Real Audio is streaming media. So people with 56K modems or slower can hear the audio without downloading the entire file. MP3 files have to be downloaded prior to hearing anything at all which is usually a 30 min (or longer) download on a modem. This is the main reason for websites using Real Audio. While a modem user may click on a Real Audio file which will start playing in 30 secs he will be much less likely to download a MP3 which will take 30 mins to hear a note.

And to enable audio to be streamed that quickly it has to be lower quality to deliver it to the user user realtime. If you compress an MP3 file down to the size that can be downloaded by a modem in 3-4 mins then it would be a very similar quality.

Of course if you have a broadband connection then MP3 files are usually going to be much higher quality and download time is not an issue. It is always nice to see sites that offer music samples in both formats for high speed and low speed connections.



[This message has been edited by Nigel (edited 08-09-2002).]