WAV vs MP3
At a glance
| WAV | MP3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | None | Lossy: some detail is removed |
| Quality | Exactly as recorded | Depends on the bitrate |
| Size of a 4-minute song | About 40 MB (CD quality) | About 4 MB at 128 kbps, 9.6 MB at 320 kbps |
| Best for | Recording, editing, sampling | Listening, sharing, storage |
| Plays on | Nearly everything | Nearly everything |
Quality
WAV holds the audio as it was recorded. MP3 removes the parts of the sound that are least likely to be noticed so the file can be much smaller. At 320 kbps most people cannot tell the difference when listening; at low bitrates the loss becomes easier to hear.
Editing
Every time you save an MP3 it is compressed again, and each round removes a little more. A WAV can be edited and saved repeatedly without that loss, which is why editors and producers prefer it as a working format.
Converting between them
Converting an MP3 to WAV does not restore what the MP3 lost. Converting a WAV to MP3 makes the file much smaller but can't be undone, so keep your original WAV.
Need to convert?
Convert WAV to MP3
Convert WAV to MP3