Hello there, this is my first post
I manage to get from the net some rare tracks, but I can't find them in MP3, only in OGG@128kbps, and WMA@192kbps. In order to listen to them in mp3 players and other hardware, I want to convert them to MP3, but don't know from wich source to choose from: ogg OR wma (I have all tracks in both formats).
I know that OGG is much better than WMA, but the OGG files are encoded at only 128kbps, while WMA is encoded at his maximum, 192 (according to foobar, it's Windows Media Audio V7/V8)
The WMA files are way bigger that their counterparts in OGG, but does this mean more quality on the WMA side, or just more artifacts?

So the big question is: in order to get the best MP3s possible, from wich format should I reconvert from?
And what LAME settings should I use in order to minimize the quality loss derived from 2nd generation encoding?
Thanks all of you who read this, and I hope you can bring me some light on this subject



P.S. I searched the forum for similar threads, but didn't find any

From my point of view, you should ALWAYS avoid re-encoding, i.e. transcoding... just get a hardware, which can play either ogg or wma (a lot of does on today's market).

Just my 2 cents.

With what type mp3 player(s) and/or hardware do you plan (or imagine) to listen to this music? Most non-Apple/iPod portable devices support WMA, and an increasing number are supporting OGG as well. You may be able to save yourself from having to transcode to MP3. Quality-wise this is the best option.


I wouldn't go as far to say OGG is much better than WMA, though IIRC some listening tests here show that OGG is superior to WMA (at the same bitrate).


A 192 kbps WMA is *likely* to be of higher quality than a 128 kbps OGG, as it's got 1.5x the ones and zeros to store audio data. Your best bet is to do an ABX test of the same song in both formats and see if you can tell the difference.


Tough call. There's no definitive answer to what LAME settings to use. I'd recommend trying -V 5 --vbr-new but that's just my suggestion. Higher bitrates aren't going to give you much more bang for the buck when transcoding. You should try transcoding from both formats (using the same song / LAME settings) and decide for youself which sounds better.

Good Luck.

I always avoid reencoding, but I really can't find the MP3s of the tracks. As about the hardware, often the ones that play ohter formats don't have other functions I like (although this opinion may be outdated).
Besides I only have MP3, buying a specific device for the purpose of playing other formats, just for 3 ou 4 particular tracks is a little... well.. "unbalanced choice"
I listen to music in other formats as well, but for archiving, the definitive format is the MP3


Mp3 player and car stereo


Well, I don't have golden ears, but many people claim that OGG is a little better that MP3, and WMA is inferior to... almost everything



The WMAs have higer amplitude that the OGGs... perhaps if I convert all to WAV and amplify the oggs, or deamplify the wmas, in order to normalize them



What about the alt presets? maybe better in this case? or worse?


Perhaps I will try that

Thank you all for the replies so far