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Freed At Last From Patents, Does Anyone Still Care About MP3? (hackaday.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/technology@lemmy.world
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[–] 184 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) (4 children)

Considering most music files are MP3, yes it's still cared about. It's easy and small.

You don't need lossless all the time.

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  • [–] 132 points 2 years ago (5 children)

    I would argue that most people never need lossless, because most people don't use speakers/headphones with high enough fidelity to produce any acoustic difference to a high-bitrate MP3 in the first place.

    I used to work with a guy who swore by his FLAC collection, and would listen to it through some $40 Skullcandy earphones. I never understood why.

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  • [–] 98 points 2 years ago

    The main benefit to lossless is for archival purposes. I can transcode to any format (such as on mobile) without generational quality loss.

    And it means if a better lossy format comes out in the future, I can use that without issue.

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  • [+] 25 points 2 years ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 child)
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  • [–] 8 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    Are you sure? From everything I've heard MP3 bitrates at 192 or above are generally considered to be transparent.

    In case you want to do it more scientifically, try ABX testing. It's a bit time consuming but it should provide clearer results.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago

    Not OP, but I promise you that I can hear what sounds like digital water being thrown over the cymbals when listening to mp3 files below 320 kbps. Even then, every now and then I hear that sound here and there across whatever record I’m listening to.

    I don’t experience it when listening to records, CDs, or cassettes.

    My hearing used to be very sensitive. When the whole world was using CRTs, I could tell you who had their tv on just standing outside their house.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 years ago (1 child)

    Most music files may be MP3s, but music files are rare these days. I wouldn't be surprised if most people under 30 have never interacted with a music file at all, they just use streaming services.

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