>> Does anyone out there know >> exactly what information is lost when converting to >> MP3? > >Basically the mp3-format is reducing the large amount of information in an >audio file, by cutting the parts of the frequence spectrum, which aren't >audible anyway, for example frequencies above 24000 hertz and reducing the >general resolution of an audiofile. This is done by a complex algorhythm >developed by Fraunhofer. [snip] Basically correct. However you probably meant to write 14000 hertz. The highest frequency that could be represented digitally by a samplerate of 44.1 kHz is around 22kHz. 24kHz is too high even for 48kHz. Or in other words: the Nyquist frequency (i.e. the highest possibly represented frequency) is lower than half the samplefrequency. FWIW: most of us here on this list probably can't hear a sinewave at 14kHz anyway. Children can, grownups not (unless they have an exceptional hearing range). Rule of thumb here: the older you are, the lower your highest audible frequency (do I feel old now...;-) Best, Michael PS: This is going OT. For those interested I suggest to search the web for keywords like "audio compression MP3 reduction" etc. -- Vote against SPAM - see http://www.politik-digital.de/spam/ Michael Gerdau email: mgd@... Linux vs. Windows is a no-Win situation. PGP-keys available on request or at public keyserver