[Audio Empire]

On Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:51:06 -0800, Robert Peirce wrote
(in article ):

I read an article about iTunes Match in MacWorld and they said it was
possible to "upgrade" your tunes to 256 kbps. My CD downloads are
already 1411 (although I made the error of storing the early ones as aif
instead of m4a) and I have some 96/24 stuff that is 2600+. Is 256
correct or do they mean 2560? If 256, what the heck would that be?


At the present time, iTunes by itself does not support anything higher than
16-bit, 44.1 KHz and it supports 192 kbps as the default MP3 setting. BUT, if
you select "custom" under the MP3 import option in iTunes Preferences, it
will rip stereo MP3s at up to 320 mbps. To select other sample rates
including 256 mbps, double click on the "custom" selection from the pop-up
menu (when MP3 is selected as the ripping format) and the "custom" dialog box
will appear. From that you can select the stereo bit-rate, you can also
choose variable bit rate, and VBR quality (from normal all the way to
"highest"), etc. Click on "OK" to save changes and then you can quit
preferences.

This, of course, only applies to files you rip yourself, not those purchased
from the iTunes store.

If you want to support high-resolution audio from other download sources,
you'll need a helper app like Amarra. There are rumors that Apple is working
on a hi-res version of iTunes to go with an expanded hi-res music service
from the iTunes store. But, that's just a rumor.