yt-dlp -f "bestaudio[ext=webm]" --extract-audio --audio-format opus --recode-video none <YouTube_URL>
While Opus is widely supported on modern devices (Android, macOS, Windows 11, Linux), some players (older car stereos, some smart TVs) may not recognize .opus or .webm . In that case, convert using FFmpeg :
Here is why Opus is superior to MP3 and even AAC: download opus from youtube
(fastest, lossless from source):
If you need to download Opus directly on your phone: It is almost certainly
The downloaded file will be a .opus file.
Before diving into the "how," it is essential to understand the "why." When you stream a video on YouTube, the audio you hear is usually not an MP3 file. It is almost certainly . You get a file that is larger, lower
It is legal to download audio for personal, offline use of content you own or that is copyright-free. It is generally against YouTube's Terms of Service (ToS) to download any content without explicit permission from the uploader.
You get a file that is larger, lower in quality, and full of artifacts (hissing, echoing, tinny treble).
Most people don't realize that YouTube does not store audio as MP3. In fact, YouTube's native audio codec is Opus. When you download a standard 128kbps MP3 from a shady converter, you are actually the audio.