Music is something that is enjoyed by almost everyone. It is a language that everyone understands, all around the globe. People like to listen to music in their free time or when they are stressed or happy. There are various ways to listen to music. Some of them are attending concerts. How most people listen to music is through an Audio CD or MP3 CD.
Audio CD and MP3 CD are two of the most common ways to listen to anything. Though most people often think of them as the same things, it is not true. Both Audio CD and MP3 CD have different characteristics and features.
Audio CD vs MP3 CD
The main difference between Audio CD and MP3 CD is that Audio CDs are stored in the media at a bit range of 1411 bits per second. An Audio CD can store around 15 to 20 songs. On the other hand, MP3 CDs are stored at a bit rates of around 64 to 256 bits per second. An MP3 CD can store hundreds of songs.
Comparison Table Between Audio CD and MP3 CD
| Parameter of Comparison | Audio CD | MP3 CD |
|---|---|---|
| Bit range | The bit range at which Audio CDs are stored at is 1411 bits per second. | The bit range at which MP3 CDs are stored at is around 64 to 256 bits per second. |
| Maximum length | Audio CDs have a maximum length of 74 minutes. | MP3 CDs have a maximum length of 4 to 12 hours. |
| Quality | The sound quality of Audio CDs is high because of its uncompressed format. | The sound quality of MP3 CDs is not very high because a lot of data is lost due to compression. |
| Origin | Audio CDs are one of the oldest methods to listen to the audio. | MP3 CDs are comparatively newer methods to listen to the audio. |
| Uses | The most common use of Audio CDs is to listen to music. | The most common uses if MP3 CDs are for games, music, videos or antivirus suites. |
| Players | All players can play Audio CDs. | Though a lot of devices can play MP3 CDs but not all players can play it. |
What is Audio CD?
Audio CDs are the most commonly used physical mediums used for listening to audio. It is a popular term which is used in scenarios where various kinds of discs are included in a product and it has not been specified what content form will be taken into consideration.
These are various cases where an Audio CD can be used, like to play music while going on a drive. Audio CDs are independent tools. They are basically a particular kind of CD. However, they only contain audio and not videos or any such programs or data.
The sound quality of Audio CDs is very high. This is because Audio CDs do not compress any data. This is one of the main reasons that Audio CDs have been used as the standard medium in portable music formats since ages. Audio CDs have primarily been the first format in which music was encoded. Almost all players support Audio CDs. this is mainly because of the simple format of Audio CDs.
What is MP3 CD?
In simple words, MP3 CD is a term for digital objects that have data in them. They exist in a file format. MP3 CDs can be read by a program. These could then be converted into music or any other kind of sound. In today’s date, MP3 CDs are the most commonly used medium to listen to any kind of audio.
This is because MP3 CDs are compatible with various programs. Size efficiency is another reason for the popularity of MP3 CDs. MP3 CDs can store hundreds of songs. The maximum length of MP3 CDs is around 4 to 12 hours. In order to make this happen, a lot of data has to be compressed so that the file size can be reduced. This also leads to low sound quality. Also, the hardware required to operate MP3 CDs is a little complex.
MP3 CDs have become very popular in the last couple of years. However, Audio CDs still tend to remain the most popular mediums for listening to music. This is also because of the reason that a lot of players still do not support MP3 CDs. Also because of the fact that MP3 players act as storage media themselves, it has become less popular to find MP3 CDs.
Main Differences Between Audio CD and MP3 CD
- The maximum length of an Audio CD is 74 minutes. On the other hand, the maximum length of an MP3 CD is 4 to 12 hours.
- Audio CDs have been used for a long time as a medium to listen to music, while on the other, MP3 CDs are not as old as Audio CDs. They are relatively one of the newer mediums of listening to music.
- The bit range of storing Audio CDs is 1411 bits per second while on the other hand, the bit range of storing MP3 CDs is 64 to 256 bits per second.
- Audio CDs have a better sound quality because of the fact that no data is compressed. On the other hand, MP3 CDs have a low sound quality because most of the data is lost in compressing.
- The maximum number of songs that an Audio CD can store are 15 to 20 songs while on the other hand, the maximum number of songs that an MP3 CD can store are hundreds of songs.
- Audio CDs are supported by all players, while on the other hand MP3 CDs are not supported by all players.
Conclusion
Audio CDs and MP3 CDs are the most commonly used methods of listening to audio. Since the function of both of these is similar, many people tend to often use these words interchangeably.
However, there is a major difference between these two. Audio CDs have a maximum length of 74 mins while on the other hand, MP3 CDs have a maximum length of 4 to 12 hours.
References
- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/769875/
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=dNZ2anC6jmIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=Audio+CD+and+MP3+CD&ots=mpMcgmQvpE&sig=y2eyrpwhb2nvA81Q2JI_Rd4pN-w