Is m4a a lot better than mp3 ?

[Numanoid]

This mix by u-Ziq of Aphex Twin is only 36.8MB in size, but length is 72 minutes.

So that means it is 64kbps, which in mp3 terms means shitty sound, but it actually sounds as good as a 128kbps mp3 (if not better)

https://www.mixcloud.com/TheVinylFactor ... CE%BC-ziq/

I haven't dealt much with m4a files so far, but if they are this much superior, I think I should.

[stratum]

You can believe your own ears about the subject matter.

[incubus]

4 is better than 3, therefor 4 is better than 3.

On a serious note, I have no idea, but the chances it will become a thing for people wanting something better is pretty much not happening. Once it gets to soundcloud, it's ruined anyways.

[planetearth]

The m4a is a wrapper (like MP4 or MPEG), and it can (though may not always) contain AAC, which is generally considered to be an "Apple codec" (even though it was developed by Sony, Nokia, AT&T and others). Apple was the primary user of this codec for a while, though it seems to be gaining ground now.

AAC is a lossy codec, but it seems to hold up better than MP3, since it's a newer codec and the developers have had time to study MP3 and decide what not to do when determining what can be "thrown out" while still maintaining audio quality.

Even one of the original developers of the MP3 codec has said AAC (which they also helped develop) is more efficient than MP3.

Check out some of these short articles on the issue:
https://www.winxdvd.com/resource/aac-vs-mp3.htm#1 (This shows how much better AAC is at low bit-rates, when compared to MP3.

https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-diff ... a-MP3-file (Below the "related questions" section)

https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-diffe ... AC-and-MP3

http://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2 ... s-creators

Steve