Best AAC/m4a encoder?

[evilkat]

Hi guys, I've got a bunch of wav files that I want to encode in AAC, as I slowly transition away from mp3 I did a conversion from a WAV file to m4a last night, using a free utility off the net, but the sounds was quite god-awful

Was wondering what encoders/programs everyone around here used to make their conversions?

Lastly, what programs do you use to manage your music libraries? I was thinking of moving to FLAC or some other lossless format, but the most popular types of programs (iTunes/Zune, etc) don't seem to support FLAC playback....

Are there any lossless formats that are supported by POPULAR library progs?

 

[Hicks]

The AAC/m4a files I create with iTunes sound great, much better than mp3s at the same bitrates.

You can use Apple Lossless for iTunes, but honestly when I convert from FLAC to listen in iTunes on my comp I just leave everything in .wav, of course it takes up a massive amount of HD space, but I have plenty of room myself.

If you want to listen to FLACs on your comp., there's a plug in for winamp that will allow you to do so. Foobar is another media player that supports it, but I've never used it.

 

[Adam]

I also use iTunes to convert to AAC.