinyls come out anymore..
Convenience factor for sure.. pop a CD in the car or the boom box in the kitchen while preparing food etc.
Either that or pull up Windows media / Zune software and play via my laptop..
When I'm outdoors doing yard work or on a jobsite where music is an option i.e. I'm doing mindless work I plug in my Zune and headphones and jam out..

[Progatron]

CDs at home, which is most of my listening time. I have a good system and to me, CDs sound better than anything else (I don't have a turntable but I do have a selection of LPs).

At work, or out walking, I listen to my iPod which is mostly mp3s ripped from my own collection anyway. I listen to mp3s on the computer when I'm sampling a new band or something I'm curious about.

[jkleban]

I wish I had all FLAC but in the middle of rebuilding my all time favorite music to this format. I have SA CDs, DVD Audio (which I do convert to FLAC) and some new old vinyl (180 gram stuff) that I send to REEL to REEL the first listen (talk about old school).

I have both Apple and MP3 on my iPHONE which I listen to in the car and at work. But at home, it is FLAC first, SA CD next and then reel to reel... very loudly.

Jim

[Rael]

I wish I had all FLAC but in the middle of rebuilding my all time favorite music to this format. I have SA CDs, DVD Audio (which I do convert to FLAC) and some new old vinyl (180 gram stuff) that I send to REEL to REEL the first listen (talk about old school).

I have both Apple and MP3 on my iPHONE which I listen to in the car and at work. But at home, it is FLAC first, SA CD next and then reel to reel... very loudly.

Jim

This might be a question for the audiophile thread, but have you found a reel to reel player that is reliable and doesn't break down simply by looking at it? I've actually thought about seeking out a machine but the tapes are incredibly expensive and I've read that the players themselves need constant maintenance.

[hippypants]

CD or radio

[Jerjo]

The majority of my listening is done in my man cave, which means wav files or CDs played into small bookshelf speakers. A few times a week I work on the laptop in my living room where the "big" stereo is and then its all CDs. I keep about 500 albums on MP3 on an external drive for the iPhone and iPad. That's the only time I rely on MP3s.

[flowerking]

Aside from the occasional live music, I listen to music almost exclusively on my ipod or computer either through speakers or the little ear buds. The actual format that the songs are stored in vary, most are the Apple format (m4a?) or mp3. I have a few FLACs but not many. Rarely I'll put on a CD and occasionally I'll put on FM radio to see if any of the local stations are playing anything even remotely good.

[simon moon]

Combination of CD, vinyl and hi-res (FLAC) at home.

Been getting some native DSD lately. Really impressed with that format.

CD in the car.

I can not listen to MP3. Once the sonic problems with that format were pointed out to me, I can't unhear them. Even at 320 k.

[Joe F.]

Mostly CDs. Some vinyl. MP3s when traveling by air.

[Progbear]

Beta. No I meant VHS.

You joke, but I knew a guy who would transfer vinyl to hi-fi VHS tape. It really did offer very good sound, better than the best audio cassette tape.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

CDs or youtube/bandcamp.

[Drake]

Well, you can re-rip at a higher bit rate, or re-rip to a loss-less format, of course. I must have been thinking ah
ead, because none of my MP3's are less 192kb (most are 320).

Not quite sure what you mean here, but you can of course change formats, but if you convert a file from wav to 192mp3 you can never go back to higher bit-rate. The quality will always be lost.

[GuitarGeek]

Technically and sonically, mp3s do not 'upscale' you cannot put the quality back that is lost when encoding to mp3.

(shrug) I don't hear any "lost quality" on my mp3's. I think they sound just fine. (shrug)

[Jerjo]

(shrug) I don't hear any "lost quality" on my mp3's. I think they sound just fine. (shrug)

It all depends on what equipment you are playing it back on. On earbuds or computer speakers, I can't hear the difference either. A great set of headphones or playing on the system in my living room, the difference is definitely there. My wife burned a CD of some stuff she downloaded on iTunes. It sounded fine on the factory systems in our cars but when she played it on the big system it was "why does my CD sound like shit?"