WMA to MP3

[oldbwl]

I have a 5000 track collection all coded as 128kbps .wma files. 60% classical and the rest contemporary stuff of all types. I have not had any problems and find the audio quality acceptable. Is there any compelling reason to change to MP3? I like the compactness of the .wma files compared to an equivalent sounding mp3, but would be prepared to make that sacrifice as I have plenty of room, all my gear plays either format.

Would the conversion reduce audio quality further by not starting with a lossless format in the 1st place? If not what would be the equivalent kbps for mp3 and the reasons for changing?

Your opinions are valued on this point....

[Lowlander]

I wouldn't change as you can never get better quality, thus if your equipment supports WMA there is no reason to change.

[rovingcowboy]

you can not get better quality but you might be able to keep it from going lower then what it is already.
but that involves lots of hand on editing for every song in the audacity wav editor,.

how ever if you want to or need to go to mp3 i would suggest going to 320 kbps on mp3 because that is what the better sound of the 128 wma's will best equal in that mp3 format.


only reason you should need to change is if you get a hand held player that does not support wma.

[oldbwl]

Thanks guys, your input was useful. So I wont be converting any time soon, and I will continue encoding to .wma to save space. Certainly for Classical stuff the .wma seems to have the sound stage better sorted.

Interestingly, in some rough and ready tests I found that there is significantly bigger draw on the CPU for playing .wma files, at least initially over an equivalent .Mp3. but most players and PC's have more than adequate headroom in that dept these days.

Thanks

[rovingcowboy]

yes wma format is a power hog, it will drain the batteries on hand held players faster then the other formats.

[joeshmoe]

Maybe I should have started my own topic but I have a similar situation. I have a large collection of mp3's and a few hundred wma's I'd like to incorporate. Should I convert them or just mix them all together? If converting is the way to go is media monkey the best software? What settings would be best?

[nohitter151]

Converting tracks from one lossy format to another (i.e. wma to mp3 or vice versa) is a bad idea because it can degrade the audio quality (further compressing an already compressed audio track).

If the files play on the hardware you own, there's no reason to convert them.

[ConfusedInAZ]

I understand that converting may not be worth it unless your hardware does not support wma. However, any of the iPods do not support wma. In that case, what is the best way to convert to MP3. I do not want to use iTunes and convert to m4a if at all possible. Does MediaMonkey adequately convert or are there frequent problems with this process?

[Lowlander]

Just setup conversion rules in the Device Profile. If you purchase the AAC plugin you can also convert to M4A.