a program to verify original rip bitrate?

[progandblues]

I know I perhaps shouldn't be asking this question here, but I figure if anyone knows it would be you good folks. Anyways... Recently I asked in a different arena about the possibility of a (small) program out there that could verify or "tell" what the original ripping bitrate of a mp3 track was. Reason that I am looking is I'm sick of downloading off p2p something quoted as being 256 or 320 kbps but then really sounding like it was 160 at best. I was directed to try TLH but that program doesn't seem to analyze mp3 this way. Or else I just can't figure it out. Any other suggestions?

[paddington]

You can't really tell, for sure, once it is converted to another format or bitrate.

There are some clues you can look for, like whether the spectrum is hard filtered from 16kHz up (or anywhere in that area.. 18kHz, etc) MP3 codecs will do that as part of the compression scheme. They do not always do that, though. It's an option. You can do MP3 without the lowpass filters, so again, there's no exact way to be sure.

[ameyer17]

It may not be so easy to tell. Even high bitrate MP3 usually has an obvious cutoff at 16 kHz.
And even if you could estimate the actual lowpass frequency, different encoders behave differently.

And it's possible the high bitrate mp3s were encoded by ridiculously old encoders or used stupid settings (or that the music actually sounds kinda like a bad mp3).

[paddington]

echo

echo

[progandblues]

Thanks guys. I guess I will just have to continue to hope for the best.
Cheers.

[Frame313]

I believe dbpoweramp will show the rate at which an MP3 file was encoded.

[DanielG]

I believe dbpoweramp will show the rate at which an MP3 file was encoded.
That's fine, but it's not what the original poster asked about.

If I rip a track from a CD and encode it at 128kbit/sec and then I re-encode the same mp3 to 320kbit/sec, every program will say that the bitrate is 320kbit/sec when in actual fact it's just a bloated 128kbit/sec track.

[paddington]

there's no way to do this with a tool.

[progandblues]

thanks danielG for clarifying. saves me from checking out dbpoweramp. it does sound like I am SOL. too bad there isn't anything to do what I was asking about!