AfterDawn: News

Test results: Tuned OGG Vorbis shines, LAME MP3 still very competitive

Open source projects put commercial products into shame in the recent 128kbps multi format listening test. The surprise winner of the test is an up-tuned version of the OGG Vorbis codec. The result clearly shows that the format has potential, if someone just bothers to have a good look at it. Musepack continues to show impressive performance, even though it is considered perform optimally when slightly higher bitrates are used.

Apple iTunes is possibly the best AAC implementation available, but LAME MP3 encoder still managed to give a hard time in the competition! This shows that MP3 as a format is far from being outdated and that the LAME project has been doing some excellent work in pushing the old codec further.



Atrac3 by the consumer electronic giant Sony was just crushed in this comparison. Sony has originally developed the Atrac codecs for the MiniDisc players. Microsoft's WMA scored the second lowest points in this test and one has to wonder why anyone should use this format.

Read the full results with commentary here

Written by: Lasse Penttinen @ 24 May 2004 12:42

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• 3 comments

• Herb

  3.6.2004 16:35 #1

• Herb

  I never understand these tests. Why do they spend sooooo much time on low-end formats like 64 and 128 ?
  
  Those are poor to mediocre at best.
  
  I believe most of us are looking for a good listening experience and using a lossy format and finding a compromise between lossless and size.
  
  I would like to see no tests of MP3 under 192 and of course VBR, which will save a lot of space. This goes for the Vorbis, format and MPP3Pro.
  
  I just switched to Vorbis for licensing and because if how great and clear the sound is. You are right that L.A.M.E for MP3 is great, but at 128. Try a variable rate format that goes up to 256. MUCH, better sound.
  
  Jon

  3.6.2004 16:39 #2

• jolo

  This is commenting to an item from a while ago, but Newbie expresses my thoughts exactly.
  
  The enormous waste of time that goes on with these audio engineers who post these meaningless, detailed tests results, who ALWAYS seem to fall in love with testing low bite rates. WHY !!
  
  I would like to see any testing START at 128, then go up to Q10 for Oog and 320 for MP3. Compare on CBR and VBR on the tests as well. Let us see what quality will sound like. I personally seem to use a lot of Ogg Vorbis at Quality setting 6 (VBR). To me, on my mobile player, it sounds very full and clean.
  
  JT
  
  I do have to say for myself, I find Oog Vorbis superior to listen to with, especially with good, sensitive headphones, than any MP3. Both of them kick the crap out of a format we allshould stay away from, that mediocre garbage that is meant to get control of the multimedia market, with Apple, which is any codec that starts with a W.
  
  Any thing that makes Ogg Vorbis totally superior is too look at the long term effect of the use of it. Oog Vorbis is not only the best compressed audio format around, but it is true Open Source and free to use.
  
  I am starting to notice that some PC games using it as I see them installed. Wise choice.
  
  It helps a lot to support Open Source codecs, good ones like the superior ogg vorbis. Make sure you ask if you are thinking about a mobile audio player and if the audio formats are limited (like the most overated, overmarketed product in the history of mankind, the mediocre and most limiting mobile audio player in the market, the Apple Icrop. A product dedicated to kill crreativity, control both artists and customers. One of the major ways it Apple and they Buddies at Microsoft limiting formats and making sure that awful DRM, which is doing more to limit music artists's sales, than anything I can think of.
  

  22.1.2006 02:15 #3