APE is a lossless compression format for audio (just like FLAC and TTA) and with its’ full name being Monkey’s Audio. As in the case of file data compression (ZIP, RAR and 7z) does not alter the original data, the APE format also leaves the source audio data untouched.
What’s so good about APE?
It has multicore and multithreading support meaning that it utilizes the CPU in a smart way. Those who are keen on saving disk space will be delighted to know that it also has better compressions rates than the other solutions. If you are willing to sacrifice a bit of processing power for valuable disk space, then this is a viable option.
Is it popular?
Yes – it is one of the best available options if you are focused on saving space while retaining quality. With higher compression rate though, it should come as no surprise that the mayor drawback of this format is the more intensive CPU utilization during playback. OSX (now macOS) does not offer built-in APE playback possibility, although there are a few audio players to choose from. A fresh install of macOS does not have a convenient way of playing such files, which brings us to…
Colibri – Native Lossless Audio & Music for your Mac
Colibri represents a simple playback solution while hiding the required complex machinery under the hood. A Mac APE audio and music player that does gapless playback with or without a Cue Sheet. Bit-perfect audio playback, accurate stereo-balance and low power consumption. If the album folder contains cover art then Colibri will happily display it as well – visit the Gallery to see more.
Get Colibri from the Mac AppStore or visit the FAQ if you have any further questions.