Lossless Audio?

[WhiteRose]

Sorry, you're probably all sick of me constantly asking questions, but I'd like your opinions on something.

I've recently discovered lossless audio, and quite like it; I can tell the quality difference between a 24-bit FLAC file and the 128-kbps MP3s that comprise most of my music library. However, I've run into a couple problems:

• The media player I use is WMP. Yes, it might not have all of the features of some of the nicer ones, but it's already installed on my OS, integrates nicely in Windows 7, and has an easily organizable library, so if possible, I'd like to stick to using it. However, I would have to install additional codecs in order to play FLAC files, and even more in order to sort by tags correctly, which is a necessity for me (because I'm a little OCD like that sometimes.) As is hopefully understandable, I'm trying to avoid filling up my new computer with a whole slew of downloaded files, so I'm trying to keep codec installations to a minimum. Probably the best solution would be to convert the files to lossless WMA, but I can't find anything that will do this for me. (Well, not anything free, anyway.) Any recommendations?
  
• The file space consumption is HUEG LIKE XBOX!!!1! Seriously, it takes about ten times the space to store FLAC files as opposed to MP3s. >.< I'm not sure it's worth it. I currently have about 200GB on my hard drive free and another drive bay available on my laptop, so space isn't that much of an issue, but a library full of lossless audio would certainly add up quickly. I know this is more of an opinion question, as it's personal preference, really, but I'd like to hear your opinions.
  
• .... There was going to be a third thing, but now I've forgotten what it was. I guess that's what I get for posting past midnight.
  
  So, to sum the post up, I'd like to ask: is, in your opinion, the extra hassle and file size worth the added audio quality when it comes to storing and playing lossless audio files? I'd like to have some input on this, so please reply. Also, this post may not be completely coherent, as I am up much later than usual, so pardon any mistakes I may have made.

[Diokatsu]

Use 320kbps mp3s. I think they've got a good enough audio quality to listen to and they're not absurdly space consuming.

[Blizzard]

320kbps mp3 is mathematically lossless. IMO 192kbps is fine, but you can use 256kbps if it's not enough.

[Diokatsu]

320kbps mp3 is mathematically lossless. IMO 192kbps is fine, but you can use 256kbps if it's not enough.

For some reason they don't seem to take up as much space, although I might be wrong. Anyways, 192 is pretty good.

[Subsonic_Noise]

Well, the thing is, even if there would be a audible difference between lossless and 320 (most of the time, there isn't, unless you have a very bad compressor), you probably would even really hear the difference anyways on mainstream audio hardware. Besides, as far as I'm concerned, the usual downmix bitrate is 192.
So, lossless audio is, most of the time, a waste of harddrive place, unless you want to work with the audio files, like when you are a DJ.
I myself use aac (no clue why, kinda got used to it) with 320 and am happy with it.

[Blizzard]

I used to do mixdowns on 128, but I've switched a few years ago to 320 since it's supposed to be professional after all.

[WhiteRose]

Alright, thanks for your input, everyone. I guess I'll start using 320kbps MP3s. Does anyone know of a good converter that can convert FLAC files to said format?

[Subsonic_Noise]

I used to do mixdowns on 128, but I've switched a few years ago to 320 since it's supposed to be professional after all.

Well, an audio engineer told me once that many professional producers do the final mixdown in 192. I myself do it in 320, too.
Also, there is a converter called "S.U.P.E.R." which converts about every format to every other format. I dunno about the quality, though.

[Blizzard]

I've talked with a professional the other day and he also makes electronic music and mixes down to 320 kbps.

@WhiteRose: "Easy CD-DA Extractor" always did it for me.

[WhiteRose]

I've talked with a professional the other day and he also makes electronic music and mixes down to 320 kbps.

@WhiteRose: "Easy CD-DA Extractor" always did it for me.

Thanks Blizz. I'll look it up.