Many people have DVD and CD players in their home theater setup, but some are not aware that many of these players can play MP3 discs as well. Choosing which format to use can be confusing, so what's the difference? Why do MP3 discs hold so many songs, and why do audiophiles prefer CDs even though they use technology that's over 25 years old? These are commonly asked questions and can be answered through a simple history lesson in CD and MP3 formats. Through a better understanding of how both formats work and how they're used, you can gain the benefit of both technologies.
About CDs
CD stands for "Compact Disc" and has not changed much since 1982. It's an optical disc made of plastic that stores digital information. The standard music CD format (also called "Red Book") contains up to 80 minutes of full, uncompressed songs. It is the highest-quality music source available besides the recently introduced Super Audio CD. CD technology was quickly adapted for computers, using CD-ROMs to store large amounts of data. Later, CD writing drives were introduced that allowed users to create their own music CDs.
About MP3
MP3 is short for "MPEG-3" and stands for a method of audio compression introduced to the computer world in 1994. As desktop computers became more common, a method of storing music was needed. Since ripping an entire music CD to a hard drive used over 600 megabytes of disc space (hard drives were much smaller and more expensive at that time), a compression method was needed. MPEG-3 was groundbreaking when it was introduced, as it achieved a compression of up to 90 percent of the source without sacrificing much quality. This allowed users to store large amounts of music on their computer without worrying about disc space. MP3s can be uncompressed and written to CDs, giving the user flexibility to gain the benefits of both formats.
Common Applications
CDs are played either on a computer CD-ROM or a in a home audio CD or DVD player. Home audio players usually offer higher-quality sound output as their DAC (digital-to-analog) converters are of higher quality than a computer's. High-end audio CD players can cost thousands of dollars and provide extremely smooth and accurate playback.
MP3s are commonly played in computer media players or in portable music devices. In many instances, headphones or computer speakers are used, and the highest-quality audio reproduction is not desired.
Benefits of Each Technology
CDs offer the most pure, direct version of the recorded source and are preferred by audiophiles when seeking to accurately reproduce the performance. MP3s are preferred when the user is storing or transporting a large amount of music, such as on an iPod or other digital music player. Since these songs are compressed, the audio quality is reduced, but most users listen through headphones so this is not as apparent. Listening to MP3s on an expensive stereo system, however, will reveal any artifacts or reduction in quality immediately.
Final Thoughts
The introduction of digital music has not diminished the use of the CD. They are still widely available and offer superior quality to MP3 and other forms of compressed audio. Audiophiles prefer CDs to MP3 for their compatibility and capability for extremely high-quality sound output. However, MP3s offer a huge advantage when archiving, traveling or sharing music files. Use CDs when seeking to impress with the best sound quality, and use MP3s when looking for the most flexibility.
Tags: allowed users, audio players, both formats, compressed audio, digital music
