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Which file formats offer the best compression and which file formats offer the best sound?
I have in my iTunes folder, AAC files, Protected AAC files and MPEG files. Then there's WAV, AIFF and MP3 (which I believe is MPEG?) that iTunes can import.
Which offers quality closest to "CD quality" and which offers the best compression? Is there a format that is generally considered to be the "best" option?
I play songs on my computer all the time but that is capable of playing almost "any" format and I'm not exactly hurting for space.
I also have an iPod Nano that's pretty flexible, but knowing which files are the smallest while offering the best quality will help me manage how many songs I can smash onto it.
Then there's my car that can play many file types including MP3 (MPEG?).
Thanks,

[tybowen]

the best compression
That would be AAC or MP3
the best sound
Would be either Apple Lossless or AIFF/WAV I believe. But that benefit is negligable unless you have very good ears or very impressive speakers in my opinion.
AAC files, Protected AAC files
AAC is the format that Apple uses. Its playable in iTunes, on an iPod, or with any other apple product. It is not supported by most other mp3 players or Windows media player or real player. The protected AAC files are the songs that you have purchased from iTMS and as such have copy protection on them.
MP3 (which I believe is MPEG?)
Yeah. MP3 is mpeg 3. Then theres mpeg2 and I believe mpeg 4.
the "best" option
That depends on your preference. If you must have the best sound then go for lossless. But most people like mp3 or AAC. They compress the file significantly and still offer good sound quality. I use AAC set at 160 for my own CD ripping.
I beleive you iPod can play any format except protected WMA files (downloads from the new Napster for example.)
Then there's my car that can play many file types including MP3 (MPEG?).
Your car can probably play CD's and mp3 cds. CD's can hold 80 min of music and you set those to burn in burning preferences and iTunes will convert that. mp3 CD's hold about 800 mb of music (alot more music) but the songs have to be in mp3 format. YOu can set these CD's to burn in burning preferences and iTunes will automatically convert them as well. However, if you play to burn a lot of mp3 CD's I would ripp your songs as mp3's. That will give fewer conversions. Everytime you convert you lose some quality. If you just burn a Data CD you will move songs onto it in whatever format they are in (AAC, mp3, AIFF, ect) and your car probably won't be able to play them.

[lkalliance]

AAC files and Protected AAC files are the same as far as what you're talking about. Protected just has DRM (likely Apple's) that limits where you can play it.
--AIFF is the format that digital songs are in on a CD.
--WAV is a digital format that I believe is more compressed than AIFF (I might be wrong)
--MP3 and AAC are highly compressed formats. There is ongoing debate about which is better, but for most of us they're more or less equivalent. Each comes in different grades, too...you can take a song and make a VERY compressed MP3 or AAC that doesn't sound good at all. Or you can compress less and get better sound.
--Let's not forget Apple Lossless, which I believe in terms of compression should come in between WAV and AIFF.
(MP3 is an audio-only version of MPEG, yes. Some MPEG codecs contain video as well as audio, like MP4. MP3 is just audio. All MP3s are MPEGs, though not all MPEGs are MP3s.)
What you opt to use is really up to you. The less the compression, the better it will sound, but the larger the file size.

[Dan Frakes]

In reply to:

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AAC is the format that Apple uses. Its playable in iTunes, on an iPod, or with any other apple product. It is not supported by most other mp3 players or Windows media player or real player. The protected AAC files are the songs that you have purchased from iTMS and as such have copy protection on them.

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The first part of that statement is not quite accurate. AAC is an industry-standard format, and many third-party products support it. (Even my Sony PSP will play them.) The second part is correct: The Fairplay-enabled AAC files purchased from the iTunes Music Store will not currently play on non-Apple hardware or software.

In reply to:

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--AIFF is the format that digital songs are in on a CD.
--WAV is a digital format that I believe is more compressed than AIFF (I might be wrong)

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This is also incorrect. AIFF and WAV are both uncompressed music formats; AIFF is more familiar to Mac users, whereas WAV is the format generally used by Windows users.

In reply to:

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Let's not forget Apple Lossless, which I believe in terms of compression should come in between WAV and AIFF.

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See above /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif Apple Lossless is compressed, whereas AIFF and WAV are not; however, they will all sound bit-for-bit identical.

As for MP3 vs. AAC, AAC was designed to offer better sound quality at lower bit rates than most MP3 encoders. So, for example, a 128kbps AAC file should sound better than a 128kbps MP3 file. The point at which MP3 begins to sound better is debated, but is likely somewhere around 192 to 256kbps.
I personally rip music for my iPod at 160kbps AAC; for my "media player" Mac at home, I use Apple Lossless.

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Thanks evryone. This has all been very helpful!