Understanding our audio formats:

Audio quality and fidelity is determined by how much information is packed into the audio file. The more information, or bits, the fuller and richer the sound. When audio files are compressed, they hold less sound, but they download much faster and they take up less space on your computer's hard drive or in your listening device's memory.

Audio Format Sound Quality	AM Radio	FM Radio	MP3-like
File size for 1 hour of audio	3.7 MB	7.2 MB	14.4 MB
Download time per hour of audio on 56k modem	12 min	22 min	44 min
Download time per hour of audio on broadband	1 min	2 min	5 min
Listen to a sample of Angela's Ashes
Listen to a sample of The New York Times