MP3, file format that completely revolutionized the way we listen to music over the past two decades is now considered irrelevant and outdated by anything but the creators themselves. The founders of the format have already completed the patent licensing program. The situation seems pretty much like a goodbye to a widely used audio format widely used in the world after a lasting nearly 24 years. Now, it's time for some other form to take over and sum up in just two, AAC (Advanced Audio Codec) and Flack (free of audio loss codec).
Similar to MP3, an AAC format that uses lossless digital audio compression, it seems to be in a convenient position to replace MP3 instead of FLAC, a completely different format for lossless digital audio compression. With MP3 demise, there can be a better time to learn more about the potential replacement that you can take on the entire audio industry. So, without further ado, let's pit AAC vs MP3 and find out if it’s ready to replace MP3:
Popularity
When it comes to popularity, it does take the genius to realize that MP3 is clearly the winner. In fact, it's one of the most widely used file formats in the world and some of us even go ahead and look at music files as MP3. So, this is the kind of popularity this format has achieved over the past two decades, since the original launch back in 1993.
AAC, The file format is not so close to being as popular as MP3 from now, but it progresses quickly to say at least. A large number of broadcast and broadcast services are currently using the AAC file format, as they are more sound efficient encoding compared to MP3. Developers realized that the format of the beloved file was obsolete and beyond competition, one of the reasons that led to the termination of the license. However, AAC is not a new file format. It has been here for about a decade, being only 4 years smaller to MP3 format. However, the latter has been overwhelmed by popularity and only recently has begun to circulate like crazy, thanks to Apple take advantage of this form in all popular services.
File Size
AAC exits the MP3 file format in this section, as the AAC files are slightly smaller than the MP3 files of the same song. Suppose you have an MP3 file for a song weighing at 10 MB. The same song in the AAC file format will weigh about 8 MB. This may not sound like a big deal when you just take one file into account but we all have a lot of music files on our machines that take up our precious storage space. If you have stored music in the AAC file format, you'll definitely save a good piece of storage space.
Sound Quality
Although the AAC file is smaller than the MP3 equivalent file, it still manages to outperform the MP3 format in terms of overall sound quality, which is the main reason that AAC is considered as a lossless digital audio receiver. The AAC has much more sample frequencies when you pit against MP3. It also handles sound frequencies above 16Hz much better. Similarly, higher encoding efficiency and accuracy for fixed and transient signals respectively makes AAC the best choice of MP3 as a file to go to a file for music files.
Compatibility
Please know the answer already. If not, MP3 file format is the king of compatibility without a doubt, supported by almost every single music player and device capable of playing music.
When it comes to AAC, this is not really the case, as it does not work on some music players and devices, but it gets there. AAC has been widely used by Apple in all popular devices such as iPhones, iPods etc. and iTunes software as well. Now that MP3 is out of date, we are sure that manufacturers and developers will jump onto the AAC wagon and fully support this audio format across all hardware and software.
| Specifications | AAC Format | MP3 Format |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossy | Lossy |
| Extensions | .m4a, .m4b, .m4p, .m4v, .m4r, .3gp, .mp4, .aac | .mp3 |
| Codec | Audio only | Audio only |
| Sound Quality | Better than MP3 | Sub-par when compared to AAC |
| File Size | Slightly smaller than MP3 | Higher and requires more space |
| Popularity | Popular, especially among Apple users | Hugely Popular |
| Compatibility | iPhone, iPod, iPad, iTunes, Groove Music, DivX, PlayStation | Supported by almost every single music player and device |
| Initial Launch | 1997 | 1993 |
AAC vs MP3: AAC Is The Future
So admitted or not, after the demise of the beloved MP3 format, can easily be considered a worthy successor, because it outperform the MP3 format in almost every aspect away from popularity and compatibility, but tables can turn out in the following years. Just give Ack some time, soon will be right at the top, where MP3 used to be. So, are you ready to make a switch to the AAC format for music files or are you just going to stick with MP3 for a little more? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below below.
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