I have been doing some research the past week and have found out a few things about which audio formats are best, which are worst, which are preferred, and which I care to use. In the long run I have found out that there is not one audio format that is better than the other. What I have found out is the previous statement could be a lie depending on what your needs are. If the best quality is what you want, then a lossless format will work, however all lossless formats take up about 6-10MB/min. of space. If you want a mid range quality with a high compression rate, wma or MP3pro will do a good job of creating good quality with a very low bit rate, however the problem lies in the fact that wma files are hardly universally accepted by most media players. MP3pro is not a free opensource codec. However, if you what the versatility with the good quality compression, MP3 file formats are the best way to go, with the right encoder (LAME encoder is recommended). I could go on about the different file formats, but these are the ones I'm most familiar with.
There are VBR (variable bit rate), CBR (constant bit rate), and ABR (average bit rate) compressions. VBR is recommended because you can set the quality of the bit rate to say 170, and it will make the file be somewhere around 170kbps. Constant bit rate is recommended for internet or network streaming or downloading. It will encode the file at a constant bit rate. The problem here lies with the fact that a constant bit rate cant encode the high quality and highly dense sections of music which may require a higher bit rate for that portion of the music in order to more accurately capture the music. To the acute ear, a constant bit rate sound can be somewhat flat at these parts of a song, but a VBR sound is richer. An average bit rate (ABR) compression is like a VBR compression except that you decide what the ending bit rate will be. Basically, the encoder will encode the file kind of like a VBR compression, but whatever you specify the quality, say 160kbps, then that is what you will have- a 160kbps quality file. (its kind of like using the VBR and CBR compressions at the same time).
If you want to rip a cd to your harddrive, use a VBR (variable bit rate) setting if available. I've tested the results, VBR is better than CBR because when the file becomes complex with sounds, the VBR format will up the bit rate to whatever is needed, and lower the bit rate where it is not. The sound quality is much more enjoyable (for me anyway). If you do not have access to a VBR in MP3 format (not the best format, but the most versatile), there is a link at the end of this post to follow.
If you think that all mp3 encoders(rippers) are the same, guess again. I've found on numerous sites that the mp3 codec is the same, but the algorithm used to encode the file can make a bit of a difference in quality to the acute ear. What was suggested is the MP3 LAME encoder, which is also in that link below.
Lossless is a type of format that basically copies bit for bit what was on your CD and that way you don't loose any of the quality/data from it. It's probably not something you'd be interested in because the files end up being somewhere between 20-30MB each. But basically I use it to preserve my CDs in case they get scratched or lost. The lossless codec I recommend is the FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) encoder because it is widely universal. IF you have the right plugins to play it, it will play on almost any media player. WMP is a bit of a hassle to get it working on, but it's easily do-able if you follow these (http://www.losslessaudioblog.com/wmpmce-lossless-guide/) instructions. Windows Media Player comes with their version of a lossless audio codec, however it can only be played in WMP. WMP also comes with a Wave lossless encoder, which is a universal codec, however the Wave lossless format does not compress the file ANY, therefore the files will be just as big as they are on the CD. The Apple Lossless codec (m4a) is better known as an Advanced Audio Codec file, or .aac file. This format is widely used by iTunes and Nero. Both of these codecs automatically come with the other compressed versions that are a part of the .wma and .aac file extensions so that you can compress the file to a portable size in whichever format you choose.
Other audio codecs and encoders can be found at this site: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codec-central.htm
Other interesting tools for audio enhancements can be found at the above site.
dBpoweramp is like a swiss-army knife of digital audio. Go here (http://www.dbpoweramp.com/) to find out what all is offered. (Syncing, playing, converting, etc.)
I'm guessing most of you who are not quality enthusiasts will not care about this stuff I have found. But for those who enjoy quality HD media, this is good to know. It's like switching to an HD digital TV receiver from the old analog receiver. If analog works for you and you don't care to have the high def, then don't worry about it.
**************************UPDATE---12/26/09***************************
Windows is now supporting .m4a audio file formats (a.k.a. "AAC Audio File"). This is the standard file format for iTunes. This format can now be considered one of the highest quality and most widely used file formats. Although .mp3 files are still the most versatile, with the new .m4a format being supported in Windows, it will soon become a standard audio file format that is superior to mp3's.
