A combined Winamp/ipod question

tomekay · 17th January 2012, 12:27

Hi,

Recently ditched itunes in favour of winamp

. I am now starting to rip cds as a flac file (the standard flac option with preferences).

Now, which is the best format to send to my ipod? I was using AAC Constant 448 but found that the file was a bit flat soundwise on my ipod classic 160gb. I wanted to boost the EQ on the pod to give the music a bit of depth/drama buut all I get is a distorted mess.

I did put a few files on a shuffle as AAC Variable 4 which actually had a lot more depth to it!!!! whats all that about???

It looks like I cant use mp3gain/aacgain as I have flac files, so it seems I have problems.

So, whats the best format to use for the ipod that sounds decent enough (flat eq is awful)and how can I change the gain so that I can use the EQ (Rock seems to be the best).

Should I just ditch the pod for a different player??? Looked at the Cowon x7 but the cheapest I can find is at gbp324!!

Many Thanks guys

tomekay · 18th January 2012, 20:49

No Opinions!?

Ditched the ipod for Cowon x7, lets see how I get on with that.

Jamil · 19th January 2012, 09:52

I cannot comment on your media players, but I will tell you what I do for my digital audio--

About 95% of my 10,000 audio files are stored on my NAS as Monkey's Audio with insane compression. I play these through Winamp. What I also do is keep a separate library on another share that I converted via dbPowerAmp to MP3 using the latest LAME extreme VBR. TwonkyMedia serves these MP3s, and I also copy them to my portable media player as well as burn to CDs for my car.

I chose MP3 because it's still high quality (with LAME) and is extremely compatible, but you could do something similar using the lossy format of your choice. I would suggest that you consider using a better utility for converting from FLAC to another format. I've been using dbPowerAmp for years, and it works perfectly.

Batter Pudding · 19th January 2012, 18:51

My main comment - buy better headphones. The standard cheapo things they throw in with players are awful. I use Sennheiser headphones on a Blackberry phone. Sound incredible. (Also the Blackberry uses FLAC)

Heaphones can make a huge difference to any player.

Personally I have a FLAC collection, and will convert to MP3 VBR on the fly for when I use my old MP3 player.

The point is - it is all personal choice. There is no "right" answer to this.

17th January 2012, 12:27	#1
tomekay Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2	A combined Winamp/ipod question Hi, Recently ditched itunes in favour of winamp . I am now starting to rip cds as a flac file (the standard flac option with preferences). Now, which is the best format to send to my ipod? I was using AAC Constant 448 but found that the file was a bit flat soundwise on my ipod classic 160gb. I wanted to boost the EQ on the pod to give the music a bit of depth/drama buut all I get is a distorted mess. I did put a few files on a shuffle as AAC Variable 4 which actually had a lot more depth to it!!!! whats all that about??? It looks like I cant use mp3gain/aacgain as I have flac files, so it seems I have problems. So, whats the best format to use for the ipod that sounds decent enough (flat eq is awful)and how can I change the gain so that I can use the EQ (Rock seems to be the best). Should I just ditch the pod for a different player??? Looked at the Cowon x7 but the cheapest I can find is at gbp324!! Many Thanks guys

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18th January 2012, 20:49	#2
tomekay Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 2	No Opinions!? Ditched the ipod for Cowon x7, lets see how I get on with that.

19th January 2012, 09:52	#3
Jamil Member Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: USA Posts: 95	I cannot comment on your media players, but I will tell you what I do for my digital audio-- About 95% of my 10,000 audio files are stored on my NAS as Monkey's Audio with insane compression. I play these through Winamp. What I also do is keep a separate library on another share that I converted via dbPowerAmp to MP3 using the latest LAME extreme VBR. TwonkyMedia serves these MP3s, and I also copy them to my portable media player as well as burn to CDs for my car. I chose MP3 because it's still high quality (with LAME) and is extremely compatible, but you could do something similar using the lossy format of your choice. I would suggest that you consider using a better utility for converting from FLAC to another format. I've been using dbPowerAmp for years, and it works perfectly.

19th January 2012, 18:51	#4
Batter Pudding Major Dude Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1,665	My main comment - buy better headphones. The standard cheapo things they throw in with players are awful. I use Sennheiser headphones on a Blackberry phone. Sound incredible. (Also the Blackberry uses FLAC) Heaphones can make a huge difference to any player. Personally I have a FLAC collection, and will convert to MP3 VBR on the fly for when I use my old MP3 player. The point is - it is all personal choice. There is no "right" answer to this.