Reducing MP3 file size for streaming to dial-up users?

I'm having trouble streaming MP3s to dial-up users. I have M3U files pointing to the MP3. They stream fine on broadband but dial-up users are getting a lot of pauses. The MP3s are just voice, and I'm using Lame encoder. I've lowered quality to sample rate 11025 and 24kbps bitrate (that's about as low as I can go before it starts sounding like an AM radio.) It's still pausing a lot. I used RealPlayer until recently and it was always fine for dialup; the MP3s are about the same file size so why are they pausing so much? And is there any other way to reduce the MP3 file size? I really want to stick with MP3 and not deal with RealPlayer anymore.

Reducing MP3 file size for streaming to dial-up users?
MP3 is a compressed format - it's difficult to get a smaller one, .wma aren't smaller.
Reply:Change them to a wma. Its a smaller file. Get something like dbpoweramp converter and resample them and use a lower bitrate.


I meant to ad if you resample the wma at a lower bitrate it will sound better than the mp3 because its a smaller file. If you are just streaming it it doesnt matter if its a wma. Its a widows format and will play on most players. If you want people to be able to download them then have the mp3 on the server too