What is MP3?
A plain-English guide to MP3, lossy compression, bitrate, file size, compatibility, and why encoders such as LAME matter.
Start here when you want definitions, context, and plain-English explanations before diving into comparisons.
Confused by terminology? Start here.
Need a decision? Use Compare.
Need the basics? Visit the Beginner guide.
These pages explain what things are before asking you to choose between them. That makes the whole site easier to use and much less confusing.
Codecs: What is a codec?
Audio quality: What actually matters?
Containers: What is a container format?
Standards: What is THX?
Hi-res: Hi-res audio explained
Playback: What is upsampling? • What is a NOS DAC? • What is a NOS R2R DAC? • Bluetooth audio codecs
Advanced audio: What is DSD?
Production audio: What is DXD?
These pages answer the end-user question: which audio format should I actually use?
A practical guide to AAC, MP3, Opus, bitrate, bandwidth, and playback compatibility.
Why FLAC is usually best for archives, when ALAC makes sense, and when WAV is useful.
AAC for everyday listening, ALAC for lossless Apple libraries, and MP3 for universal compatibility.
These pages explain the building blocks: codecs, containers, formats, and standards.
The simplest starting point: what codecs do, why they matter, and why media files need them.
The most useful terminology page on the site. Start here if you are not sure what each term really means.
A clear explanation of how MP4, MKV, and WebM package audio, video, subtitles, and metadata together.
Understand why THX is not a codec, but a playback and certification standard.
These pages cover bit depth, sample rate, PCM, DSD, DXD, SACD, and the higher-end side of digital audio.
The broad overview: bit depth, sample rate, formats, and whether hi-res audio actually matters in real listening.
A simple-to-advanced guide to sample-rate conversion, smoother playback, DAC filtering, and what upsampling can and cannot improve.
Learn why non-oversampling DACs can sound direct, raw, or era-appropriate for older digital recordings and early electronic music.
A deeper look at resistor-ladder DACs, non-oversampling playback, analogue-like presentation, and how R2R differs from delta-sigma conversion.
An explainer for Direct Stream Digital, the high-frequency 1-bit audio approach used in high-end playback formats. DSD is often discussed alongside DXD because DXD is commonly used for editing and mastering.
A plain-English guide to Digital eXtreme Definition, the ultra-high-resolution PCM format often used when editing and mastering DSD recordings.
A beginner-friendly explanation of FLAC, ALAC, WAV, lossy compression, and what lossless really means.
A plain-English guide to MP3, lossy compression, bitrate, file size, compatibility, and why encoders such as LAME matter.
A focused explanation of the LAME MP3 encoder, VBR settings, 320 kbps MP3, and how encoding software relates to the MP3 format.
A deeper end-user guide to how LAME MP3 works, why it stays compatible, and why encoder improvements did not break old MP3 playback.
Learn how AAC works, why it often lives inside M4A/MP4 containers, and how it relates to streaming, Bluetooth, MP3, and Opus.
A plain-English guide to the modern audio codec used for voice chat, video calls, streaming, low-bitrate audio, and Ogg Opus files.
A practical guide to SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC, wireless compression, iPhone support, Android support, latency, and real-world sound quality.
Understand kbps, file size, streaming quality, and why bitrate matters most for lossy audio.
A beginner-friendly explanation of WAV, PCM, studio workflows, file size, and metadata.
A guide to Super Audio CD, its use of DSD, and why it remains a niche but important audiophile format.
A comparison of the two major digital audio approaches, useful once you understand the basics.
A focused comparison explaining why DSD is mainly a playback/distribution format while DXD is usually a production and editing format.
A practical explanation of bit depth, dynamic range, and whether higher numbers make a real listening difference.
A useful companion page for lossless audio workflows, libraries, and playback compatibility.
A practical guide to choosing between compressed lossless files and uncompressed studio-friendly audio.
Use the Glossary for quick terms and short explanations.
Go to Compare if you already know what you are choosing between.
Start from the Beginner guide and work upward.
These pages answer the practical questions people usually have before they know the codec vocabulary.
Explains lossy conversion, lossless conversion, remuxing, and why bigger files do not automatically mean better quality.
Clarifies why .mp4, .mkv, .m4a, .aac, .wav, and .flac do not all mean the same kind of thing.
Connects file size to bitrate, duration, resolution, frame rate, bit depth, and codec efficiency.
Explains re-encoding, compatibility conversions, Plex-style transcoding, and why quality can drop.
Shows how containers can change without re-encoding when the streams are compatible.
A focused guide to CBR, VBR, and where ABR works well: video audio, audiobooks, and MP3 radio streams.
New pages covering common file types and creator workflows.
44.1 kHz, 48 kHz, 96 kHz, music, video, and hi-res audio explained.
Matroska Video, subtitles, multi-audio files, and the difference between containers and codecs.
The browser-friendly container often used with VP9, AV1, Opus, and Vorbis.
Ogg containers, Vorbis audio, MP3 comparisons, Opus relationships, and game audio use.
Apple-style uncompressed audio, WAV comparisons, and professional audio workflows.
Editing codecs, large files, production handoff, and ProRes vs H.264.
iPhone photos, HEIF, HEVC-related compression, JPEG compatibility, and storage savings.
Start with the codec, container, bitrate, lossy, and lossless pages. Those concepts make the format-specific pages much easier to understand.
Because media files involve several layers. A file extension may describe a container, while the actual audio or video inside may be compressed with a separate codec.
Start with the problem you actually have. If you are choosing music files, begin with MP3, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and bitrate. If you are exporting video, begin with MP4, H.264, H.265, AV1, and containers.
It describes the practical workflow where a format or codec is most common, such as music playback, studio editing, streaming video, archiving, voice calls, or disc-based audio.