Do iTunes Store songs have VBR?

I am also very interested to know the answer... I was under the impression it was not, but since the recent 8.1 upgrade, I am not so sure anymore...

I decided to just email Apple iTunes support and they informed me that iTunes Music Store Purchases are CBR (Constant Bit Rate).

I have to admit, I find that odd considering the new iTunes Plus import settings as VBR. I will probably be sticking with CBR personally when I import.

Strange decision... They somehow tell you the 8.1 update will encode your tracks just like iTunes Plus tracks in the iTunes Store... and now they turn on the VBR option in the default import setting.

iTunes Store content will show up as *256 kbps* in listview, your own 'iTunes Plus' encodings as *256 kbps (VBR)*. Confusing. I guess I'm going keep importing discs without VBR checked.

This kind of ticks me off. After I upgraded to iTunes 8.1, I kept importing as if nothing had changed (I've been importing at 256 for about two years) and now I see that everything I've imported since the upgrade is VBR. I don't want VBR; I've never wanted to use it and I don't trust that it sounds right. More importantly, I want all the files in my library to be imported consistently and now with little fanfare iTunes overrode my preferences from the previous version and I've now got about 50 albums that are VBR compared to 3400 that aren't.

Someone please convince me of the advantage of VBR (other than conservation of storage space, which I don't care about), tell me that it doesn't sound worse than CBR, and that I don't have to reimport everything I've done since the upgrade.

I imported a CD today and is my want immediately played it. I thought that sounds different. It was only then that I found out about VBR.
I've been importing at 256kbps since I started with MP3s just over a year ago, never used them before I got the MAC. I've even just this month bought my first portable MP3 player. I immediately noticed that if listening in a quiet environment that "it don't sound none too good". On the bus, train or in the street with external background noise it, so far, doesn't matter to much.

If I'm working at the Mac it's OK to listen to my library through it's internal speakers but I can't listen through my headphones, they emphasize every imperfection and I just get annoyed.

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To RTW's - Someone please convince me of the advantage of VBR (other than conservation of storage space, which I don't care about), tell me that it doesn't sound worse than CBR, and that I don't have to reimport everything I've done since the upgrade.
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My understanding is that ITunes 8.1, if set to 256kbps (VBR), will not drop below 256kbps but if need be go up to 320kbps if the musical complexity demands it.
It makes sense then that VBR would take up more storage space rather than conserve it. It would only take less if you dropped your minimum from 256kbps to 160kbps or 128kbps.
This is borne out by the fact that when the same track is imported in VBR the file size is larger. The more complex passages the piece has the greater that difference will be.
For instance, Pink Floyd's "Money", when imported at 256kbps, is 12MB and at 256kbps (VBR) is 13.1MB for a 6 minute 23 second track. At Apple Lossless the file size is 43.7mb.
So in theory a 100GB 256kbps iTunes library would become 109.66GB, just under 10% more, at 256kbps (VBR). With Apple Lossless it would be 364.16GB. These calculations are rough, too many variables exist in the complexities of individual tracks, but, it'll do for now.

That huge difference with Apple Lossless file sizes is why we compromise quality for space. Importing everything at lossless is not an option for most people just now. Maybe in ten years time when we all have 20TB plus of storage space in the house we will. 3400 CDs is about 2.09TB. Anyway, personally, if I want to listen to (recorded) music just for the enjoyment of listening I like to have the best quality possible so I'll do so direct from the CD player using the headphones.

Now, if an iPOD stores 500 tracks at 256kbps and only 450 at 256kbps (VBR) who cares, especially if the quality improvement is also 10%. At Apple Lossless you'd maybe get about 20 tracks or so. Now that's a massive difference.

And that's the problem, who says a larger file sounds better anyway?
The listener.
Even if it's only the fact that you know it's a bigger file so there must be more information and more information must be better makes you think it's better so what. If you think it sounds better - it does.

Everything new I import from now will be with VBR enabled. I reckon that over the next few months I'll selectively re-import my library with VBR enabled at 256kbps. If in eighteen months time there's another real or perceived MP3 improvement I'll probably do it all over again. That's only one of the advantages of actually owning and continuing to buy CDs.

Babaganoosh wrote:
Do songs posted on the iTunes Store, in 'iTunes Plus' format, come encoded with Variable Bit Rate (VBR)?

The reason I ask this is because in iTunes 8.1, the new 'iTunes Plus' importing option has VBR enabled. Does this mean all Store songs have it?

Would it make much difference one way or the other?

The ones that I have bought have all been CBR @ 256.

It really does not make much difference for most people under most listening conditions. The higher the bit rate gets, the less difference there is between any 2 encoding options.

Someone please convince me of the advantage of VBR (other than conservation of storage space, which I don't care about)

AAC VBR in iTunes creates larger files since the setting is the lowest it will go.

tell me that it doesn't sound worse than CBR, and that I don't have to reimport everything I've done since the upgrade.

You don't have to reimport anything if you don't want to.

I recently bought an album exactly released a week ago in Canada. I already bought the iTunes copy from March 17th '09, which is encoded at CBR. Ican't help but feel like iTunes verison sounds so...."trapped", like some sounds are waiting to be unleashed. I' mdebating if I should open my CD copy and rip it to VBR and compare or not haha.

But I will say this. With VBR ticked, it ruined some of my songs that has flow in between them. Take David Cook's album for example. From the track "Lie" to the next "I Did It For You", the music continues gaplessly. Ever since I reimported all my CDs to 256 aac VBR (from mp3 192 CBR), it ruined that flow.

I hope some of you know what I mean since I'm trying to explain it the best I can. It ruined the sound in between tracks. I was afraid that this would happen since having VBR ticked would give a different overall sound quality for each track. If you want a better example, listen to live albums or soundtracks that has gapless tracks. I'm now reconsidering in reimporting these tracks to CBR and I have a lot of songs that goes with this flow I'm talking about.

Ever since I reimported all my CDs to 256 aac VBR (from mp3 192 CBR), it ruined that flow.

I have reimported some gapless (live and others) from 195 CBR to 256 VBR and do not notice any difference between songs. They are still gapless and play fine.