What is the best file format and codec for audio?

Answer 1

Apple Lossless Format I believe. I think any Lossless format is best for soundquality, as it compresses much less of the original version

Answer^

If anything rip 360 bit rate .MP3 file format. Works with all MP3 players, phones and sounds fairly good. One draw back is file size, however, with Storage space getting cheaper and cheaper no one should worry about file size. Go for quality, your ears will appreciate it.
360 MP3 does not exist. The highest bit rate it can go is 320. Since MP3 is lossy (and the technology dates back to 1980s) it is not a quality sound file.


While 320 MP3 is a decent audio format for a portable player, it is lossy, ergo it is not the best sound quality. Apple Lossless is obviously lossless but the greatest audio format is FLAC, 'free lossless audio codec.' I have OK Computer by Radiohead playing at bit rates of greater than 3000!

^ the best is .wav / 32 bit float / 48.000 khz, whick reaches up to 6144 kbps!!

^FLAC is the best audio format for performance and quality. FLAC is lossless so it will always be as good as the source material. A higher bitrate in mp3 format was either unnecessary or would have been the same if encoded in FLAC.


i would have to disagree with all of you i have tested flac. ogg. wmv ect and i think .ape is better especially over .flac

i still think .ogg is better than .mp3 though!!

^i disagree
.wav is the best audio format. it is a lossless compression which does not lower the quality of the audio like .mp3 might do with very soft or very loud sounds.
.wav is also the format many labels use, so more softwares are available out there to edit and play .wav audio files

the first part i got from my college textbook about audio editing, "a multimedia approach" by Guzdial

Most all of these answers are good, but it depends what you're looking for. All of these formats can have completely different outcomes depending on your Hardware / Software. Audio files such as WAV, FLAC, and AIFF are all very good, but It's capabilities are specified in it's usage. Running Logic Pro on a Mac is completely different than using Ableton or FL on a PC. If you are looking for the HIGHEST POSSIBLE QUALITY ACHIEVABLE, then you might want to look into some of the Application specific files. I guess what I'm saying is, is find what fits your tastes. If you're producing, you can get just about as crazy with things with files size for crystal clear sound as you want, but if you're listening to mainstream audio, I'd go for something very compatible such as the WAV Format.

Answer 2

The most accurate format is uncompressed audio, which can be in the WAV, AIFF or other PCM formats. This is native format used for Digital Audio Workstation software programs. For compressed audio, you need to create a format which can be read by your intended audience. The best compressed formats are the lossless formats like OGG/Vorbis, although not every device can play these formats. The most universal compressed format is MP3, and the best codec is the codec offered by the authors of the format, Frauenhofer.