What is CDQ??

[GunMaster G-9]

what is cdq exactly? i have been ripping some of my original cds using itunes and putting them onto my ipod so i can play them in my car (i have my ipod connected to my alpine deck). i have noticed the songs do not pump as hard as they do when i play it off the original cd. what is the best setting to rip mp3's from cds?

[Mackin]

i think CDQ is anything from 192kbs.

[GunMaster G-9]

i ripped at 320kbps and it does not sound as good as the original cd at all. way way lower sound.

[187Proof]

Does it have an option for you to rip @ "VBR" quality?

[Mygla]

CDQ is .wav... nothing less. If you have a good system and ears that are sensitive enough, no mp3 will sound CDQ.

[Suga Foot]

The only way to get true CDQ, would be to rip a stereo .wav file at 16bits and 44.1kHz.  But then each song would be like 50mb.

[DerekNelson]

"CD Quality" sound is CDQ.

Shit sound can be at all those rates you all mentioned above.

[EFFeX]

What everyone posted is true...

The thing I hate is when some jack ass takes a 96kbps encoded MP3 and things by "re-encoding" it to 320kbps he's upping the quality.

The other thing and this is just my personal experience... The quality my iPod puts out isn't anything near CDQ no matter what I do. I've found this to be true with the files you download from iTunes as well.

[Michael]

What everyone posted is true...

The thing I hate is when some jack ass takes a 96kbps encoded MP3 and things by "re-encoding" it to 320kbps he's upping the quality.

The other thing and this is just my personal experience... The quality my iPod puts out isn't anything near CDQ no matter what I do. I've found this to be true with the files you download from iTunes as well.

i was gulty of this when i was young and dumb lol....but dont blame me lol....i've never upped them lol

[HEC]

The Itunes default is at 128 kbps. I found this out much later when I started to upload old CDs I had onto my Ipod. The same is true if you download from them. There is a little bit of difference between 128 and the mp3's that are 192kbps but you can tell more so if you are listening to it in the car system rather than on headphones

[gchild]

It might not be the mp3 file, it could be the connection from the iPod to the car stereo or it could be the iPod itself, or the audio settings set for aux input in your car system?
So you could do a simple test, by ripping a WAV (uncompressed) file of the song from the CD by using iTunes and a different audio ripper.
Test each one out on the iPod connected to the car stereo.
This then should hopefully filter where the problem could be.

[GunMaster G-9]

what do you think is the best way for me to rip my albums at highest quality using itunes?

[Jome]

Audio (MP3)

•   32 kbit/s — MW (AM) quality
•   96 kbit/s — FM quality
•   128–160 kbit/s — Standard Bitrate quality; difference can sometimes be obvious (e.g. bass quality)
•   192 kbit/s — DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) quality. Quickly becoming the new 'standard' bitrate for MP3 music; difference can be heard by few people.
•   224–320 kbit/s — Near CD quality. Sound is nearly indistinguishable from most CDs.


I don't want 128 kbit tracks on my computer, unless it's the only thing available and impossible to find better versions. It sounds flat and without depth/detail.
160 kbit I can tolerate, but I'd still look for a 192 kbit version or greater, which is damn near impossible to differentiate from 256 or 320, though 320 might sound crisper on detail-rich songs.

[Invincible]

I just always rip with the VBR setting using LAME and Exact Audio Copy. Its listenable to.

[QuietTruth]

Audio (MP3)

•   32 kbit/s — MW (AM) quality
•   96 kbit/s — FM quality
•   128–160 kbit/s — Standard Bitrate quality; difference can sometimes be obvious (e.g. bass quality)
•   192 kbit/s — DAB (Digital Audio Broadcasting) quality. Quickly becoming the new 'standard' bitrate for MP3 music; difference can be heard by few people.
•   224–320 kbit/s — Near CD quality. Sound is nearly indistinguishable from most CDs.


I don't want 128 kbit tracks on my computer, unless it's the only thing available and impossible to find better versions. It sounds flat and without depth/detail.
160 kbit I can tolerate, but I'd still look for a 192 kbit version or greater, which is damn near impossible to differentiate from 256 or 320, though 320 might sound crisper on detail-rich songs.

I thought when the numbers was between 128, 192, or 320, the quality was worse? That's not true?[/list]