Which music format is the best for iPod classic?

That's really up to you to decide.

If you want better quality than the "standard", use a higher bit rate. But that will reduce the total number of songs you can put on your iPod.

The best thing you can do is import some songs from CD, several times but in different formats. Then listen to them and decide for yourself. If you cannot hear the difference in the higher bit rate versions, then use the lower bit rate to save space.

The "standard" is usually either AAC at 128Kbps or MP3 at 128Kbps

You can try:

AAC - High qualty (128KBps)

AAC iTunes Plus - 256Kbps

MP3 Encoder - Good quality - 128Kbps

MP3 Encoder - High quality - 160Kbps

MP3 Encoder - Higher quality - 192Kbps

Or there are the AIFF and Apple Lossless encoders. Only you can decide.

I had been using AIFF until recently created files (using 3rd-party app) are not playing properly.

While I track this down, it appears that I will most likely have to switch formats.

So, I guess the question now becomes, "Which music format is the best for iPod Classic (6G) THAT WORKS RELIABLY or THAT IS TRULY APPLE-RECOMMENDED/SANCTIONED?"

From Apple's technical specifications on their iPod Classic page (http://www.apple.com/ipodclassic/specs.html):

First of all, thank you , Fiend, for the prompt reply to my question on this stale thread. I was not really expecting an answer here.

And your reply is all too obvious - I was digging deeper elsewhere unnecessarily. This will suffice for now.

Regards,

c²