I have ripped about 13 GB worth of music from my CD collection onto my hard drive in mp3 format at 128 kbps. I used Windows Media Player.

Eventually I would like to purchase an mp3 player that would hold all of my songs. I don't need an 80gb ipod (and I don't want an ipod). I think a 8gb flash player would be fine.

Anyways, is it possible to convert my mp3s to a lower rate and thus decrease the space it would take up on the player? If so what is the lowest rate I should go?

Yes, you can. You can do this very easily and for free using a program called dbPoweramp. dBpoweramp

How much to compress depends on the type of music. I would not go too low on classical - it really effects the sound. 128 is the normal "low" setting. 192 is a "mid-range" setting and 320 is the "audiophile" setting. So you see you are already near the low end. You could go as low as 96, but I would not go any lower than than.

Thanks Fred. Unfortunately 3/4 of my music is classical but I will experiment with the program and see how it sounds.