Quality of digital downloads

[Mitch]

Hey guys,

My music collection is predominately 320kbps mp3, with some of it i'm re-ripping off cds in wav or apple lossless, so there is no loss in quality. I buy the actual cd where i can, or download wavs off beatport.

my dilemma is where do you go to when a song is released and you can only get the extended edits digital only, and not available on beatport in wav?

I know bigpond music has 320 mp3 downloads, but they don't tend to have extended mixes/club mixes, just radio edits. Found a ticketek music site that sells 256 mp3, but this is obviously inferior in quality to bigpond. Last but not least there is itunes, which is 256 aac files. Trying to avoid torrents and the like, my illegal music downloading days are long gone.

My question is, when there is limited options with these major-label digital only singles, what option is the best to go? I have read that aac provides a better sound than mp3 at the same bitrate?

I don't want to go spending my $$ and getting shit quality files, which was the primary reason i stayed away from itunes so far, as those DRM 128 files they used to have sounded like ass.

What do you guys do as far as this goes?

Sorry if you covered this before, but i haven't found anything that has answered my specific question, and want your guys opinions. Cheers

[LabRat]

i got a little lost reading that so im just going to take a stab here and try help ya out.

beatport should be selling wavs of all its files. if not then thats a bit slack. you can check other sites out like trackit down etc or like you said, hit up iTunes. theres nothing wrong with their conversion format but some people got it in their head that because it doesnt say 320kbps mp3 then it must be bad.

i use iTunes files and 320mp3's and there isnt a lot of difference.

if you're after something that has been released on iTunes and not on beatport its usually some legal region thing but theres a massive confusion to it. some tunes are released on different labels for different regions because it may not be allowed to sell in one particular place (i dont know how it works but its bullshit) so if you cant find what you're looking for on beatport then shoot over to iTunes and it will probably be there. its real strange but thats how it is lol

[Mitch]

yer what i was meaning is when major release stuff and its NOT on beatport, is the itunes quality sufficient, coz i know it used to be pretty shit.

So your saying their files are pretty decent now

[LabRat]

yeah iTunes is fine man. half my library are iTunes files coz iTunes use to convert all my shit without me knowing. it still sounds the same. clean and sharp in a club which is what you want

[Mitch]

yer that was my main concern, i don't wanna buy all these songs online, then if i start playing on bigger systems i needa try and find it again in better quality. I guess its only the odd few songs thats not on CD or beatport really, but its still crap there is no real option on itunes or other sites for 320 or wav. Legalities behind music labels suck.

Cheers mate

[LabRat]

iTunes is more like an online Sanity or Traxx. they cater to everyone where beatport is a dj only sorta site. dj's use wavs and the average person doesnt so for iTunes n Bigpond it isnt worth it i guess

[Johbremat]

@mitch_fudd: Are you checking out Bleep, Boomkat and JunoDownload?

[eggssell]

Mitch, im pretty sure ive read ztrip and craze use itunes. So i think your right. And as per spitfire you cant compare the itunes rate w mp3 rates cuz they aint the same format

[Johbremat]

There's a stack of ABX on HydrogenAudio that say AAC/M4A is better wuality than MP3 at the same bitrate.

(But it's all subjective. The site also says that ATRAC3/ATRAC3plus (Minidisc format) comes last in every test. But what they failed to do is use the appropriate DACs for these tests: the format is specifically tuned for Type-R and Type-S decoders, which you can't run other formats through)

[Mitch]

@Johbremat, i have checked them out. beatport is good for most songs, its mainly for the odd commercial song i want in its original mix that I can't find anywhere else.

@eggssell if they use iTunes i guess I can't complain then!

I think I'll stick to CDs and beatport where I can, and iTunes if necessary.

Thanks guys

[Mitch]

i just found a site also called djtunes.com, seems to have a bit more commercial stuff, and in 320 mp3. any of you used it?

[eggssell]

Havent used it but im sure ive heard of it. That and djdownload i think.

Personally i buy juno, cd's, itunes, and beatport. Mainly beatport for allmthe releases from the adjf lads.

Oh and when i said those 2 use itunes i didnt mean exclusively just they listed itunes as one of their sources for finding music

[Mitch]

ok, all good stuff.. yer i assumed that, don't think anybody could source all their songs from one site. cd's is my first option but for digital-only releases i have to be able to find what im looking for between all these sites mentioned.

Thanks again