What is FLAC?
FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) is an audio coding format developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation. With FLAC files, you can make copies of CDs but at half the size. The biggest advantage FLAC has over MP3 and most other audio media file formats is that it can recreate files as large as 32 bits while reducing the size of the file by up to 70% — without losing quality.
Although FLAC files seem big when compared to other file types that use compression, like MP3 or AAC, they’re actually fairly small when you account for how much data they contain. You can play FLAC files on mobile devices or with media players like VLC and JetAudio.
What is WAV?
WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is an audio file format developed by IBM and Microsoft. It was designed to store digital audio on a personal computer. WAV is a lossless format, meaning it doesn’t compress the analog recording it’s derived from.
Many players and applications support WAV, including Spotify, desktop music players like VLC and mobile players. They’re also supported by most web browsers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to convert FLAC to WAV online?
- Choose a FLAC file from your computer or drag and drop it into Restream’s audio converter.
- Select Convert and the converter will start processing.
- Download your WAV file when it’s ready.
Will my file lose quality when I convert FLAC to WAV?
WAV is a lossless file format, meaning all of the original audio data is preserved when you convert to WAV. However, it also depends on the format of your original file. If you convert from another lossless file, like FLAC, to WAV, you won’t lose quality. If you convert from a lossy format, like MP3, the quality won’t decrease but it won’t improve either.
Is WAV better than FLAC?
Both WAV and FLAC are lossless, but FLAC is more compressed than WAV. The quality is nearly exactly the same between the two file types, but FLAC files take up less space.