Most Common Audio Formats And Supported Audio Players

Audio Formats, Best Audio Players, Dealers in India, Address, Contact Number



Do you remember the good old days with MP3 format? You certainly do! But we’ve come a long way from there. With the evolution in time and technology, the world now knows of and uses several new audio formats for different products, apps and settings. So, while organising your digital audio library, you will encounter many of these strangers. 
 
But do not fret. You do not need to dig into a pool of knowledge to find suitable audio formats and supported devices. Instead, we are cutting straight to the chase, making the task easier for you with a list of some most common audio formats and the devices that’ll help you make the most of those.
 
Generally, audio file formats fall under three main categories. Let’s look at each one of them in detail.

Uncompressed Audio Formats

These consist of real sound waves captured and converted into digital formats without processing. Therefore, they tend to be the most accurate but require a lot of disk space. Although there are fewer chances of coming across many audio players using this, let’s glance through the different formats of this category.

Pulse-Code-Modulation (PCM)

It is a digital representation of raw analogue audio signals, sampled and recorded at certain pulses. No compression is involved here; this format is mainly used for CDs and DVDs.

Waveform Audio File Format (WAV)

Developed by IBM and Microsoft in 1991, this format consists of uncompressed audio in PCM format. Its function is to make the design suitable for Windows. 

Audio Interchange File Format (AIFF)

This format is a brainchild of Apple, developed in 1988 for Mac Systems. It is a more suitable, IOS-compatible wrapper for PCM encoding.

Audio Formats With Lossy Compression

Here’s where your audio players come in. Lossy compression refers to a process wherein there is some data loss during the compression process. It is also essential to reduce the file size for storage purposes.

However, when the compression process is done well, there is hardly any noticeable difference in the sound quality. This category includes formats such as:

MP3

One of the most common formats, MP3, is MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3. Since 1933, the format has gained immense popularity and remains intact. The primary purposes of this format are manifold. It focuses on the following:

  • Dropping the sound data that surpasses the hearing range of normal people
  • Reducing the quality of difficult-to-hear sounds
  • Efficient compression of all other audio data
Almost every digital device equipped with audio playback can read MP3 files easily. The format is universal across geographic locations and operating systems. Some most popular audio players compatible with this format are:
 

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC)

Developed in 1997, this format is a successor to the MP3 format but never overtook it. It uses a much more advanced and technical compression algorithm. As a result, on comparing AAC and MP3 at the same bitrates, AAC delivers better sound quality. 
 
While MP3 stands first as a household format, AAC is also widely used today. It is the standard compression method that IOS, Android, iTunes, YouTube and PlayStations use. Some common compatible audio devices are:
 

Windows Media Audio (WMA- Lossy)

First released in 1999, this format has undergone several changes, but the extension stays the same. Microsoft created this proprietary format. 
In terms of compression quality, WMA delivers better output than MP3. 
 
However, not many devices support this format due to its proprietary nature. The ones that do include:

Lossless Compression Audio Formats

The contrary of lossy compression is these formats. As the name suggests, this method reduces the size of an audio file without any loss of data. However, there is a downside too. These are approximately 2x to 5x larger than the same source lossy audio files. Some such formats include:

Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC)

Since its introduction in 2001, this audio format has become one of the most popular lossless formats available. It works incredibly well by compressing up to 60% of audio files with zero data loss. Moreover, the FLAC format is also an open-source, royalty-free audio format. Hence, there is no hassle regarding any intellectual property constraints. 
 
Most major audio devices and programs support this audio format as it is the main alternative to MP3. With the same, one can enjoy the full quality of raw and uncompressed audio with half the storage size for the file. Some supported audio players are:

Apple Lossless Audio Codec

As Apple’s popular proprietary format, ALAC was developed in 2004. Eventually, it became royalty-free and open-source format in 2011. While it delivers good quality output, it is a little less efficient than the FLAC format. 
 
However, Apple Users do not have the liberty to choose because iOS and iTunes both support ALAC and not FLAC. 

Which Audio Format Works Where?

For capturing and editing raw audio, it’s best to use an uncompressed format. Doing so ensures you’re working with the truest possible audio quality. The same can later be exported for conversion to a compressed format. 
 
Secondly, faithful audio representation and music listening requires lossless audio compression. For the same reason, audiophiles always prefer FLAC over MP3. However, it is to be noted that these files call for significant storage space.
 
Opt for lossy audio compression formats in cases where good enough audio quality works just right for you. For most people, the difference is not even noticeable.







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