flac file vs mp3 Archives

Placebo effect? Can you distinguish an mp3 320 kbs vs a FLAC?

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Studies have shown that most people can NOT distinguish an mp3 at 323 kbs (That is, with the best quality) from a FLAC file.

MP3 vs FLAC

We all know that in theory an mp3 is a format that discards information to achieve a small size; or, indeed, due to this ability to take up little space on the disk, but sounding very similar to the original wav was what propelled fame to mp3.

The Mp3 is dead.

Dozens of times it has been written about the undeniable advantages of the formats that do not lose information (looseless), it could be thought that people would turn their backs on the mp3.

MP3 vs FLAC

Some have warned that it is not so likely that this will happen, since most of the audio players (for example, those that come from the factory with the cars) play mp3s but not Flac.

Placebo effect?

But others have pointed out that untrained human hatred CANNOT distinguish an mp3 recorded at its highest quality from the FLAC.
For which to show yourself as a lover of FLAC and a fanatic defender of that format, it is more a snobbery full of blah, blah blah and technicalities that ignore that the human ear is not a robot and that in reality most people they cannot distinguish between one and the other.

And we combine the convenience of using mp3s because the devices are designed for mp3 and not for FLAC, together with the fact that in reality most people cannot distinguish one from the other … this should explain that that the mp3 is dead, is more a product of fanaticism than realism.

Also, they forget another problem.

When digital music is recorded it requires using a compressor … which did not happen with music recorded on tape, that is, vinyl.

That is why there is another faction that does not proclaim and sing songs in favor of FLAC but rather the return to vinyl (forgetting all the advantages and comforts of digitization).

In other words, all these discussions seem more like a mixture of snobbery and puritanism than something realistic.

What studies have shown

What we cannot ignore is that undoubtedly 99% of people (including many experts, musicians, etc. who talk hours about bitdepth, bitrate, etc.) can NOT distinguish a WAV, from a FLAC, from an mp3 recorded at qualities superior to 160 kbs.

Personally, we celebrate that all these formats exist and that we are coming to the time where every person can use and love the format of their choice and even defenestrate and even hate other formats and discuss long hours about their technical knowledge.

But yes, it seems that it is basically a placebo effect.

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FLAC versus MP3: Does it make sense to use a “lossless” audio codec?

Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is an audio format that is unknown to the public, but is particularly loved by the most demanding audiophiles: unlike MP3, AAC and their partners, FLAC is lossless, which means that it compresses audio with no loss of information. The advantage is the superior quality and the certainty that a 1: 1 copy of the original can only be made from the files. The disadvantage is that the tracks “weigh” significantly more. Is it a winning engagement or not?

Let’s go to the conclusions

If you have original, rare and / or valuable audio recordings that you want to keep indefinitely for years (even if the original media wear out), FLAC is the optimal choice.

But if you only make it a matter of quality, think twice about it: it might not be worth it.

Never convert from MP3 to FLAC – it would take up extra space for free.

FLAC is … an audio codec

Let’s start with FLAC being an audio codec: that is, it is used to compress music or other sound sequences so that they take up less space than storing the same information directly.

To get an idea of how basic this is, keep in mind that an hour of uncompressed audio (no video) takes 620MB.

FLAC is … “free”

Then there is the word “free” which should be interpreted as “free” and “free”. FLAC is distributed in open source mode (GPL license). This means that its specifications can be used by anyone without paying any commission.

In contrast, there are MP3s that must be used within software and device manufacturers by Thomson Consumer Electronics and the Fraunhofer Society.

FLAC is … lossless

The third aspect concerns the type of compression used. While MP3 and AAC reduce the weight of the file by permanently eliminating frequencies and nuances that are generally unrecognizable to the human ear, FLAC retains every last bit present in the source and then applies only a number of specific optimizations, before the file is saved result in reducing the size on the hard drive. When the file is opened, however, the process is reversed and FLAC returns the original audio perfectly.

The procedure is similar in many ways to that of compressing in zip format: when the file is unpacked, we get the perfectly preserved initial file again. The difference is that FLAC was specially developed for working with audio and significantly reduced the size of the source file.

Lossless = quality + flexibility

Audiophiles complain that the “cuts” in the MP3 codec are too heavy and that the quality is unacceptably affected. In contrast, the performance at FLAC corresponds 100% to the original “master”.

Added to this is the aspect of optimal data storage: FLAC supporters point out that a “ripped” CD in this format can later be recreated from the files themselves and that a bit-by-bit result is achieved that corresponds to the original. However, the same procedure used for MP3 extraction would produce a different, lower quality disc.

The disadvantages: size and compatibility

The disadvantage is that FLAC files in megabytes are much heavier than compressing them with MP3. Although the actual efficiency depends on the sound characteristics of the respective source, an average reduction of 40-50% can be expected: For example, an hour of audio ranges from approximately 600 MB of the uncompressed format to 300 MB in the optimal case

With MP3, compression is much more intensive – the same hour of compressed audio at 160 kbps (or very high quality anyway) is expected to be around 70 MB.

Then there is the compatibility problem: MP3 is natively compatible with any Smart TV, radio, PC, smartphone or media player that is still in circulation. FLAC, on the other hand, can only be played natively on Android, Linux and Windows 10. On the other platforms, if possible, you need to download a dedicated player or convert songs in advance.

Flac vs Mp3, differences

In today’s world, it is important to understand the difference between the different audio files available.

The most common and current files are practically the files in the formats MP3, Flac and WAV.

Is there really a difference between MP3, Flac and WAV files? The answer is absolutely yes.

The difference is in the audio quality that these files can play.

What is the difference between MP3, Flac and Wav files? MP3 files are of lower quality because they are more compact and smaller. Flac files are a kind of compromise. With files in Flac format, it can be of very good quality and remain true to the original, which in any case is compressed by a certain percentage. Finally, there are the WAV files that do not use compression.

Therefore, the quality is better, but the size of these files is quite large, it is not compatible with any device these days.

It may not be easy to understand which audio file to use for your work, especially if you are a beginner in this area.

However, you don’t have to be afraid of it.

Once you’ve learned all the differences between the three audio files, you can really fix the problems by always using the appropriate file.

What are the differences between the categories in detail and when should you use a specific audio file?

Here’s a complete analysis for each audio file format that really helps you understand everything you need to know about MP3, Flac, and WAV files.

What is an MP3 file?
It starts with one of the most common files in the world of information technology, namely the one called MP3.

MP3 files have been around for years, so their development is common.

But what an MP3 file really represents.

Well, a general audio file is a series of numbers obtained by sampling the analog signal.

This scan responds to some parameters, which are the frequency measured in Khz and the resolution expressed in bits.

The MP3 file represents the most compressed form of an audio file, so to speak.

Finally, you need to understand that the MP3 file can remove all unnecessary parts of the digital file from the sequence and the final sampling, taking advantage of some imperfections of the human body to give it a clear and clean melody.

On the other hand, the MP3 file significantly reduces the quality of the sounds played.

In fact, all the different nuances of a certain melody come to the bone.

An MP3 is small if you speak it from the perspective of the memory. You should think of it as a kind of concentrate that gives you a remarkable but not 100% complete end result.

In the most extreme cases, an MP3 file can reduce the original tones and nuances of music or melodies to a percentage of 90%.

However, these formats are widely appreciated and used because they are not only practical and direct, but are now compatible with all technological devices, e.g. B. MP3 players, for which we recommend that you read our guide.

This means you can take them with you at any time and any product you have can read an MP3 file.

What is a flac file?
So at this point you need to understand what a Flac file is.

Well, it should be said that the Flac file has some major differences from its MP3 counterpart.

In fact, a Flac file is much more complex than a regular file and can be reduced by 90%.

First, you need to understand that Flac is actually an acronym that stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec.

It is always a format that is somewhat compressed, but files with this name have a certain property.

In fact, the file is lossless with no loss and maintains higher fidelity than the original sound.

With a Flac file, you have a clearer quality of the audio file, so you can clearly hear some details that can be lost if you use a different audio format.

The limited storage space when using the Flac format is very small and can reach a maximum of 50%.

However, when using such files, you should be aware that their use on the storage hard drive is important.

Not surprisingly, Flac files take up a lot more space than regular MP3s. In some cases, a special reader must be downloaded to read them. Many home theaters and receivers support this compression format.