Crash wrote:What difference does it all make when the final product will end up as an MP3 in most cases anyway?
The first - Mp3 is a dead destructive format
In addition, mp3 - will further worsen an already poor record. Today, everyone is already downloading flack, or another lossless format. I dont use mp3, nowhere, exclude one russian social network.
The second - just listen the difference between cheap and expensive DAC`s and AD`s selfy, You will be understand real level of detail. mp3 - decoder is just delete some harmonics, to which the human ear is least sensitive and reduce the file size without recover original is possible. But it also will save level of some sound details, in case with expensive DAC. Lossless - not destructive, because its just compress the final file size, but not to delete any harmonics from there, and give You to recover original file. This - is very positive for sound. You will hear big difference!
Cheaper sound interfaces having less effective aliasing filters and more lower-quality analog and digital circuits and their binding. That's why they sound much worse.