Apple iPod vs Sony Network Walkman

[Sarien]

like 95 or so % of computer users, i have a PC. I would like a player that can play 2-Pass VBR WMAs

I dunno, try not using a garbage format for your media, maybe.

[Infected_]

I've listened to iPods, they look good but the sound quality is horrible without an equaliser.

Never used the sony MP3 players, but I use other products from them. I'd give it a try. Sony is reliable.

-Sam

[Tone]

I dunno, try not using a garbage format for your media, maybe.

OK im going to show you something. lets use something that has a lot of high end freqs. here is a royalty free legal MP3, it is a demo of a particular softsynth:

192 Kbps Mp3: http://www.linplug5.com/mp/BeamUp_A2_aiplague.mp3

now here is a clip of the same file compacted down to 82Kbps:

http://s52.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0...20QHPDBFPXIVSQ

WMA is very useful for low bit rates. this 82 sounds like what a lame 128 would

[K2Grey]

You can as easily use OGG and at low bitrates with typical portable equipment you will probably not tell the difference.

[Sarien]

And allow me to tell you. If you tune your mp3 encodings you can get the exact same performance out of mp3 files. With Apple lossless you can get the same or better up to lossless encoding out of AAC and m4a files.

What is the difference then? That's easy. There's one real difference between the lot.

DRM. Digital Rights Management. Tone, you're bullshitting yourself if you think it's about audio quality. MP3 and AAC can both do variable bitrate encoding. They can both pull the same performance quality you're getting from your windows media audio.

Windows Media is chock full of DRM. It was a very early, if not their first concern, "is this legally owned". Scripts can be added easily to windows media (audio and video) that can do things like open web browser windows. Can check to see if you have a legal license to play said media, etc.

AAC is an open industry standard, developed by Dolby Labs and AT&T. Apple added Fairplay protection on top of that, for the iTunes Music store, but that really is neither here nor there, because Fairplay isn't part of AAC itself, and can be removed by burning to an uncompressed CD, then re-ripping it with the lossless AAC encoder. And the only place you can get Fairplay protected files is from the samesaid iTunes music store.

MP3 doesn't support DRM. That's why it's not being used as a mode to sell music.

WMA, AAC, MP3 isn't about quality. It's about who can tell you what to do with your music.

People can bitch and moan about the iPod and say how it doesn't support WMA all they want. Fact is, it doesn't need to support it. It's been doing just fine without it, hasn't it? It has easily equal if not better quality to wma encoding, and best of all, there's a whole lot less people telling you just exactly what you can do with your music.

Best of all in my opinion? By not choosing WMA, you're not technologically binding yourself to Microsoft. Doing that has been in my experience like going for a swim with an anchor around your neck.

[DoTheFandango]

That, and that you can convert WMA's to MP3s seamlessly with iTunes.

MUTHAFUKAZ

I've listened to iPods, they look good but the sound quality is horrible without an equaliser.

BULLSHITZ

Never used the sony MP3 players, but I use other products from them. I'd give it a try. Sony is reliable.

-Sam

Sony also installs harmful rootkits into your computer just because you want to listen to a CD.

WHAT THE FUCK.

[DoTheFandango]

double post.

[K2Grey]

This whole deal is nonsensical. Encode to alt-preset-standard LAME mp3 (VBR 192kbps), and you have something which is indistinguishable from lossless for 99% of situations. Encode in lossless and you have the exact same thing as on the CD (it is mathematically impossible to get higher quality from a encode).

[DoTheFandango]

that's what I've been saying.

[Tone]

This whole deal is nonsensical. Encode to alt-preset-standard LAME mp3 (VBR 192kbps), and you have something which is indistinguishable from lossless for 99% of situations. Encode in lossless and you have the exact same thing as on the CD (it is mathematically impossible to get higher quality from a encode).

true, you wouldnt want low bit rate WMAs on a player...good for streaming and stuff. but yes they do do the best at low bit rate, a low VBR Mp3 sounds horrible

[K2Grey]

It does however depend a great deal on your audio equipment for at what point lossy becomes indistinguishable from lossless, I wouldn't trust Bose for analytical ultra-detail or things like that.