Mp3 Factory?

[ZAP]

I live in hope that Ford or someone brings out a firmware upgrade to our headunits to give us MP3 ability.

The laser will be fine for MP3 usage. Most CD's are either 63 minute (650Mb) or 80minute (700Mb) disks. As the details suggest music is just data on a disk. Be the data a .WAV (CD music) or .MP3 (compressed digital) any laser will pick up the data. As LP suggests, it is just the CODEC and menu items that need to be added to give MP3.

If you wanted to go DVD you would need a upgrade of the hardware.

[Zeke]

Perhaps slightly off topic, but some of you guys seem to know a lot about MP3's.

When an MP3 is "decompressed" ie converted back to an audio file and burnt onto a CD is it the same as the original digital file? If so, I guess the mp3 would need to contain all the info about the bits cut out....can't see how this would result in compression. I'd really appreciate a definitive answer if anyone is sure they know.

[ZAP]

nope once you rip em to MP3 the other info is gone.

They seem to sound bad when you convert them back. I tried to rip my favourite tracks onto CD for the T and they sounded bad, you could hear whitenoise.

I only copy my real CD's for the car now as my 11,000+MP3's are no good in the T until I get a nomad or Ipod

[tab]

nope once you rip em to MP3 the other info is gone.

They seem to sound bad when you convert them back.  I tried to rip my favourite tracks onto CD for the T and they sounded bad, you could hear whitenoise. 

I only copy my real CD's for the car now as my 11,000+MP3's are no good in the T until I get a nomad or Ipod

It seems like a good idea but the end result is absolute crap.

Trent.

[Lumpen]

not fussy....take either......pleeeze! (hope he's not joking)

No...You must fight!

I alone am best!

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

My own system is much poorer fare! Some nice Piezo Ross Horns and Dual 12's (no cross, natural roll off, no phase reversal) with a pair of 31 Band Mono Graphic Equalisers and a 450WRMS (conservitive) a channel at 8Ohm power amp. (class AB)

[Lumpen]

Perhaps slightly off topic, but some of you guys seem to know a lot about MP3's.

When an MP3 is "decompressed" ie converted back to an audio file and burnt onto a CD is it the same as the original digital file? If so, I guess the mp3 would need to contain all the info about the bits cut out....can't see how this would result in compression. I'd really appreciate a definitive answer if anyone is sure they know.

Like Zap said MP3 is a "lossy" style of compression, it means that there is some informtaion that is lost forever. The peaks and troughs, pianissimos and fortissimos are lost forever. When you reconvert you can really notice all the information you have lost.

There is a Lossless compression called SHN but from the little bit I researched it is not that advanced. It only compresses to abou 60% of the file size and it decompreses through the SHN player on the fly, so it requires a pretty decent setup.

From what I've seen with examination of the wave of a WAV / SHN / MP3 file, that once you get over about 224KBp/s with MP3, there is minimal difference in quality but a large difference in size. SHN is about 60% but 256K Mp3 is about 40% with the latest codecs.

Personally when I rip I only use the setting : Dual Stereo, 320KBP/s Hi Quality and there is minimal differnce between the actual CD and the MP3 (and I have onboard Logitech sound) aside from the volume and with hard drives so big these days it doesn't make sense to use very low quality compression, many people think that 160KBP/s is hi-definition.

[Zeke]

Thanks for that Lumpen (and others). Now, if you're as prompt with the hardware as you are with the info, we'll all be happy.

And re the systems, send me the latter one. Mondie's got too many good toys already and he doesn't appreciate them. I gather he's only going to accept German made toys in future. So, if you've got any Burmeister/Vienna Acoustics gear under that tarp of yours, he'll have to make do with that. He'll probably prefer his Equinox speakers anyway.

[Mondie]

Thanks for that Lumpen (and others). Now, if you're as prompt with the hardware as you are with the info, we'll all be happy.

And re the systems, send me the latter one. Mondie's got too many good toys already and he doesn't appreciate them. I gather he's only going to accept German made toys in future. So, if you've got any Burmeister/Vienna Acoustics gear under that tarp of yours, he'll have to make do with that. He'll probably prefer his Equinox speakers anyway.

Your a harsh man Zeke :lol:

Burmeister is just a massivley overpriced version of my Audiomeca, l'll pass on that! l reckon the Equinox's would fair very well against the VA's too!! Now that you have got me thinking about it, l always support Aussie made whether its HiFi or cars. My speakers and power amp are Oz made. My Dac is partially OZ, my next pre amp will be Oz made. l would like to continue buying Aussie made cars too, sometime in the future.

[Lumpen]

Sure Zeke, I've got a spare House and Land Package I can sell to provide you with some aural pleasure...

Pah, mine is worth about $2,000 but I built it myself but quality wise its about a 4-5 K sound. Be better with a good quality source.

[Zeke]

Lumpen, I know where you're coming from and I agree completely.

Zeke jr, with some very subtle guidance from me, (you have to be subtle to guide teenagers and even then it doesn't work most of the time) recently put together a stereo system. Instead of buying plastic crap from Harvey Norman, he got 30 year old Pioneer coaxial speakers in big wooden boxes and a Luxman amp for $230 in total and connected up his iPod and discman. That system rocks! His mates figured it cost thousands and were more than impressed with the sound. I'd rather listen to it than a lot of stuff I've heard that cost 20 times the price. On some stuff, it sounds sweeter than my own system, but I wouldn't want him to hear me say that.