What is the Difference Between AAC and MP3?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) are both lossy formats for audio files, designed to compress digital audio by removing "unimportant" bits of information, resulting in smaller files at the expense of sound quality. However, there are some differences between the two formats:
- Sample Frequencies: AAC supports a wider range of sample frequencies (from 8 kHz to 96 kHz) than MP3 (16 kHz to 48 kHz). This allows AAC to more accurately reproduce the original audio files.
- Channels: AAC can support up to 48 channels, while MP3 supports up to two channels in MPEG-1 mode and up to 5.1 channels in MPEG-2 mode. This makes AAC more suitable for multichannel audio and surround sound mixes.
- Bit-rates and Frame Length: AAC uses arbitrary bit-rates and variable frame lengths, while MP3 has a standardized constant bit-rate with a bit reservoir.
- Coding Efficiency: AAC generally achieves better sound quality than MP3 at similar bitrates, especially at lower bitrates (below 128 kbps). AAC uses a pure MDCT (Modified Discrete Cosine Transform), which results in higher coding efficiency and simpler filterbanks compared to MP3's hybrid coding system.
- Compression: AAC files tend to have a more efficient compression algorithm, which is thought to result in higher quality audio. However, the differences in quality become less noticeable at higher bitrates (128 Kbps or higher).
- Compatibility: MP3 is more widely supported by devices and operating systems than AAC. MP3 files can be played on almost any computer or media player, while AAC files are more closely associated with Apple operating systems.
In summary, AAC is generally considered to be a more advanced and efficient format than MP3, offering better sound quality, particularly at lower bitrates. However, MP3 is more widely supported and easier to share across different devices and platforms. The differences in quality between the two formats become less noticeable at higher bitrates.
Comparative Table: AAC vs MP3
AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) and MP3 (MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3) are both lossy formats for audio files, designed to compress digital audio by removing "unimportant" bits of information, resulting in smaller files at the expense of sound quality. However, there are some differences between the two formats:
| Feature | AAC | MP3 |
|---|---|---|
| File Extension | .m4a, .m4b, .m4p, .m4v, .m4r, .3gp, .mp4, .aac | .mp3 |
| Quality | Generally achieves better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates, especially at lower bitrates | Offers lower quality than AAC at the same bitrate |
| Compression | More efficient compression, slightly smaller files compared to MP3 | Less efficient compression, larger files compared to AAC |
| Frequency | Supports more sample frequencies (8 kHz to 96 kHz) than MP3 (16 kHz to 48 kHz) | Supports fewer sample frequencies (16 kHz to 48 kHz) |
| Channels | Supports up to 48 channels, more than MP3's 2 channels | Supports only 2 channels |
| Encoding | Pure MDCT, blocksize of 1024 or 960 samples for stationary signals, blocksize of 128 or 120 samples for transient signals | Hybrid coding, blocksize of 576 samples for stationary signals, blocksize of 192 samples for transient signals |
| Standardized Constant Bit Rate | Yes | No |
While AAC generally offers better sound quality and compression efficiency compared to MP3, MP3 is still more popular and widely used. However, AAC is becoming more popular in streaming and broadcasting services, as well as being used by devices like iPhones, iPods, iPads, and PlayStations.