Post #539865 by Baron von Tiki on Wed, Jun 30, 2010 1:26 AM

On 2007-02-12 08:45, tikiyaki wrote:

As far as 24 bit mp3's are concerned...very interesting point, but isn't there still file compression when making the mp3 ?

I, too, prefer CDs. The art and liner notes are a part of the package and experience of the music. And print-it-yourself inkjet / laser equivalents just don't cut the mustard. Neither do CDs-on-demand.

But, to answer your question: Yes. My sister has a master's degree in Sound Design (i.e. audio engineering). According to her, the big thing with downloadable files is the bit rate (kbps) in which the music file is encoded. Digital audio files do not encode a complete audio signal but rather take samples (measured in kilobytes-per-second or "kbps") from the signal and use mathematical algorithms to fill in the data gaps between samples. The more samples there are, the fewer data errors occur when playing back the file; Fewer errors mean greater fidelity to the original signal.

Bit rate is determined by the audio guys who work with the original signal and has nothing to do with file formats or playback capabilities. Bit rate in a file, once determined, is pretty much fixed and beyond the control of the consumer. A consumer can't add true data from the missing samples, only allow his playback software to extrapolate it.

In short, the greater the number of samples (a higher bit rate) in a file means better sounding music. Unfortunately, a greater number of samples also means a larger file. Even more unfortunate is that most online music stores encode files at a lower bit rate (128kbps to 192kbps) in order to make downloads faster and, thus, cheaper to deliver. (Near-CD quality is 320kbps or better). This is why music from most consumer download sources sound worse than CDs.

And this is why I prefer buying CDs to buying file downloads.