# Displayed bitrate accuracy & credibility vs foobar2000 bitrate
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616
**Category:** General Discussion
**Created:** [February 21, 2015, 11:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616 "2015-02-21T11:43:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@swttwkr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/swttwkr)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 11:43am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/1 "2015-02-21T11:43:24Z")
Hi, and ... newbie alert! 🕶
What is the possible reason for different displayed bitrate in MP3TAG v2.66 and foobar2000 v1.3.7? Which one should I trust and what are my options to verify the actual bitrate of a track?
I tend to trust foobar2000, but this is subjective and not based on actual knowledge or expertise. It is weird how some tracks from some albums, supposedly CBR 320kbps (as shown in foobar2000) appear as 160kbps or even lower in MP3TAG. I have converted those albums myself with EAC, therefore it's not like the source of those mp3 files would be questionable.
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 11:59am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/2 "2015-02-21T11:59:15Z")
> [@swttwkr](#):
>
> ... What is the possible reason for different displayed bitrate in MP3TAG v2.66 and foobar2000 v1.3.7? ...
Please provide a small example test file, which demonstrates the situation.
DD.20150221.1359.CET
---
### Author:  [@swttwkr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/swttwkr)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/3 "2015-02-21T12:29:32Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Please provide a small example test file, which demonstrates the situation.
>
> DD.20150221.1359.CET
Sorry, I'm not sure how to do that. Can't upload a whole track due to 200K limit. Any advice?
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 1:04pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/4 "2015-02-21T13:04:34Z")
> [@swttwkr](#):
>
> Sorry, I'm not sure how to do that. Can't upload a whole track due to 200K limit. Any advice?
Use any free file-hoster, like [sendspace.com](http://sendspace.com) or such.
In the meantime read there ...
[http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=296029](http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=296029)
[http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=69450](http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=69450)
[/t/4326/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/4326/1)
[/t/16212/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/16212/1)
[/t/15272/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/15272/1)
DD.20150221.1504.CET
---
### Author:  [@swttwkr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/swttwkr)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/5 "2015-02-21T13:11:00Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Use any free file-hoster, like [sendspace.com](http://sendspace.com) or such.
>
> DD.20150221.1504.CET
## Thanks. Here's one.
PS. I have read up a little on the topic and it may be that different programs use different ways to evaluate and display bitrate. If that's the case here, how does MP3TAG process the data and can it be regarded as more adequate than foobar2000?
---
### Author:  [@ryerman](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ryerman)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 1:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/6 "2015-02-21T13:59:14Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> In the meantime read there ...
> [http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=296029](http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=296029)
Hi DetlevD
VBRfix can be found here: [http://pages.citebite.com/b4i2m2q4w0fve](http://pages.citebite.com/b4i2m2q4w0fve)
It repairs the example file provided.
---
### Author:  [@swttwkr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/swttwkr)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 2:06pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/7 "2015-02-21T14:06:26Z")
> [@ryerman](#):
>
> Hi DetlevD
> VBRfix can be found here: [http://pages.citebite.com/b4i2m2q4w0fve](http://pages.citebite.com/b4i2m2q4w0fve)
> It repairs the example file provided.
Thanks for that tool. There's also a VBR fixer utility in foobar2000, I tried it, but as it appears it was unable to fix my files.
---
### Author:  [@swttwkr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/swttwkr)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 2:07pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/8 "2015-02-21T14:07:49Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> Use any free file-hoster, like [sendspace.com](http://sendspace.com) or such.
>
> In the meantime read there ...
> [http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=296029](http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?t=296029)
> [http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=69450](http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=69450)
> [/t/4326/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/4326/1)
> [/t/16212/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/16212/1)
> [/t/15272/1](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/15272/1)
>
> DD.20150221.1504.CET
Thank you, will do. And sorry, Ich can not Deutsch read. Danke schön anyway.
---
### Author:  [@DetlevD](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/DetlevD)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/9 "2015-02-21T14:49:03Z")
> [@swttwkr](#):
>
> Thank you, will do. And sorry, Ich can not Deutsch read. Danke schön anyway.
> [@swttwkr](#):
>
> ... PS. I have read up a little on the topic and it may be that different programs use different ways to evaluate and display bitrate. If that's the case here, how does MP3TAG process the data and can it be regarded as more adequate than foobar2000?
For the given example file ...
- Foobar displays CBR 320 kbps
- Mp3tag displays CBR 128 kbps
- ffmpeg displays bitrate 320 kb/s.
I have tried the foobar utilities ...
- Fix VBR MP3 Header
- Rebuild MP3 Stream
Both operations did not have any effect regarding the incorrect information by Mp3tag.
I have applied the info tool MP3 Diags 1.2.01 ... which detected ...
a XING header containing the value 128000bps
a MPEG audio stream 320000bps CBR
I suspect the failure depends on the XING header.
The XING header may be introduced by the LAME encoder, ... probably by accident, ...
when applying any parameter, which causes the injection of the XING header for VBR or ABR with the incorrect bitrate.
Probably Mp3tag should detect and differentiate between ...
LAME VBR & ABR ==\> "Xing"
LAME CBR ==\> "Info"
Try out the recommendation by user "ryerman" ... "VBR fix".
DD.20150221.1649.CET
---
### Author:  [@swttwkr](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/swttwkr)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2015, 3:24pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/displayed-bitrate-accuracy-credibility-vs-foobar2000-bitrate/16616/10 "2015-02-21T15:24:15Z")
> [@DetlevD](#):
>
> For the given example file ...
>
> - Foobar displays CBR 320 kbps
> - Mp3tag displays CBR 128 kbps
> - ffmpeg displays bitrate 320 kb/s.
>
> I have tried the foobar utilities ...
>
> - Fix VBR MP3 Header
> - Rebuild MP3 Stream
> Both operations did not have any effect regarding the incorrect information by Mp3tag.
>
> I have applied the info tool MP3 Diags 1.2.01 ... which detected ...
> a XING header containing the value 128000bps
> a MPEG audio stream 320000bps CBR
>
> I suspect the failure depends on the XING header.
> The XING header may be introduced by the LAME encoder, ... probably by accident, ...
> when applying any parameter, which causes the injection of the XING header for VBR or ABR with the incorrect bitrate.
>
> Probably Mp3tag should detect and differentiate between ...
> LAME VBR & ABR ==\> "Xing"
> LAME CBR ==\> "Info"
>
> Try out the recommendation by user "ryerman" ... "VBR fix".
>
> DD.20150221.1649.CET
Yep, I did apply the same tools in foobar2000, to no effect.
OK, I'll see if the vbrfix will fix that. Thanks for your time.