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Learn more about audio formats. Lossless format - what is it? High quality music in Lossless format

There are many different audio formats. You can't even imagine how many audio formats there are. Now we will consider only the most popular of them, and if you need comprehensive information, you can find it on Wikipedia.

Audio formats

Sound itself is an analog phenomenon. Before it can be recorded on a computer, it must be digitized. Digitized sound takes up a lot of space. Therefore, special data encoding and compression algorithms are used - codecs. Codecs provide encoding/decoding of audio/video data, as well as compression/decompression of such data. Download a set of codecs for Windows:

The type of media file format (audio or video - it makes no difference) is determined by its extension. For example, MP3 files have the extension .mp3. The codec for this format is always the same - MPEG Layer-3. But for the MP4 format, codecs may be different.

Some formats, such as MP4 and FLV, can contain both video and audio streams. Therefore, if you see a file with the extension .mp4, then you cannot definitely say that it contains only music or only video, or a film - audio and video. After all, initially such formats included the possibility of transmitting both audio and video.

We all know that since information is compressed, it can be lost. Therefore, all codecs can be divided into two groups: with loss of quality and without loss of quality. Don’t let the word “lossy” scare you - as a rule, codecs cut off “extra” information that is indistinguishable to our eyes and ears (virtually indistinguishable).

Codecs that provide compression without loss of quality include:

  • FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec);
  • APE (Monkey's Audio);
  • ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec).

Here are the lossy codecs:

If you are a sound fan, then it makes sense to look for music in FLAG format. For ordinary household listening, the most common MP3 format is quite sufficient. In addition, to experience the difference between MP3 and FLAC formats, you need professional equipment for sound playback; unfortunately, a tablet is not one of such equipment. Therefore, I see no point in downloading music in FLAC format to the tablet.

Now let's briefly look at the audio formats themselves:

  • WAV is the very first (or one of the first) audio formats. Used to store uncompressed audio recordings. One minute of recording in WAV format takes 10 MB. Typically, Audio CDs are copied into this format, and then the resulting WAV files are compressed with an MP3 codec to save space.
  • MP3 (MPEG Layer-3) is the most common audio format. It cuts the sound with a loss of quality, but only the sound that is not heard by the human ear is cut out. As a result, a person does not hear the difference, and the sound takes up less space. The main characteristic of this format is the bitrate. The higher the bitrate, the better the sound quality. An uncompressed Audio CD has a bitrate of 1411.2 Kbps. Maximum sound quality in the case of the MP3 format is achieved at a bitrate of 320 Kbps. Anything below 320 Kbps is of worse quality. The difference between 128 Kbps and 320 Kbps is already noticeable, so if you can download recordings with a higher bitrate, do so.
  • WMA (Windows Media Audio) is a format developed by Microsoft for Windows OS. Microsoft tried to create a replacement for MP3, but, as time has shown, it did not work out.
  • OGG is an open format that supports audio encoding with various codecs. The most commonly used codec in OGG is Vorbis. In terms of compression quality, the format is comparable to MP3, but is less common in terms of support in audio players and players. If you can download music in MP3 and OGG format, you should choose MP3 because your audio player may not support OGG format.
  • AAC is a proprietary audio format that provides better sound quality than MP3. This is currently the best lossy audio encoding algorithm. A file of this format can have the extensions aac, mp4, m4a, m4b, t4p, t4g.
  • FLAC is a lossless compression format. It makes no changes to the audio stream, so the audio encoded with it is identical to the original. Used to listen to sound on high-level sound systems.

Video formats

There are as many different formats and standards for video content as there are audio formats. Let's start with international standards that define the encoding and storage format of a media file:

  • MPEG-1 (Moving Picture Experts Group 1) is a video and audio compression standard. For video, the Video CD format is used, and for audio, the MPEG audio layer 3 format, or the well-known MP3 format for short.
  • MPEG-2 (Moving Picture Experts Group 2) - this standard is used in DVD and DBV digital television. Videos are shot in this format in various video shooting devices.
  • MPEG-3 (Moving Picture Experts Group 3) - this standard was developed for high-definition television HDTV, and has now become part of the MPEG-2 standard.
  • MPEG-4 (Moving Picture Experts Group 4) - this standard is used to compress digital video and audio. Consists of several standards and includes many features of MPEG-1 and MPEG-2. This standard uses various codecs: DivX, Xvid, H.264 (AVC) and others. The MP4 format is one of the specifications of this standard.

A media file (more correctly a media file, not a video file, since the file that we are accustomed to thinking of as a video file contains audio and video streams) has two key characteristics: codec and container type. The codec, as we already know, defines the algorithm for encoding and compressing data. The container type determines the format of the recording using various information: video and audio data, subtitles and other information placed in the container. Examples of video codecs are DivX, Xvid, H.264, Theora. Examples of containers - AVI, QuickTime, 3GP, Ogg, MKV (Matroska).

The most popular media file formats:

  • 3GP - designed for use on mobile phones, in terrestrial networks. Guarantees powerful compression, which allows the format to be used on weak mobile phones.
  • AVI (Audio/Video Interleaved) - developed by Microsoft, one of the most common formats in the world. You can use different codecs in this format.
  • FLV (Flash Video) - created for transmitting video over the Internet. The most common format on the Internet, it is often used on various video hosting sites designed for storing videos. Provides good picture quality at low bitrates.
  • M2TS is a Blu-Ray video file.
  • MKV (Matroska) is a container that can contain video, audio, subtitles, etc. This format can contain various types of subtitles and supports adding multiple audio tracks to a video file.
  • OGG is a free, open format designed to store media content encoded with different codecs.
  • ReadMedia is a format created by RealNetworks. Mainly used for broadcasting television and streaming video on the Internet. Low bitrate and poor picture quality.
  • MOV is a container developed by Apple for QuickTime. This is a format of the Mac OS X operating system.
  • MP4 is a format of one of the MPEG-4 standard specifications. May contain multiple video and audio streams, subtitles, animation, panoramic images.
  • SWF (Shockwave Flash or Small Web Format) is a video format for Flash animation, vector graphics, video and audio on the Internet.
  • WMV (Windows Media Video) - developed by Microsoft. An attempt to create an analogue of MP4, which was also unsuccessful.
  • WebM is an open format proposed by Google as a replacement for the H.264/MPEG4 standard.

I recently received the following letter:

Hello site, MP3 is the most popular audio format, but there are so many others such as AAC, FLAC, OGG and WMA that I'm not really sure which one I should use. What is the difference between them and which one should I use to store my music?

The question is quite popular, I will try to answer it simply but clearly.

We've already talked about the difference between lossless and lossy, but in short, there are two types of audio quality:

  • lossless: FLAC, ALAC, WAV;
  • lossy: MP3, AAC, OGG, WMA.

The lossless format preserves full audio quality, in most cases CD-quality, while the lossy format compresses files to save space (of course, the audio quality is degraded).

Uncompressed data storage formats: FLAC, ALAC, WAV and others

  • WAV and AIFF: Both WAV and AIFF store audio uncompressed, meaning they are exact copies of the original audio. The two formats are essentially the same quality; They just store data a little differently. AIFF is made by Apple, so you may see it more often in Apple products, while WAV is pretty much universal. However, since they are uncompressed, they take up a lot of unnecessary space. If you don't edit audio, you don't need to store audio in these formats.
  • FLAC: Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC) is the most popular lossless audio storage format, making it a good choice. Unlike WAV and AIFF, it compresses the data slightly, so it takes up less space. However, it is considered a format that stores lossless audio, the quality of the music remains the same as the original source, so it is more efficient to use than WAV and AIFF. It is free and open source.
  • Apple Lossless: Also known as ALAC, Apple Lossless is similar to FLAC. This is a lightly compressed format, however, the music will be preserved without loss of quality. Its compression is not as efficient as FLAC, so your files may be a little larger, but it is fully supported by iTunes and iOS (while FLAC is not). So, if you use iTunes and iOS as your main software for listening to music, you will have to use this format.
  • A.P.E.: APE - has the most aggressive compression algorithm for lossless music storage, that is, you will get maximum space savings. Its sound quality is the same as FLAC, ALAC, but there are often compatibility issues. In addition, playing this format puts a much higher load on the processor to decode it, since the data is highly compressed. In general, I would not recommend using this format unless you are limited on available memory and have software compatibility issues.

Compressed audio storage formats: MP3, AAC, OGG and others


If you just want to listen to music here and now, chances are you'll be using a lossy format. They save a ton of memory, leaving you with more room for songs on your portable player, and if high enough, they will be indistinguishable from the original source. Here are the formats you are likely to encounter:

  • MP3: MPEG Audio Layer III, or MP3, is the most common lossy audio storage format. So much so that it has become synonymous with downloadable music. MP3 is not the most efficient format of all, but it is certainly the most well supported, making it the best choice for compressed audio storage.
  • A.A.C.: Advanced Audio Coding, also known as AAC, is similar to MP3, although it is slightly more efficient. This means you can have files that take up less space but have the same sound quality as MP3. The format's best evangelist today is Apple's iTunes, which made AAC so popular that it has become almost as widely known as MP3. I've only had one device in a very long time that couldn't play AAC, and that was a few years ago, so you can safely use this format to store your music.
  • Ogg Vorbis: The Vorbis format, known as Ogg Vorbis due to its use of an Ogg container, is a free alternative to MP3 and AAC. Its main feature is that it is not limited by patents, but you as the end user are not affected at all. In fact, despite its openness and similar quality, it is much less popular than MP3 and AAC, which means that fewer programs support it. Thus, we do not recommend using it to avoid software compatibility issues.
  • WMA: Windows Media Audio is Microsoft's own proprietary format, similar to MP3 or AAC. It doesn't offer any advantages over other formats, and it's also not very well supported outside of the Windows platform. We do not recommend that you rip CDs to this format unless you know for sure that all music will be played on the Windows platform, or on players compatible with this format.

So what should you use?

Now that you understand the difference between each format, which should you use to rip or download music? In general, we recommend using MP3 or AAC. They are compatible with almost every player, and both are indistinguishable from the original, if . Unless you have special needs that dictate otherwise, MP3 and AAC are your best bet.

However, there is something to be said for storing your music in a lossless format like FLAC. While you probably won't notice higher quality, lossless is great for storing music if you plan on converting it to other formats later, since converting a lossy format to another lossy format (such as AAC to MP3) will result in When files appear, they appear to be of noticeably lower quality. Therefore, for archival purposes we recommend FLAC. However, you can use any lossless format, as you can convert between lossless formats without changing the quality of the file.

We'll look at different audio file formats:

WAVE (.wav)- the most widely used audio format. Used in Windows OS to store sound files. It is based on the RIFF (Resource Interchange File Format) format, which allows you to save arbitrary data in a structured form. Various compression methods are used to record audio because audio files are large. The simplest compression method is Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), but it does not provide good enough compression.

AU (.au,.snd)- audio file format used on Sun workstations (.au) and the NeXT operating system (.snd). It became widespread on the Internet, at an early stage of its development it played the role of a standard format for audio information.

MPEG-3 (.mp3)- audio file format, one of the most popular today. Was designed to store sounds other than human speech. Used for digitizing music recordings. Previous versions of the format: MP1 and MP2. When encoding, psychoacoustic compression is used, in which sounds that are poorly perceived by the human ear are removed from the melody. Early versions provide worse compression, but are less demanding on computer resources during playback. The characteristics of the processor directly affect the sound quality - the weaker the processor, the greater the sound distortion.

MIDI (.mid)- digital interface of musical instruments (Musical Instrument Digital Interface). This standard was developed in the early 80s for electronic musical instruments and computers. MIDI defines the exchange of data between music and sound synthesizers from different manufacturers. The MIDI interface is a protocol for transmitting musical notes and melodies. But MIDI data is not digital audio—it's a shortened form of recording music in numerical form. A MIDI file is a sequence of commands that record actions, such as pressing a key on a piano or turning a knob. These commands sent to the MIDI file playback device control the sound, a small MIDI message can cause a sound or sequence of sounds to be played on a musical instrument or synthesizer, so MIDI files take up less volume (audio unit per second) than equivalent digitized files. sound.

MOD (.mod)- a musical format, it stores samples of digitized sound, which can then be used as templates for individual notes. Files in this format begin with a set of sound samples, followed by notes and duration information. Each note is played using one of the sound patterns shown at the beginning. This file is relatively small and has a note-based structure. This makes it easier to edit using programs that simulate traditional music recording. It, unlike a MIDI file, completely defines the sound, which allows it to be played on any computer platform.



IFF (.iff)- Interchange File Format – a format originally developed for the Amiga computer platform. Now also used on compact discs in the form of CD-I. Its structure is very similar to that of the RIFF format.

AIFF (.aiff ) - Audio Interchange File Format - a format for exchanging audio data, used on Silicon Graphics and Mac computer platforms. In many ways it resembles the Wave format, but unlike it allows the use of digitized audio and templates. Many programs can open files in this format.

RealAudio (.ra, .ram)- a format developed for playing sound on the Internet in real time. Developed by Real Networks (www.real.com). The resulting quality, at best, corresponds to a mediocre audio cassette; for high-quality recording of musical works, the use of the mp3 format is more preferable.

4.3. MIDI and digital audio: advantages and disadvantages

The WAVE format is one of many, but far from the only format for recording digital audio. Unlike MIDI data, digital audio data actually represents sound recorded in thousands of units called samples. Digital data represents the amplitude (or loudness) of a sound at discrete points in time. The sound of digital data does not depend on the playback device and therefore their sound is always the same. But you have to pay for this with large volumes of sound files.

MIDI data is to digital data what vector graphics are to raster images. That is, MIDI data is dependent on audio playback devices, but digital data is not. Just as the appearance of vector graphics depends on the printer or monitor screen, the sound of MIDI files depends on the MIDI device used to play them. Likewise, the sound of a melody played on a concert piano will be different from the sound of the same melody played on a regular piano. Digital data, on the other hand, is identical and independent of the playback system. The MIDI standard is in this sense similar to the PostScript standard and allows you to control instruments in a clear language.

Compared to digital audio, MIDI has the following advantages:

§ MIDI files take up less memory, and the size of these files does not affect sound quality. On average, MIDI files are 200 to 1000 times smaller than digital files and therefore occupy a small amount of RAM, disk space, and do not require large CPU resources.

§ In some cases, MIDI files sound better than digital audio files. In this case, the sound source of MIDI files must be of high quality.

§ You can change the length of MIDI files, changing the tempo of the sound while maintaining sound quality and volume. MIDI data can be easily edited, even at the individual note level. You can manipulate small segments of a MIDI song (with millisecond precision), which is not possible with digital audio.

The main disadvantage of a MIDI file stems from its advantages. Since MIDI data is not itself a sound, playback will only be as accurate as the MIDI data playback device that is identical to the device that was used to create the original file. Even the sound of a MIDI instrument according to the General MIDI standard depends on the electronic playback device and the method used. MIDI audio is not used to reproduce speech.

The main advantage of digital audio over MIDI audio is that the quality of digital audio reproduction is always consistent, and this is where MIDI audio is inferior to digital audio. There are two reasons why you should work with digital audio:

§ a wider selection of programs and systems that support digital audio;

§ To prepare and create digital sound elements, no knowledge of music theory is required, which cannot be said about MIDI data.

As a rule, today the term “audio” refers to everything related to sound, be it playback, processing, mixing, mastering or listening to recordings. But few people know that audio formats have constantly undergone many significant changes since their inception, either for the better or for the worse. The trouble is that, compared to the initial formats, the creators of the new formats tried to improve the sound quality, and this invariably affected the size of the played file. Reducing the size, on the contrary, led to a loss of quality. But it was not always so.

The first audio format in computer games

The very first mention of computer sound came from the creation of games, primitive at that time, in which the sound was reproduced through the system speaker. But no matter how hard the developers of such software (software) tried, they could not achieve the required quality, compatible with reel-to-reel or cassette recorders or records.

That is why many manufacturers have started looking for a solution on how to change the audio format so that the sound is natural. Frankly, this led to further competition that we have now. This applies not only to the reproduced material, but also to studio sound, live performances, quality or adjustment of basic parameters in terms of knowledge of physics, acoustics, etc.

The emergence of the WAV format

It is believed that the first full-fledged quality of audio formats was associated with the advent of the .wav file standard and extension (this abbreviation was derived from the English word “wave” or wave). It was precisely he who became the first-born who could be processed in computer programs at a professional level.

Such files already had their own characteristics: sampling frequency, sound depth, bitrate and much more. This sound was compatible even with what could be obtained after processing a regular audio CD using certain tools such as a conventional equalizer. But the size was clearly unjustified. For example, a three-minute track could take from 20 to 50 MB.

CDs

The audio CD format, more precisely the .cda extension, appeared at almost the same time.

Unlike “wave” files saved on the hard drive, it cannot be edited. Today you can open it in an audio processing program, change the format by audio transcoding and save it in any place other than a CD.

MP3 codec

With the advent of the LAME MP3 Encoder codec, the music industry experienced a real shock, because such files “weighed” tens of times less than the same WAV file. Even a five-minute composition with maximum compression rarely exceeds the size of 5-7 MB. Agree, a significant breakthrough, not to mention, made it possible not only to adjust the above characteristics, but also some additional parameters in the form of ID3 tags, which contained information, say, about the artist, the name of the album and tracks, and the release date.

This type has become the most popular. Look, almost the entire Internet is filled with this universal format. In general, we can say that the MP3 audio format has become a real revolution in sound. It remains one of the most popular and most in demand to this day, despite the fact that it is being replaced by other types of audio. But more on that later.

AIFF files

Audio formats have another variety. The so-called .aiff format was originally created for use on Macintosh computer systems.

Only much later did a transformation occur that predetermined the compatibility of sound formats with their use on platforms with different operating systems.

OGG format

Music in audio.ogg format is also quite common. This standard was developed by Vorbis. However, it is worth noting that it has a number of significant disadvantages. Firstly, this is an unjustified load on the computer’s system resources, despite its minimal size. Secondly, the use of your own codecs and decoders, which the system may not automatically install. For example, when working in FL Studio Producer Edition (or XXL) in versions below 9.x.x, there was a folder with an installation file in .inf format, which had to be activated for installation after installing the main application manually (otherwise presets in this format simply would not were lost).

Nevertheless, audio formats of this type are now available, and the sound itself looks very good.

AMR standard

As for this format, it is perhaps one of the most low-grade. Its origin is associated with the advent of the first clumsy mobile phones, which still could not set ringtones in .mp3 format.

At that time, AMR could still replace natural sound with a certain amount of loss of quality. But this quality cannot be compared with what is offered by more “advanced” formats.

MIDI

Oddly enough, MIDI can also be classified as what is commonly called “audio formats”. Although it is generally accepted (and many, in fact, still think so) that the MIDI system is just a set of commands, one can argue with this. The abbreviation MIDI is actually a system for recording and editing certain keystrokes, pitch, tempo, key, effects, etc.

However, there are files with the .mid or .midi extension that can be easily played in modern sequencers or studio recording programs using a standard set of sounds in the GM (General MIDI), GS (which is the same) format from Roland, or XG (Extended MIDI) from Yamaha Corporation. The first two sets contain 128 standard sounds, not counting effects, the third contains almost three times as many.

FLAC

Now we come to one of the most modern and unique formats of our time. Music in FLAC audio format is becoming increasingly common today. This is due to the quality that true music lovers pay attention to first of all.

If you look at it, this format was created on the basis of the already known MP3. But if previously distribution into separate tracks was used, this is not the case in this format (for the time being). The structure consists of one or two files, one of which is informational. Only specialized software audio players can reproduce this format. The most famous can be called AIMP. Only when the main file is opened does a list of tracks recorded in the main container appear. In such a player, switching between tracks is done in the same way as in any other. But there is no chance of accidentally deleting a particular composition (as already mentioned, information about them is contained in a single file).

Format compatibility

Naturally, all audio formats today are compatible with each other. In other words, any standard home DVD player or software player will handle this without difficulty. The same applies to audio processing programs. Semi-professional and professional programs recognize all formats known today (even despite the specifics of operating systems). Audio editors, sequencers, additional modules such as VST, RTAS (for Windows systems) or AU (for Mac OS X) are capable of working with such formats in the so-called cross-platform mode.

Format conversion

There are several ways to change audio. For example, you can open a “native” format and save the file in another. You can do it even simpler. There are special converters for this. In them you can simply load the desired file of the initial format from the list, and then simply select the final one. As they say, just nothing.

Audio Quality Processing

It's another matter when the question concerns changing some frequencies of the source file. You can’t do this without specialized software packages. It is with their help that you can change the quality of audio files. In this case, you can change not only the standard sampling frequency of 44100 Hz, increasing it, say, to 96000 Hz, but also adjust the depth from the same 16 to 24 or 32 bits. And we’re not even talking about the fact that you can also configure the bitrate, that is, the reproducible bandwidth expressed in kilobits per second. The standard value is 128 kbit/sec. The bitrate can be changed at your discretion, but the best sound quality is achieved at around 320 kbps. Of course, not every person is able to perceive the difference between the standard sound and the maximum characteristics. However, it is worth trying once to play an audio track with different data on good equipment. Here the difference will not be long in coming.

Moreover, in addition to all these parameters, you can edit much more. Just look at the use of software equalizers, limiters, compressors, crossovers, normalizers, de-essers, etc., etc. Each such module allows you to customize the sound, as they say, “for yourself.” And absolutely all formats known today can be processed by programs of this type.

Final comparison

Let's try to make some comparison between the formats used (although this is not all that there is in the world of sound).

So! The WAV format, although “heavy”, can still be used as intermediate files during subsequent conversion in some audio reactors. These types of audio file formats are most often present when saving open projects or when recording live instruments in the studio. It is clear that the sequencer will then process the incoming information in the form of an audio stream. And then you can change the format of the audio file or save it as a preset or track as you wish.

Formats like audio CDs are also irrelevant today. If you take AIFF or OGG into account, they are better used in virtual studios. There is no need to talk about the AMR format at all. MIDI is useful only to musicians who know a lot about it.

It is believed that the best audio format today is still FLAC. According to many experts and musicians, it is not just the most “advanced”, but even revolutionary compared to what existed or exists today.

However, it is worth noting that MP3 cannot be discounted, because almost all encoded audio on DVDs or MKV files is in this format. The only difference is in the version of the codec and decoder. But the audio and video industry is not standing still in its development. It is very likely that we will soon see something new.

Often a measure of the quality of a track. There is a lot of debate about what is the best music format. The other day I witnessed a similar dispute. Not virtual, but real. In general, I decided to write an article about audio formats and try to explain in human language which is the best audio format. I will try to avoid abstruse terms and descriptions of characteristics, so as not to once again injure the brains of readers.

I’ll admit right away that I won’t sing praises in honor of any particular audio format, just as I’m not going to “put anyone down”. Let everyone decide for themselves. I won’t go into the “wild” and will go over the most well-known formats of high-quality music.

I believe that these debates are being conducted by people, to put it mildly, who are not knowledgeable about this topic. Because professionals (that is, people who know what they are doing and why they are doing it) will not do this kind of thing. With the current abundance of audio formats, anyone in need will find what they need. Agree, it would look stupid to argue between a tractor driver and a driver about which is better – a tractor or a car. For some purposes - a tractor, for others - a car. It's the same here.

WAV– is rightly considered the highest quality music format. This audio format is uncompressed and lossless. Used when recording and processing sound, this is the highest quality sound, since recording in WAV occurs without compression. Encoded to any other audio format. Well, as a result, it “weighs” quite a lot, so it is used mainly for sound recording.

Lossy audio compression

I’ll start with the well-known and universally used (although not always loved) format MP3. This audio format is actively used anywhere and everywhere, where it is necessary and where it is not necessary. But this does not mean that he is unworthy of the place he occupies in his niche. Very worthy indeed. Although he has been “sitting” in his niche for about two decades, no one has “kicked” him out of there yet. And there were a lot of people who wanted to say something. And the main favorite of them WMA(Windows Media), which was conceived by Microsoft as an alternative to MP3. As a result, it is an alternative, despite the efforts of the developers. Next character - OGG. Despite greater opportunities than MP3, for example, never received widespread recognition. Although it is supported by many operating systems. Perhaps it is worth mentioning the AAC audio format, which was supposed to replace . It has improved encoding quality and reduced compression losses. But... alas.

The main advantage of these formats is their small size. The downside is loss of quality.

Lossless audio compression

FLAC– perhaps the most popular encoding codec and lossless audio format. Music lovers are gradually switching to this format. WavPack gives him worthy competition, but is not so popular. It's the same story with Apple Lossless, in which the size is compressed to 60%.

Here the story is exactly the opposite: the quality is better and the size is larger.

Skeptics argue that it is almost impossible to distinguish by ear MP3(320 kbit/s) from Losless. “If there is no difference, why pay more?” Indeed, it is quite difficult to feel the difference between audio formats using conventional equipment, even for music lovers. But there are also those who immediately feel this difference (I was personally present at the experiment). But when listening on a good device, the difference is huge. The trouble is that not everyone can afford a good device.