So when I burned my entire collection onto iTunes, I didn't realize you could change the bitrate (stupid me). My question is, would it be worth re-burning the entire thing at a higher bitrate if all I do is listen on laptop speakers/iPod? And if so, what bitrate would be best?

I definitely would, but 128 may be "good enough" for you. Try ripping a few albums again and compare the two.

If that's all you're doing with it, then that's plenty fine. If you're super concerned about quality and keeping perfect copies, then compressing with FLAC, or if you wanted a lossy format, LAME mp3, would be the best way to go.

Stay with what you have. It's easier.

MP3 or AAC?

128 kbps MP3s would be worth replacing, but AAC produces files of better quality, so maybe 128 is good enough.

According to the default settings, it looks like it was AAC.

128 kbs AAC is supposedly roughly equivalent to 160 kbs MP3, or so they say.

AAC is the default in iTunes. If he left it at that, then he's fine.

I rip all my mp3's at 128 because it is "good enough" and it takes up less space.


(And secretly, I'm really weird in that I believe, by keeping it less quality that cd quality, when I buy the cd, it will make the cd seem that much more special.)

I'm with you there. I ripped all 1000 plus cd's of mine at 128kbs. I'm kind of wishing I did it at 192 because I now have the space and have begun to notice the difference between the cds and my mp3s. I almost always am listening to mp3's at work, so I listen to a lot of music with quality loss.

For my equipment, 128 has always been "good enough". I go with 192 when given the choice, though. In your situation, I'd leave it alone.