You can convert MP3 format to Ogg Vorbis format by using splay and mpg123 with oggenc. Although the ogg files I created from MP3's sound good to me, it is important to note that the copy may sound worse because the formats are lossy. Usually ogg files and MP3 files will have similar sizes, but an ogg file created from a MP3 file may have a drastically smaller size. It is a good idea to build ogg files from the original audio source. For further details, be sure to read the cdparanoia manual page.
Every couple seconds one status message overwrote the other.
I used oss which is for the Open Sound System. In this example, I set the DSP soundcard device. Who Made Who oggenc has an option to set the encoding bitrate in kilobits per second. But with my untrained ears, I couldn't notice any difference. Once you have Ogg Vorbis built, it is very easy to use.