I have seen some folks recommend using MP3gain software to level the gain of their music and eliminate some distortion so I decided to do it. I copied all my iTunes songs onto a flash drive and converted them all to MP3. I've performed the track analysis and the various songs gains range from about 87dB to 100 dB. The default setting is 89dB but I am afraid that at that setting I'll lose too much volume since most of my songs are 93dB or better. I am running the stock HU with a BT 4180 and four BT 7.1 speakers. I have searched the forum for information and haven't found anything I felt gives me the info I am looking for. From experience can someone make some suggestions about where I should set gains for a good compromise between clipping and volume. Thanks

 

93 db was perfect for me but it varies from song to song. . Check with AAWAV. He is the resident expert on MP3 gain. He helped me with it when I was going through the same thing you are. Very smart guy. . Hit him up before he starts drinking beer though. . .LMAO!!

 

Were you able to figure anything out with this? I wouldn't mind doing this to my MP3's.

 

My friend... let's set something straight... I never drink... before I put my clothes on in the morning LOL...
no beer today (yet), still "working"... also spraying my new workbench for the last 2 rounds of Poly (got about 8-9 layers on it). just scuffed it up for the last time...



Yes, I am in software, engineer by origin, now (Pre)Sales, cuz that's where the REAL money is...

got PM from Kry so will answer here in a minute

 

Nice Bench Sir . . .

 

to get the info out here on the forum, my "reply" to Kry...

Streaming via BT compared to direct USB, USB will win IMHO... less conversions.

MP3 is digitized music. the higher the bitrate, the "better" the quality.
Keep in mind, NOTHING beats a real original CD, except for analog (let's not go there, athough putting a turn table in my fairing would be an interesting challenge LOL).

WAV format compared to MP3... Guess WAV is better but takes WAY more space...
FLAC compared to MP3... FLAC hands down! Problem with FLAC is not a lot of head units support it... and also FLAC does take up way more space (not a real issue anymore as you can now pick up a 64GB stick for ~15-20 bucks.

there are guys out there - way more experts than me (I am NOT an expert by any means) - that say resampling f.e. a 128kb MP3 to 320kb will only make the sound worse as the "in between" samples are not there to begin with.. I have to agree there (technically - have not tried it).

So, f.e. if you take a youtube file and take the sound out of the file (not sure if there are tools for that, do your homework on Google or Bing or ....), it will only be as good as the youtube audio is (or less, again i got no experience with it).

how you get your MP3's it your decision.
I sampled "a lot" of my old CDs (320kb) prior to storing them "somewhere" LOL. Alternatives, use your imagination (iTunes, BitTorrent, ...)
or, better nowadays, use Spotify and download the files on your phone also called offline (now keep in mind you cannot move those to a USB sticky). use BT to stream or plug in via aux input to your Headunit.
I love Spotify (especially cuz i piggyback on my bro's account (9 hours time difference so usually no issue and he got the account for free due to internet connection deal he got with his provider).

above are my 2 Cents and are mostly not scientifically proven. Hereby I waive any liabilities

happy holidays to all of you...

 

You must be drinking since this thread was about MP3 gain not USB vs Bluetooth :P

Merry Christmas!

 

"So, f.e. if you take a youtube file and take the sound out of the file (not sure if there are tools for that, do your homework on Google or Bing or ....), it will only be as good as the youtube audio is (or less, again i got no experience with it) " ... Here you go.

http://www.youtube-mp3.org/

... basically you find a Youtube Video of the tune you are looking for ... copy the address ( link ) then paste it in the box on the first link I've provided and you have the mp3 file ... it really is that easy.

P.S. I'm not an expert but I play one on the computer ... I have over 100,000 tunes ... 6,500 complete cd's in 320kbps

 

holy smokes!!! I thought I had a lot of tunes (~10k songs sitting on a NAS)...
I hope you did not rip them yourself

 

Ok, back to the original question... to answer OP - Da Shadow:
I did several tests months ago and a lot of online research. 93Db is what I found to be the "sweet" spot between occasional "clipping" and loudness. yes, 89 is WAY too low. my HU does allow adjustments of volume per source but still..
So whenever I "rip" a new CD (yeah - sure...) I immediately adjust it to 93Db before I put it on my NAS (Network Accessible Storage for the computer Dummies LOL).

I got 2 rear USB inputs on my HU, both run to underneath my seat and I can grab the line thru the sleeve. 1 is always plugged in with my favs the other is for whenever I feel like listening to new CD's...