What is the difference between MP3 and FLAC files?

Merge offers the highest quality MP3s possible. They are encoded without DRM using the LAME version 3.97 encoder at non-variable rate of 320 kbps. At this quality level, the sound is essentially indistinguishable from a CD.

We also offer FLAC digital music files. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an uncompressed audio format. As such, FLAC files provide a perfect digital copy of a given piece of music.

MP3s eliminate audio data in order to reduce file size. FLAC files are by definition 'lossless' and are a perfect digital copy of the original source material. Because of this, a FLAC audio file is much larger in size than an MP3 file. While FLAC audio is ideal if you listen to your music on a higher-end home stereo, or enjoy close-listening on headphones, it does not have as widespread playback support as the MP3 format.

*Note: FLAC files do not work in iTunes.