Hello,

I am using MusicMatch to rip my CDs. The compression settings are set to 'Custom' anywhere between 55% - 80% depending on the quality and value of the original source. I am very happy with the results i'm getting. To my ears, it is just as good as DBpowerAmp's LAME converter and AAC converter. MusicMatch is just a lot faster.

Anyway, what i DON'T like with VBR is the iPod doesn't display the total time for each track correctly. For example, If I have a 7 minute song, it will be displayed as a 34 minute song. And it varies from track to track. Sometimes it is accurate, and sometimes it is WAAAY off.

This wouldn't bother me much if i didn't care about the time remaing for each track...but i do. I like to entertain others with my iPod, so in order to keep the poplular music flowing, i would like to know how much time is remaining for each track so i can predict what track to play next, and how soon the song will end.

Another BIG downside to VBR, is that sometimes the song would end prematurely. I thought it was a bad rip, but if i play the track again, it would play normally. So i KNOW that all the bits are there, the iPod would just end the song.

Anyway, the iPod is not the only player that i have had problems with VBR with. I had a RioVolt CD/Mp3 player that would also misinterprit the time. Even Windows Media player and winamp foul up the time too.

I'm thinking the problem stems from the VBR encoding. Maybe all playback converters judge the time incorrectly with VBR...hence why the time is so "variable".

Is this a problem that can be fixed? Or do i have to go back to CBR? I don't mind going back to CBR because my ear can't tell a big difference between 128Kbs to 190Kbs.