There are many audio formats (or codecs) available right now. These are some popular ones.
MP3
This is the most popular, or at least, the most universal format. Every digital audio player worth its salt supports MP3, and every popular audio playback software supports MP3 playback. MP3 is plagued by patent and licensing issues, and as such, the LAME MP3 encoder is only officially distributed in source form.
MP3 is best listened at 96 to 128kbps, and is considered ‘transparent’ at 128kbps or higher. The LAME MP3 Encoder offers the best quality MP3 files.
