Sony Sound Quality Comparison of Hi-Res Audio vs. CD vs. MP3

When comparing bitrate, or the amount of data transferred per second, High-Resolution Audio’s bitrate (9,216 kbps) is nearly seven times higher than that of CDs (1,411 kbps) and almost 29 times higher than that of MP3s (320 kbps). And the higher the bitrate, the more accurately the signal is measured.

Bitrate has a direct impact on sound quality. When an original recording is compressed into an MP3 file, a lot of information is lost. A lower bitrate could translate to a softer bass response or weak-sounding drum cymbals, or it could blur the attack and decay of a plucked guitar string. Imagine the horror of listening to a dulled-down “DARE” by Gorillaz! A lot of the details that artists and mixing engineers work hard to put into a recording are diminished or disappear entirely in an MP3 file.

High-Resolution Audio has the opposite effect. You could listen to one of your favorite recordings in high-resolution that you might have heard hundreds of times and still discover details that you’ve never heard before. That’s because High-Resolution audio formats are compressed in such a way that no audio data is lost. Everyone wins because High-Resolution Audio takes up less space while still delivering high-quality audio. So dust off your copy of “Thriller” by Michael Jackson, buy a High-Resolution Audio version of the song and get ready to rediscover this timeless classic in a whole new way.

There’s no question that CDs sound much better than MP3s. But the real downside of the CD is its lack of portability. And having to search through an extensive CD collection to find the song you want to listen to can be frustrating. High-Resolution Audio offers both quality and convenience.