M4a 256 reddit. beatport and itunes use different encoders.

M4a 256 reddit unless you are an ai robot you won't notice. Due to Itunes being 256 AAC since forever the producers mastered it to fit that format with the compression. Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now They still sell them in M4A @ 256 kbps I think. (Reason: Most sound decent, but the more recent ones don't play properly on Android (stuttering), I'm guessing they changed something. AAC is technically going to be slightly more efficient in bitrate allocation at a given quality level, but its in the realm of 5-ish%. Compatibility is a need for sure. Join us and be the first to discover all the news and find many useful tips! Welcome to Reddit's own amateur (ham) radio club. AAC 256kbps VBR if you are unsure. m4a it wont effect the quality of the file because they are effectively the same? Cheers I know they are DRM-free since they are M4A and not M4P but still there is this tie with the Apple Music platform. https://hydrogenaud. If you see a bitrate of 256, it very likely contains AAC. 256 kbps vs 320 kbps isn’t a huge difference, but it could be noticeable if you’re listening on good equipment, specifically in the nuances of the high ends. I ripped over 12,000 songs this way and never looked back. scdl is able to get download 256kbps m4a audio from Soundcloud, over the default 128kbps mp3 I had the same information problem when I started ripping my CD collection ages ago. 31MiB 129k https │ audio only mp4a. m4a , 2. M4A@256kbps is not lossless. The end file has the same specs as a typical 256 kbps AAC, but the source was closer to the original recording than most digital music, resulting in richer sound. Smaller than the difference in bitrate between 256 and 320. 52MiB. 256 aac. since the link in the sidebar is expired, and since most of the users have the 192kbps mp3 file version, I'm sharing the original M4A AAC files he initially uploaded. I have some . It gives the option of downloading at 128, 256, or 320 kbps bitrate, or "best quality". 40. I might be crazy to say that I hear a bit more on the lower end on the 320 but it’s not something so drastic that you need to switch over from 256 to 320. I've read that may cause issues. io at least make a good effort convincing me Yes, m4a is just a container format holding an AAC-coded stream. Oct 29, 2017 · 2M subscribers in the audiophile community. Perhaps consider that 256 kbps AAC is pretty standard in the 'scene' for encoding 6 channels of audio for movies, and you've only got 2 channels! The problem is however I use rekordbox and it doesnt support the . The four filetypes I used were . A subreddit for fans of the Sadboys and Drain Gang/Shield Gang/Gravity Boys music… The MP4 filetype (which . 99- $1. 258 m4a audio only tiny 386k , m4a_dash container, mp4a. m4a Those songs don't exist in Apple Music Store (U. Other than that I feel like the quality and advantages of having music in M4A are better than own the MP3 version. I'm just explaining that the track was uploaded originally as lossless so there is a 256 m4a available to rip. Even an equivalent bit rate AAC would be smaller in size - better from a bandwidth cost perspective. Opus supports constant and variable bitrate encoding from 6 kbit/s to 510 kbit/s (or up to 256 kbit/s per channel for multi-channel tracks), frame sizes from 2. m4a 256kbps) 256 if you do virtual riot lost lands set you have to do eliminate. 96MiB If you have the space to spare on your PC at home, then it's worth having your music collection archived in FLAC. Problem is they need to have the lossless original in the first place. I am using Web Minidisc Pro and I want to put… compare the audio files with a spectrum analyzer like spek to see if there is a difference in content. There are several implementations of AAC encoders and you should be careful to avoid the poor sounding ones. other retailers (Google Music, Beatport, etc. Is it okay to buy from Apple Music which is a file format I believe of M4A at 256 kbps. worst case scenario, you use ffmpeg to transcode everything, as i'm sure Found it! Got some help on r/ffmpeg and it looks like yt-dlp uses the -disposition:v:0 attached_pic option when it is forced to use ffmpeg. But on-the-go, you'd probably want to use 320kbps MP3 because it takes up 2-3× less space, takes 2-3× less time to transfer from one device to another, there's quite a lot of car a/v and home stereo equipment these days that can play MP3s off of any USB storage device, and you're they are kinda different. Putting lossless music on my iPod is a waste of space, time, and apparently battery life. both are lossy formats. mp3 . It's actually able to apply replay gain, in 1. MP3 128 M4A 128 MP3 / M4A 256 Mp3 320 FLAC 800+ WAV 1100+ On my headpgones The first immediate difference for me was the volume or at least what I originally described as volume but I think the sound felt more full in a way. sendspace comments Go+ http_aac_256 stream is just a raw aac and in order to embed metadata it needs to be muxed into m4a or mp4 container so that's why I want yt-dlc to mux it before it will try to add any metadata. The results are not significant between CD quality files and mp3 files for higher bitrates (256 and 320 kbits/s). Using the following command (and updating ffmpeg to the latest version), I was able to get a working m4a with consistent artwork. I don't have 256 Kbps AAC option. r/audiophile is a subreddit for the pursuit of quality audio reproduction of all forms, budgets, and sizes of speakers. It's a hard limit to how human ears are designed by nature - the physical components one would need simply aren't there. I do think it's funny how rarely this kind of discussion mentions the music. Try and see if it helps. Comparison of spectrograms of the audio from this video. 5 (24000Hz), 5. m4a (the 'a' for 'audio) holds audio streams, either ALAC or AAC. m4a. First, if it is AAC, you should be fine. m4a is one of) is what's called a container format. 256kbps is set as the average because the average section in the average song, at the time of the format’s conception, only needed 256kbps to be psychoaustically optimal (at least according to the engineers through theory 2M subscribers in the audiophile community. Some of it is MP3’s converted into a m4a format at 256. Compatibility: Which Format Supports More Devices? 128 kB/s AAC should be close to transparent. m4a files, they are smaller in size and have better sound quality over a wide range than any mp3 file. The audio section doesn't list the much rarer higher bitrate audio formats 256 and 258 such as in this one Available formats for NMANRHz4UAY: 256 m4a audio only tiny 195k , m4a_dash container, mp4a. Sep 2, 2023 · Many people will say that m4a 256 kbps sounds slightly better than mp3 320 kbps because of better encoding. I’ve seen it on a several sites back when I was into downloading iTunes music in 2012-2019 time frame. AAC and ALAC strictly hold audio data and nothing else, so Apple sticks them into an MP4 container so that it we can metadata tags, among other things. I also have some MP3 of similar quality. 175kbps mp3 might call for investigation, but pretty sure if you were to look at anything at 128 vs. A Strange Loop- Original Cast Recording (2019) 256 kbps M4A . aiff, . they go hand in hand. Are you exporting to 64 kbs? Otherwise I can't explain this tremendous difference in size. As is widely known, AirPlay 2 should theoretically downscale any lossless ALAC format to 256kbps AAC when playing Apple Music from an iOS device. We're not a support community, and we encourage users to use official support channels for most issues. Hope this helps someone who would want to hoard some more music and save some rare exclusive soundcloud b-sides in higher quality. Tap Playback & restrictions. View community ranking In the Top 5% of largest communities on Reddit. m4a is a container, so to be precise the term lossy or lossless doesn't apply to it. Never encountered this on any file i encoded but the folks on hydrogenaud. From my personal experience, the 256kbps m4a would typically sound better, although it likely depends on the source material to a degree. However, I opt a higher bitrate just to be sure, and just because I can. anybody know if there is a new way to download high quality music? (320 kbps or better) i haven't downloaded any music in a… View community ranking In the Top 1% of largest communities on Reddit. Increasing the bitrate further has limited value in terms of audible difference. 5 ms to 60 ms, and five sampling rates from 8 kHz (with 4 kHz bandwidth) to 48 kHz (with 20 kHz bandwidth, the human hearing range). Audiobooks are already compressed doesn't make any sense transcode them. (Or tap Audio quality on mobile network. m4a (256). Opus was established in the 2010s so compatibility is not as universal as m4a, but it can achieve better compression and better quality than m4a. Now AAC is a better MP3 than MP3 but it is still lossy compression. m4a on itunes is 256 AAC which is a different codec from mp3 and generally considered to be superior. 136K subscribers in the sadboys community. No one has the ability to rip it in it's original lossless I find it easier to obtain m4a 256kbps Because it’s iTunes default audio quality. Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now Is this just an upscaled 192 from YouTube or legit 256 Reply reply but its not converted to m4a Select your download audio quality. This subreddit is for the budget minded audiophile that wants to grow out of soundbars, boomboxes, mini systems, portable bluetooth, lifestyle speakers, and PC peripheral branded audio solutions. mp3 (128), and Apple Match . beyond a certain point, lossy files just dont get better. As you can see, in 256k mp3 some information is lost. 5 db increments (a limitation of this technique), WITHOUT TOUCHING the m4a encode. But both are really good as far as lossy compression goes. I assume since both wav and FLAC are So I have a program that runs yt-dlp on a few youtube channels and automatically publishes the audio to a custom podcast feed. Also looking for a reliable site. The conclusion of the study was that 256kbps is indistinguishable from CD. In some songs I could hear extra tidbits but songs definitely seemed cleaner. MP3 and AAC are not lossless formats. The iPod subs (well, Reddit in general (well, social media in general)) have a habit of recycling bad information and there is no shortage of "audiophiles" who once believed that coloring the edge of a CD with a green magic marker somehow improved the sound I convert them into ALAC (PC) . New No, I came to find out Opus 251 equals 160 kbps, which a better codec at a higher bit rate explains the better sound (though 256 kbps AAC for YT Music probably sounds the same as 256 kbps Opus would). beatport and itunes use different encoders. I’ve got a relatively high-end set up at home and I’d like to clarify some thing about the new lossless set up of Apple Music Based on both personal experience and research. 143K subscribers in the Beatmatch community. AFAIK the only difference in m4a and AAC is that m4a's data chunks contain more stream info in the header byte, but no changes to the AAC encoded stream itself. EDIT: Added what I had forgotten to say, but wanted to include upon remembering. 128kbps m4a vs. The original iPod played AAC in 2001, and itunes is how the majority of consumers bought music before streaming took over in m4a format. ogg vorbis may be worse than aac. i like the compatibility of mp3. Hopefully that will help it stay clear. In this case, is a higher bit rate basically whatever is bigger than the bit rate I pick in the drop-down menu? If I pick 128, then MP3/AAC 129 and greater / if I pick 256, then MP3/AAC 257 and greater, etc? Run "Track Analysis" on your downloaded m4a files, and then "Track Gain" to apply the default 89 dB replay gain. ) They have none of the master files for the older stuff. MP3 is old and and obsolete. Then, you transfer the mp3 onto your Galaxy (me I have a 10+) and it works. M4A is just a file container. After I download, I right click on the mp3 and select "Properties" then "Details" and I look at the Audio "Bit rate" line and it always says 128 kbps, even though I have set it to 320 kbps, or For myself, I'm pretty confident I can pick out 128 kbps MP3 from lossless. Yes, it is said that 256 kbps aac is roughly the equivalent of 320 kbps mp3 as far as quality goes and that it is audibly transparent. 6 MB Locked post. There is a lot of research for audio and video compression so designers of newer codecs have more of this research available to them and can implement it and create more efficient codes. m4a/m4b could be lossy(AAC) or lossless (ALAC), its just a container. mp3 is still current through innertia and m4a sees some use despite being a bastard format, so i'm sure we'll encounter a serious, life-altering world calamity before either format gets seriously unsupported. 2 129k 44100Hz medium, m4a_dash 251 webm audio only │ 66. r/AskReddit is the place to ask and answer thought-provoking questions. The . I can’t hear a difference between lossless and 256 aac (sometimes I hear subtle differences during certain Jazz tracks). Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now Please know that converting from a lossy format (like OPUS and M4A) to another lossy format (like MP3 The m4a standard was established in the 2000s to replace mp3 with better compression, better quality, and some bugfixes, and there are very few audio apps and devices that can't play m4a. Newer codecs like AAC and Opus don't require nearly as much bandwidth for good quality. That being said, it's not likely that you'll hear any difference between MP3@320 and M4A@256 unless you have both pretty good equipment and golden ears. Very little (of any importance) had to be sacrificed in order to get the audio into that container. Original iTunes bought files are of VBR type (variable beat rate) m4a. Every time you encode from a lossy (mp3) to another lossy format (opus) you will lose information. • audio·phile: a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound… Get app Get the Reddit app Log In the file may say 256 but the source is lower, and it's just encoded at the higher Bitrate images storyboard 139 m4a audio mov (to clarify, i mean the container) has been obsolete for over a decade and is still fairly well supported. ". They uploaded the 256 AAC files not a wave file that apple converted. I'm going to continue testing, as of right now I don't hear a difference between the yt to mp3 converter and yt-dlp but it looks different visually via Spek. Tap Audio quality on Wi-Fi. aac files to . Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now (. Cast Recordings for Musicals, Broadway, West End, Film, Off-Broadway, Tours, Concept Recordings… 256 is probably overkill for most any codec. Part of the process is embedding the video thumbnail so that each podcast episode has a custom image. The replay gained files can be played on anything that can play m4a files. so you could do a . These songs are not going to be on Beatport. ) I have M4A files in bit rate 256 kbps, sample rate 44. If it is mp3, VBR is going to sound worse than CBR and I would break it down like this, it isn't an exact science, but, assuming you are pumping the sound out through something decent: I've got a bunch of 256K M4A (AAC) audio files (from iTunes) that I'd like to convert to Opus. But whichever I select it only seems to download at 128 kbps. Apples encoder repeatedly comes up best in listening tests, closely followed by those by Fraunhofer (who co-invented the format as a replacement for mp3), Either Fhg-aac which is/was available free with Winamp, or the open source FDK_AAC written for Android) but now available to build A place for making the right decision when purchasing new headphones. An M4A file at 256 kbps with AAC could be, for example, smaller than an MP3. Reply reply More replies 256 kbps AAC is extremely good, for a lossy format. I know it's not really the fix you're looking for, but I make sure to convert all m4a I buy via iTunes into CBR m4a (constant beat rate). ALAC will be identical quality to the CD but the files are very large so you may not be able to fit them all on your iPod depending on the size of your collection. I know this sounds like a strange question, but this is a Betamax vs VHS question. 31K subscribers in the CastRecordings community. I dont have magical ears. The thing is: you never know what the output will be. io/index Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now Lost Lands 2023 (. FLAC = archival. ogg supports either vorbis or flac. From left to right: original opus 132k; 256k mp3 and 128k mp3. Does that mean if I use ffmpeg to convert the . How is it that professionals are still using MP3's? While I understand that 320kbps mp3 sounds fine, the moment you pitch it down you can hear the lack of high end information that is present in an AAC file at • audio·phile: a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound and music. m4a 256kbps) 256 got something different than virtual riot stuff today here you go Hey Everyone! I have my first gig tomorrow. 100 kHz. But usually the numbers are nowhere near each other; the typical range of bitrates for lossy filetypes are in the range of 128-320 kbps, so you'll see those numbers for that (128, 192, 256, 320 most often), while for bit depth, you only typically see 8, 16, 24, or 32 bit. Does this happens if you export to AAC as well? lossless/flac is overkill for spoken words. If I were to want to get the best audio quality possible, would it be preferred to do "-f 140" and download the m4a format, or "-x --audio-format m4a" to download the webm format first, and then convert it to m4a? Does that apply to the higher bit rates ie 256 and above. m4a are pretty much the same format but with different extensions. It can contain AAC or ALAC webm is a video codec. i use 256 lame mp3 for my phone, and it's fine for the bus and the car. Sometimes I compare to the source CD and never have regrets. Both aac and alac files are considered m4a files but the tracks you get off iTunes are aac which aren't lossless just compressed really well. m4a music files that I would like to play during my gig. Is 160 enough? Would there be a noticable difference between 160 and 224/256? I usually listen to music on wired headphones or bluetooth speakers, but rarely in a setting where I would be able to tell all the details (usually in an area with background noise like a bus or downtown). From my udnerstanding . Beginner/entry-level DJing - troubleshooting, equipment advice, question/answer, etc. 46M subscribers in the AskReddit community. Realistically, an online converter should be able to handle this. 27 votes, 24 comments. yt-dlp does a fantastic job at this. S. It does NOT recode the file. In 128k mp3 Lol, yes it's annoying with mkvs as well. opus at 256 kbps sounds excellent, also the sampling rate is 48 KHz and not 44 KHz as it was in the mp3 at 320 kbps, an opus file of 256 sounds excellent and I can not distinguish its quality with respect to one of 320 kbps and even some FLAC of low sampling rate in a normal listening. The majority seems to be MP3 128kbits only. So, I picked one format to rule them all. The same situation occurs when connecting any audio device to an iPhone via Bluetooth. On one track you might be fine with 96 kbps opus and on the other you might need 320 kbps and you still hear something different (killer samples). this site used to work for me up until like last week. youtube-m4a. In the YouTube Music app, tap on your profile picture. A 256 AAC track is equal or slightly better than 320 mp3 Reply reply Got a album from a website in m4a but the bitrate is 250 don’t know if it’s an actual m4a or a converted file I noticed that most, if not all, videos have two audio formats of the highest quality: one m4a and one webm. Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now. If you are wondering what Amateur Radio is about, it's basically a two way radio service where licensed operators throughout the world experiment and communicate with each other on frequencies reserved for license holders. Sep 12, 2021 · Talking about . It achieves CD transparency at ~256 kbps. However, on newer Macs I don't know if you can What do you think. Huh? If the artist offers a download, the download will be in whatever the artist provided the file at so usually either Flac or MP3. Personally I'm hard pressed to hear any difference, but as far as lossy formats go, m4a at 256 kbps is among the best. Vorbis generally sits between MP3 and AAC in efficiency and psychoacoustic modeling, while not being patent encumbered. They use compression algorithm and they are not created equal. mp3 (320), . I'd say that as long as you're using a good encoder, you would have to have some absolutely golden ears and studio-quality earphones to tell the difference between 256kbps AAC/M4A and anything higher. If you look at the header of the Spek screenshots, the m4a contains 256 AAC and the webm contains Opus for the audio. 128k m4a for example is about the same quality as 256k mp3. Looks like the Opus one is hard limited at 18 kHz Besides, you can't compare opus or m4a bitrates (better compression algorithms) with mp3 bitrates. m4a is a container. I should mention that at least in my case only a few tracks actually had AAC streams available. 29 for the song? Shouldn't they give you at least a 320 kbps MP3 after you've given them your money? Hello, How is the quality of aac itunes plus? Can i use these songs on dj turntables like pioneer cdj? Should i change to mp3 or leave it at aac? Would that not only be the case if you're converting from a lossless format and targeting the quality of a 128kbps AAC? From my (admittedly novice) understanding, the different compression algorithms make different assumptions about what can be dropped, so transcoding between lossy formats means it keeps all the artifacts of the original lossy encoding and also picks up new ones from the Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now My options: 70-128-160-320 Kbps MP3 or 128 Kbps M4A. But to say that 256 and lossless are indistinguishable is extremely ignorant. these are the best sounding version, the DEFINITIVE EDITION and is the best there ever was ― until we get a proper physical and/or FLAC lossless release. . I recall even mp3 tops out at 192 in listening tests for most subjects. Select Settings. Thank you for your input. I use m4a/aac extensively for my music library. Regarding comparisons amongst mp3 files with different levels of compression, listeners always significantly preferred the higher quality version, except for the comparison between 320 and 256 kbits/s where the results did not reach AAC is still my go-to lossy codec for mobile purposes, although 256kbps is enough for me. Which format can have the Highest Quality among the three? You're slightly misinformed about the lossless thing though. That said, MP3s can be reduced to very tiny sizes (64 kbps), but not without loss of quality. . • audio·phile: a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound and music. To keep the high quality I recommend ripping to either Apple Lossless (ALAC) or AAC with a bitrate of 256 or higher. 99MiB 156k https │ audio only opus 156k 48000Hz medium, webm_dash This is an extremely high-fidelity audio mix I'm downloading that's only available from this YouTube video. Im not even arguing that 256 AAC is better or worse than 320 MP3. Updated drive with LL3 in the best quality (256K M4A AAC) This subreddit is mainly for sharing Spotify playlists. Reply reply 140 m4a audio only │ 55. com. If exporting reduces 50 mb to 15 mb I wonder what is going on. aac format but supports . I know the players support AAC and M4A is technically AAC but I couldn't find a definitve answer anywhere. Beyond 256 AAC is psychological and data and blind testing proves this. At this point in time I would expect all smartphones to be able to play AAC, and even a really old one should be capable of it from a hardware standpoint you just might have to install an app to play it. But again, it takes time, you gotta have your albums converted, it's doubling up your library on your computer and in iTunes. https://www. If you did everything correct it should download the AAC 256 file now. Get the Reddit app Scan this QR code to download the app now just converted my ALAC of Eternal Grey to 256 m4a and it ended up being 66. I am willing to pay for them, just don't know where to go. The only problem is that I am not sure that the pair of 2000NX2-s will be able to play it. How does this compare to 320? Also, where would one go to legally purchase 70s, 80s, 90s, classic rock, pop etc. any reasonable codec at 256 in a spectrum view, the 256 would show higher frequencies and more detail. for casual listening on my phone I usually prefer 320 or M4A 256/320, but for archival (and for future listening when I can afford audiophile equipment to listen to music) I always try to find FLACs, but it's true that most of the time you can't really tell the difference, as you said you wanna use them for DJing in the future, I think you're There's an option in iTunes to convert higher bit rate songs to a lower one (128, 192, or 256) when syncing with an iPod of your choice. If you upload as lossless, they will encode it at 256 m4a. It's just a superior lossy compression to MP3. 667 votes, 141 comments. It's also worth pointing out that not all encoders are created equal - Apple's own encoder far superior to ffmpeg's version, for example, so Windows or Linux users outside the Apple ecosystem should use fdkaac or preferably qaac. m4a tracks via Apple Music, which bitrate will they be? Hey! I have a questions regarding purchasing music files for DJ use on iTunes vs. Or check it out in the app stores MP3 V0 (VBR 256 kbps) or 320 kbps . I curate a lot of my own music and dont use soundcloud or apple music so need help in importing songs to iTunes as well. aac 256 is supposedly "as good or better" than 320 lame mp3. AAC (128, 256 kbps) HE-AACv2 (24kbps) If Spotify isn't at the bottom of music quantity being played by a subscription on The Streaming Service list. But not confident I can pick out 320 kbps MP3. ogg vorbis vs aac comparison, but I don't know off the bat which would be better. Looking at these graphs, it seems like the main difference between an mp3 at 320kbps and a lossless file is going up to 20khz instead of 22khz, which seems to not make much of a difference at all in the listening experience. aac , 3. So theoretically, it’s the same codec. Oct 17, 2024 · In terms of file size, both M4A and MP3 can make high-quality compressed files, although M4A compresses with more quality. The reason apple uses 256 is the compression rate. That's what I mean when I say that track was uploaded as lossless. The small bump in quality is not worth the added space. • audio·phile: a person with love for, affinity towards or obsession with high-quality playback of sound… For an audio song album recorded at 320kbps in 3 different formats as 1. AAC 256 VBR. I know the difference between lossless and lossy. In my opinion Atmos is the biggest deal here, though. I use it for the very same reason that you do: I transfer to my mobiles often and don't wish to sit through a transcode each time I do. I convert like that for peace of mind. m4a is encoded with lossy Advanced Audio Coding (AAC), which enables it to provide the same bitrates as the MP3 yet having tighter compression. You must have a combined karma of 40 to make a post, and your reddit account must be at least 30 days old; this is to prevent spam and is strictly enforced. There are a LOT of factors at play. Welcome to 4K Download Reddit! 4K Download software is the most effective tool for downloading content from YouTube, Vimeo, Twitch, Instagram and other popular sites. aac and . 2 (48000Hz), 10. Info: I know it's tedious to do, but the fix, is the use iTunes to convert from AAC 256 (m4a file type) to MP3 320 (mp3 file type). If you rip the audio stream as free user its always MP3 128kbits and AAC VBR V0 as premium user though if the artist only uploaded a low quality MP3 or its a very old upload then its also MP3 128kbits with premium. 256 and 320 are not all that different. Both might be m4a but there's definitely a difference between the AAC's iTunes sells and an ALAC. Here you can ask which headphone is better, which amp you should buy, which gear best fit your budget and anything related to headphone comparisons and purchasing. Feb 17, 2012 · I'd go with either 256 AAC or LAME MP3 V0, but I would also recommend that you take some time and perform an ABX test, you'd be surprised how low you can go before you start being able to discern the files from their lossless counterparts. ) I find that a large majority of my library is consisting of 256 kbps AAC music files that I get from iTunes store, however I am downloading more and more music from Google Music (which give 320 kbps) and some from Beatport. aac/. I also found that one file is in a wav format. The term applies to what m4a contains and it may contain AAC (lossy) encoded audio or ALAC (lossless) encoded audio. This is why if you want to make a smaller file, you do it from a lossless (FLAC, ALAC, WAVPAK, etc) encoded file (source) to a lossy (mp3/opus/aac) file (destination). AAC@160 should compare pretty closely with MP3@256/320. Need better headphones, need bet Some of the albums are indeed “touched” as in they edit the metadata to make it look purchased. ELI5: When you buy a song on iTunes, why do they only provide you with a 256 kbps M4A file after you've spent a good $0. Then I don't know other than too laugh of it all because it is a joke of a Streaming Service compared to TIDAL, Qobuz, Apple Music and Amazon HD Music. A region) I enabled Apple Music so all of my songs are uploaded to the Apple Music servers - I can access via my iPhone and share my playlists with my friends If I choose to play my ripped 16-bit ALAC . Scientifically speaking, there's no reason why it should; the mp3 (and wma and m4a) was designed PRECISELY to compress out components of the audio spectrum that human ears cannot hear anyway. Just to add - AAC is able to achieve higher perceived quality because the algorithm allows for sections to be above 320kbps, and limits sections which do not need to be. M4A is a great lossy format in every aspect. Both are lossy codecs. vgjh ocqz epn jlkqc orvum cqza ayl tdhyh bolls tkhnrpj ryfct alncw gxkxrl zsd mvjrj