WAV vs FLAC
FLAC and WAV hold exactly the same sound; FLAC is about half the size and carries proper tags. Use FLAC to store and share lossless audio, and WAV when an editor, sampler or old device insists on it.
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Choose WAV when
- Importing into a DAW, sampler or broadcast system that expects uncompressed PCM.
- Hardware that plays WAV and nothing else.
- Short sound effects, where decoding speed matters more than size.
Choose FLAC when
- A lossless music library, at roughly half the space.
- Anything you want artist, album and cover art on; WAV tags are patchy.
- Sending lossless audio to someone, where half the size is half the wait.
What WAV actually is
A WAV file normally holds uncompressed samples exactly as they were recorded: about 10 MB per minute of CD-quality stereo. There is no decoding step, no quality loss, and no ambiguity, which is why it is the working format in recording and editing.
Converting an MP3 to WAV makes the file ten times larger without recovering anything. The detail the MP3 discarded is gone.
What FLAC actually is
FLAC compresses audio without discarding a single sample: decoding it returns exactly the bits that went in, typically at half to two-thirds the size of the equivalent WAV. It is the standard for music archives, high resolution downloads and CD ripping.
Converting an MP3 to FLAC produces a large file that sounds exactly like the MP3. Lossless compression preserves what it is given, including the damage.
WAV and FLAC side by side
| WAV | FLAC | |
|---|---|---|
| Extension | .wav | .flac |
| Media type | audio/wav | audio/flac |
| Inside the file | uncompressed PCM | FLAC |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| One minute of stereo | about 10 MB | 5 to 7 MB |
| Plays on | every editor, DAW and operating system | VLC, Android, Windows 10 and later, and recent Macs |
| We can write it | Yes | Yes |
Questions
Does converting WAV to FLAC lose quality?
No. FLAC is lossless: decoding it gives back exactly the samples that went in, every time.
Is FLAC better than WAV?
For storage, yes: the same sound in half the space, with tags. For editing they are identical, and some tools only open WAV.