Why does it matter (what difference) does it make when a song file is 192, 124 etc..Kbps?

Question

I have alot of songs going at different kbps. What difference does the "kbps" rate make for the song? Is it the higher the number, the better the quality?

Answer 1

Yes, the higher the number the better the quality. 'Standard' is 128, I like 160 or better myself. It also determines how big the file will be, 128 = about 1 meg per minute of music.

The only time you'll notice a difference is on a high-quality system, like a powerful home unit or car stereo. For mp3 players and the normal stuff, 128 (or better) is fine. Anyting below that is not worth dealing with IMHO.

Answer 2

the more kbps the better the quality
it is kilobits per second and the more there are the better the quality of the song will be
you can't really tell the difference it is not important

Answer 3

On crappy speakers, 128kbit will sound similar to CDs
On average speakers, 192kbit will sound similar to CDs
On professional speakers you will need a higher value, 224kbit or more.

The highest most compressed audio go is 320kbit, which will appear to be cd perfect, but technically it isn't. I can hear the difference of a 192kbit MP3 and a 320kbit MP3 in my car.

Also keep in mind these values apply only to the file type. For example, a 128kbit AAC (iTunes) is equal, to a 192kbit MP3. The reason is, a MP3 is 15yrs old and there are much better formats (aka codecs) now like WMA, OGG and AAC.

Answer 4

Kbps (kilo bytes per second) is the rate at which your song is trasnfering. Just the speed. The higher the number, the faster the song downloads.

Answer 5

Yes, higher number, better quality. It is the amount of information contained in one second of audio play. The lower the amount of info, the less clearly you will hear the original recording.

Answer 6

Yeah... suppose to be better quality and in theory better high frequency. You also have a larger file and possibly one that can't be played on an old slow computer.