anyone listened to iTunes Plus on high end system?

Abery

You must be using iTunes now since you asked the question-you can test the sound difference yourself.

Just change the Import setting in iTunes Preferences and select AAC Encoder/256k. No need to reimport the test song though.

Then in the main iTunes window. USing a full bit AIFF or WAV song already in your library: Select/highlight a song. From the menu bar, select Advanced > Create AAC version. Viola.

Then compare the two versions.

^
BTW, I hear a difference between AIFF and 256k AAC on my system (see link). I am not sure what you consider "high end"

I recommend that you do the test with a few different types of songs.

cheers, ed

no question that there is an obvious difference between Apple Lossless and AAC

you don't need a real high end system to hear it

I tested a version of Jennifer Warnes' rendition of "Ballad of a Runaway Horse" from the Famous Blue Raincoat recording, comparing a CD burned from an iTunes plus download against the original AIFF CD version of the same release of the same song, and there was not doubt the AIFF had more detail and musical information. This result was noticed on a modest Panasonic Blueray player with digital out to the DAC in a Decca integrated amp and played through Vienna Acoustics Beethoven Baby Grands. Both versions sounded good, the AIFF file on the factory made CD sounded better, with more subtle details of the recording discernible.

How much difference you hear will certainly depend on the DAC you are using - HQ outboard DAC will reveal more of a difference than the DAC on you Computer or iPod. But all components in your system will contribute as resolution increases throughout. I would think that on very high end systems, the difference would be quite striking. The same way a good SACD recording often trumps standard red book versions.

Thanks Knownothing, that was the type of answer I was looking for. I believe my weak link is my speakers. I tried a comparison with a classical piece (cd version compared to itunes plus), there was more dynamics and air on the redbook compared to the cd I burned with the aac file. The first test was "hard rock" which was quite a bit compressed in the first place. It was harder for me to tell a difference. The 256 acc, however, did sound quite good and if I did not have the original CD, would have been quite happy. I hope HD tracks keeps expanding...and hopefully, Apple will have lossless downloads one day.

Note - just in case someone is tracking along - there is a big difference between what Abery is listening to - AAC@256 and what Knownothing is referencing which is AIFF (uncompressed format)

Absolutely no comparison

For what it is worth - it usually doesn't take a remarkably good system to tell the difference between standard iTunes 128kps AAC fiels and iTunes Plus 256kps AAC files. The Plus files usually connect the musical dots better in every way.