Just got an iTouch...

If you're going to rip an entire collection, rip the full lossless version of your CDs. Memory is cheap (likely cheaper than the days and days you'd spend re-ripping down the road anyways). You'll be p#ssed if you decide later you'd rather have had the complete lossless version.

I prefer to use Apple Lossless as it is actually lossless, and it takes up half the space of an AIFF file.

For me, sound quality differences are even more noticeable through headphones, so I like to keep the files as high-res as possible. You have to strike a balance, of course, as the iPod Touch doesn't have much memory to begin with and it's not expandable.

Thanks for the responses!

Space, particularly on the iTouch, is the biggest issue. I can only fit 20 or so albums on my 16G Touch along with apps and movie/tv shows. I think I'll copy my AIFFs to AAC 256k and listen in all environments to see if i can hear a difference.

JoelV - good point with headphones, as I listen through my Audio Technica ATH-AD700's through all sources listed above.

If I can't hear the difference, I guess my dilemma goes to Mb9061's point - do I run the risk of re-ripping in the future? Of course, if I rip AIFF, move those to a portable HD and keep the AAC files on the macbook/iTouch I also run the risk of hooking up the HD in a few years to realize that the music is gone anyway....

huge overkill, Itouch dac does not have home hifi quality plus the uncompressed files you are recording are huge so you won't be able to put much on the device..I record at 320 just for the itouch and can put about 225 cds on the device, that's a lot of choice for in the car or on the go.

Just a bit off topic...some of my favorite apps for my iTouch:
Remote
Fieldrunners
Scrabble

If I can't hear the difference, I guess my dilemma goes to Mb9061's point - do I run the risk of re-ripping in the future?

I'd definitely support Mb9061 in his contention that you'd be mighty disappointed in the future to have to rip an entire library all over again. You can always down-rez a rip to a lower rez, but never up-rez (though this can be accomplished, it will not yield better sound IMO and may introduce distortions and or artifacts). Why not rip to a hard drive (cheap) and then down-rez the entire library to a separate folder for use on your iTouch? All that said, if you cannot hear the difference in the files via good headphones then I somehow doubt you will hear the difference on your system (though it is not impossible). It would depend on how resolving a system you have. Try a few comparisons there. Of course that would not take into consideration any future upgrades to that system which may resolve differences to a greater extent.

Go with lossless. Even on an Ipod you can hear the difference between lossless and MP3. Hard drive space is cheap and time is valuable. Do it right the first time.

a little more ditto... with the thought that EAC and some other ripping solutions allow you to rip two versions at the same time. You could then save the .wavs and ALAC encoded files, or rip as ALAC or FLAC and also 320kbps or even 192.

It adds a little to the ripping time

and certainly increases your disk requirements.

But if i thought i was ripping 1 TB of music i certainly wouldn't want to do it again.

and 1 TB of disk at 100$...

geez on this site

...that's like sales tax on a typical purchase

(ya like we pay sales tax :-) )

I just got an itouch today. Someone mentioned to me that there was a way that I could listen to my itunes music on my Mini through my itouch anywhere as long as I have an internet connection on my itouch. Is this true?

I've installed the Remote app and it works great. This is the main reason I got it.

iTouch is a killer apple tv and itunes remote!

Jtwrace

check out:

http://www.simplifymedia.com/

ejlif is right. On my iPod I can definitely tell the difference between apple lossless and mp3. I listen thru Grado SR-125's at home thru a headphone amp or iGrado headphones for the gym.

I do not find that it's too difficult or time consuming to change the music on the iPod since I only have an 8Gb touch. Usually, I create a playlist with Genius and have it select songs for me.

Gerardo