Differences between 128 kbps & 320 kbps

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Everyone of us listens music, also we like to hear a high quality music that freshens our mind so that we can complete our work more efficiently with fresh mind. We often see the texts like ‘128 kbps’, ‘190’ kbps’ & ‘320 kbps’ when we visit any ‘mp3’ download site.

 What is kbps? 
Most of us know the answer to this question i.e. ‘Kilo bits per second’. Kbps is a measure of bandwidth (the amount of data that can flow in a given time) on a data transmission medium .  

What is MP3?

In order to get the most out of this ubiquitous format, it's important to understand what an MP3 file is, and what it does to your music.

MP3 is a digital audio codec; that is, it's a method of compressing and decompressing digitized sound. The digital information on a standard audio CD requires about 10 megabytes per minute of music. When a song is ripped from a CD to a computer and converted to an MP3, that same minute of music typically is reduced to about 1 megabyte — a tenth of the original file size.

The MP3 codec shrinks the source file by removing portions of the original signal considered to be essentially inaudible — a technique known as "perceptual coding." MP3 and other codecs are lossy formats of compression. That is, some frequencies are lost in the encoding process, and can't be restored by reconverting the file to its original format.

The bitrate, or average amount of data required per second of music, determines the audio resolution of an MP3. The higher the number of kilobytes per second (kbps), the closer in sound quality the MP3 is to the original source — and the larger the file size.

The MP3 audio format provides lossy data compression. Audio quality improves with increasing bitrate:

·         32 kbit/s – generally acceptable only for speech

·         96 kbit/s – generally used for speech or low-quality streaming

·         128 or 160 kbit/s – mid-range bitrate quality

·         192 kbit/s – medium quality bitrate

·         256 kbit/s – a commonly used high-quality bitrate

·         320 kbit/s – highest level supported by the MP3 standard

128 kbps:

             It is mid-range bitrate quality. 128 kbps MP3 files are generally smaller in size compared to the file size of 320kbps MP3 files. They (128 kbps) remove more of the higher frequencies (>16 kHz) and have slightly more audible compression artifacts.128 kbps means, 128 kilo bits of data is consumed every second to play that audio. 

320 kbps:

It can also be named as high resolution audio as it is the highest level supported by the MP3 standard. It is also known as High Definition audio or HD audio. There is no standard definition for what constitutes high-resolution audio. In general there file size is more as compared to any other bitrate audio media file i.e. 128 kbps or 190 kbps or 256 kbps. They offer highest quality audio media as compared to any other bitrate audio media file. 320 kbps means, 320 kilo bits of data is consumed every second to play that media. 

These are some of the basic differences that can be easily identified by the individuals. Also, there are some quality differences. Bitrate provides a reasonable indicator for sound quality. Although 128 kbps files can be horrible, a lot of 192 kbps files are decent-good...every song is different. Nowadays, a lot of hit songs aren't even mixed and mastered properly, so even the 320 kbps versions don't sound all that good. While some songs were mixed GREAT and polished...so the 192 kbps versions sound decent. But still, when you're in a club with a strong system, you can tell the difference much more than you can through speakers at home or regular headphones...mainly because the bass is similar. The highs on 128 kbps definitely aren't as sharp.

 320 kbps are more superior than 128 kbps. You can clearly identify the difference if you have good to average quality headphones. In addition to this if you ever get chance, try .flac instead of .mp3 . Flac files are real deal. Bit rates much higher up to 1000 kbps even more, the studio quality sound. But you'll need better headphones then.

Conclusion:

Well , we all have our own choices as far as entertainment is concerned. We all love to keep following those choices as far as they do not provide boredom. Its all up to us to prefer the one which suits the most to us.

 Whether 128 kbps or 190 kbps or 320 kbps, choose the one that relaxes your mind. Changes are good , but the option that suits you the most is the best.