Are iTunes quality audio as good as 320kbps MP3 files?

Question

If I am right, iTunes is 256kbps AAC files.

If not, then tell me what file extension it actually is

Anyway, are 320kbps MP3 files identical to iTunes audio files? I have grown used to 320kbps MP3s for years, and I know how bad lower bitrate MP3s sound, but I heard that certain audio file types can have the same quality in either smaller sizes / smaller bitrates. Is this true?

Thanks for your answers.

Answer 1

A properly encoded 320Kbps MP3, will be every bit as good as a 256Kbps AAC (M4A) iTunes file. While AAC is a newer format, under most ABX blind listening tests, researchers found that people were unable to distinguish by far and large, the audible differences between AAC and MP3 at bit rates of 192Kbps and above. While AAC is a superior format, The improvement in encoding technology, is almost solely centered at bit rates of 128Kbps and lower.



Google Play has opted to use 320Kbps MP3's over AAC as well, in order to compete with iTunes 256Kbps AAC. Technically a 320Kbps MP3 outperforms AAC at 256Kbps ever so slightly. But the difference is unnoticeable to human ears. (We are talking about minute differences.)



If you are using 320Kbps MP3's, than stick with it. MP3's remain the most compatible lossy audio format today. And if you were to convert your MP3's to AAC, you would actually do more damage to your audio quality.

Answer 2

iTunes is not a media file. It is a music player that reads (plays) media files. iTunes natively supports MP3, AIFF, WAV, MPEG-4, AAC, and Apple Lossless formats.



Apple Lossless (ALAC) is a lossless format, which essentially equates to CD quality. On the other hand, MP3 is a lossy format, which means bits of data are actually removed to conserve space, resulting in theoretically lower audio quality. Some formats do a better job compressing files losslessly (like FLAC), so it is true that certain audio formats can have identical quality in a smaller size. However, mp3 is not one of these: as mp3 files decrease in size, the quality goes out the window.

Answer 3

320kbps Mp3