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MP3 files are compressed audio formats that became an industry standard due to their small size, which was necessary in the 1990s. This compression results in some loss of sound quality compared to vinyl records, which are closer to how songs would sound in a live scenario. Ryan MaGuire's project 'moDernisT' showcases the sounds that are lost during MP3 compression, highlighting the slight but significant differences in auditory experience between the original recordings and compressed versions.

Listen to what gets lost when an MP3 is made

I was expecting something to convert a FLAC to MP3 + what’s lost but nope. I mean, that’s still interesting to hear, I use Quobuz because of the loss of dynamics and some resonance/reverb in high frequencies. Something you don’t care at all in your car, but that annoys you on a good setup.

That was SUPERB! Really informative article.

It’s mostly the side-channel information that gets removed, I think. That’s why it does not sound aweful at the end. The mid-channel (“mono”) has all the action anyway :)