Now that MP3 is dead....

[tonyr6]

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3196815/mp3-players/mp3-audio-quietly-fades-into-history.html

I wonder if services like Google Play Music would drop that muddy sounding outdated format MP3 for AAC. This is why I have Apple Music the audio quality is so great at 256Kbp AAC. Everytime I try Google Play Music using free trials I have to cancel because the MP3 SQ hurts my ears.

Even when Amazon Music switched to AAC I heard a big difference in SQ.

 

[keysofanxiety]

MP3 isn't dead for bread's sake, it's now patent free so you don't need a licence for it. If anything it's more alive than ever because of this. A universally accepted format is now patent free.

With regards to MP3 sound quality, well, at 320kbps it's honestly tolerable. The perceived quality depends a lot on what you listen to; whether it's compressed music or hugely dynamic orchestral pieces. It also depends on what equipment you use to listen to it. Quality is in the ears of the beholder.

A lot of the MP3s you listen to on streaming services won't really do the MP3 name justice. Plus if I had to pick between the two, I personally much prefer AAC. However I'd wager you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between MP3 320 and AAC 256, providing they were exported and converted appropriately from the source.

 

[Rigby]

Even when Amazon Music switched to AAC I heard a big difference in SQ.

When did Amazon switch to AAC? According to their support page they still sell their music in MP3 format:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201379550

At higher bitrates a well-encoded MP3 can sound just as good as a well-encoded AAC. AAC mainly shows its advantages at lower bitrates.