I’d prefer that everyone in the world used FLAC, but since there is still an inexplicable desire to use lost compression formats to save storage space I am going to recommend that you at least upgrade to the OGG Vorbis format.
This lost format uses a better compression algorithm than does MP3 (or AAC or WMA &c). This means that for a comparable bit rate you will get a better sounding reproduction and likely a slightly smaller file.
No, iTunes does not natively support either FLAC or Ogg. However, nearly every other media player out there does (from VLC to Windows Media Player with a plugin to Winamp). If you are using a Mac iTunes can be made to play nicely with FLAC and Ogg (see this post for information about this lamentable exclusion on the part of Apple and a workaround for Mac users), but again I would recommend using some of the other players (a nice list is found on the workaround article I linked above).
Seriously though, buy some decent storage and use FLAC. It’s lossless so you are not making a compromise as you are with each of the lost formats.
Don’t cry to me because you can’t fit six months worth of music on your personal music player. We used to be content carrying around three or four tapes at a time (while walking up hill both ways in the snow). Even a small player (say 8 GB) will hold more than that (8 GB could hold about 20 albums as FLAC).
I have a 60 GB iPod (running RockBox so I can play FLAC’s; kiss my ass, Apple) and there is enough music on there (though less than 10% of my collection) that I don’t see repeated tracks after months of casual listening on the bus.
If you don’t feel up to making the switch to lossless audio and want to stick with lost formats, OGG will still provide better performance than an MP3.
Be good to your ears. They love you long time.
What I’d call far more inexplicable is the fact that they’re selling MP3 tracks for CD prices.
Anyhoo, my computer currently sports about 1TB of HDD space (or 1.2TB if you count the 250GB I use for Linux distros) and although that would seem like plenty of space, I’m still glad to use Vorbis or MP3 for most of those albums which I mostly have on my HDD just in case rather than because I listen to them so much.
PS Don’t get me wrong, I’ll probably be looking into one or more 2TB HDDs in the not-too-far-off future. Perhaps I’ll rerip some CDs as FLAC (especially those that I ripped as 192CBR MP3 about a decade ago).
What baffles me is the 320CBR MP3 some people use. It’s really not that much smaller than FLAC.
Hey, Frans; thanks for commenting.
I have a 1.5 TB drive with my music (on a server). Nearly all FLAC files (the only exceptions being those items I can’t find any other way). Love it. Something on the order of 42K tracks, 120 days of music, and 950 GB storage space used.