SermonAudio.com wrote: 16kbps bitrate MP3s are still very suitable for voice-only quality. There are things you can do to improve the audio quality of even a low bitrate MP3. Take a listen to the following sermon for an example of a well-encoded MP3 which sounds very good even at 16kbps: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?sermonID=6723 There are many reasons why we require the lower 16kbps bitrate for all sermons uploaded to SermonAudio. Not the least of which is that many of our listeners are still on dialup or on mobile phone access and it makes the streaming and downloading experience much better for them.
Well, I listened to the sermon you suggested as an example of a sermon that "sounds very good." I have to disagree with that assessment. It sounds tinny and garbled. I would also offer that while at one point in history the "we need to keep it small for those dial-up listeners" was valid, it is no longer so. In today's Internet world people expect HD video and sermonaudio is skimping and providing 16kbps audio. As for those listeners who have dial-up in 2011, lets face it, they are probably going to want a CD (or tape if those were still available).
My suggestion for happier broadcasters, make 32 or 64 the default without a $10