Question about VBR (Variable Bit Rate)

[grooveless touque]

Something I have been wondering for a long time...what is the deal with VBR MP3s? Are they "good" or "bad"? I have downloaded some that sound tinny or watery, and some that sound just fine as far as I can tell. What MP3 bit rate (128 kbps, 192, etc) are they supposed to be equivalent to? And why are they so common if the quality varies so much from one VBR to another?

[scottitude]

I suppose whether they're good or bad is a matter of personal preference and what you do with the audio files.

Check out these clear explanations ofVariable Bitrate and Fixed Bitrate and draw your own conclusions.

I prefer quality over file-size even with spoken recordings so personally, I will always prefer FBR over VBR.

~Scott

[grooveless touque]

That's interesting...thanks for the link. I still don't understand why some MP3s sound terrible while some sound perfect. With, for instance, 256 kpbs MP3s, you know what you're getting. It'll always be near-CD quality. With VBRs, the sound quality varies widely from one song to the next. I was hoping something on that page would clear it up for me, but I guess I'll just try to avoid VBRs whenever possible. Thanks for the info.