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[benn600]

I received my new Sennheiser HD650 headphones today and am incredibly impressed with them.  Everything is crisp and full bodied, much more so than with any of my other headphones.

Now my real question is: I want to subject myself to a FLAC vs. MP3 comparison where I can actually tell a difference.  Theoretically, these headphones will make distinction easy.  While I think I have good hearing, I am essentially never able to tell the difference.  I have noticed on my computer speakers differences but I cannot pinpoint them every time.  I am 100% FLAC so I put the effort forth and trusted everyone but would really like to realize some actual benefit.  I can't hardly tell someone FLAC without them saying oh no big deal....

So what's a good song comparison?  Should I take my FLAC and encode it through MC to an MP3?  What quality?  Is LAME better than other mp3 encoders or are they about the same?  Yes, I'm sorry but we're touching on lossless quality once more.

Thanks!

[jgreen]

Congrats--nobody argues with the Sennheiser cans!  I have a pair of Etymotic 4p's (in-the-ear), which are often compared to the grande Senns.  Eventually, I will pick up a pair of Senns, also.  I just need to get the ambient noise level down.

Regarding sound quality, pick a variety of music from the genres that you're most interested in.  DirtyLittleSecret #1:  Most people don't like highly acurate music.  Rather, they like it "sweetened" with a high-frequency sustain.  This is how LAME mp3's can sound BETTER than FLAC when fed through MC's DSP studio.  Oc ourse, FLAC's fed through the same path sound identical.

FWIW, I did this test myself, with mp3's and lossy wma's, and my conclusion is that my head hurt from all the concentration.  With drives so cheap, I only rip to FLAC.  But I have no problem paying 99-cents for lossy music, when the alternative is paying $15 for a whole album when I only want one song.   

[zxsix]

Not my favorite genre, but I'd test out some classical piece that you're familiar with.  Preferably with a wide dynamic range.
I'd probably play something off the Star Wars soundtrack 
Convert the flac to a VBR mp3 on normal mode.  This is what a lot of paid downloads would be at for quality.
To be fair, put both songs in playing now.
Turn on auto-repeat.
Minimize MC or turn the power to your monitor off.
Go eat dinner.
These two versions of the same song will have been repeated a for a while by the time you come back.
Idea being, you don't know which one is currently playing and start with a totally blind test.
Now, put in the earplugs.
Listen to both tracks in their entirety.
Which one did you like the best?
Could you tell any difference?

[benn600]

Great idea.  I did run a little test but made a few mistakes.  I encoded a song to MP3 but accidentally used 256Kb.  Then I imported the FLAC & MP3 into Audacity.  After lining them up carefully, I silenced sections varying every 10 seconds.  I couldn't notice even a gap between the sections.  I definitely think 256Kb could make it significantly more difficult to tell.  Good suggestions -- I'll try them when I get a chance.