What is M4A?
The M4A file is short for MPEG-4 Audio, and not to be confused with MP4 or MP3. Apple developed M4A as a file container for audio media, including songs, audiobooks and podcasts. Compared to MP3s, M4As have better sound quality — but they also have larger file sizes than MP3s. M4A files can only store audio as well, unlike MP4 files which can store audio and video.
To play an M4A file, you can use Apple Music, iTunes, Windows Media Player, VLC and more.
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 M4A to WAV online?
- Choose a M4A 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 M4A 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 M4A?
M4A files are lossy, whereas WAV is lossless, meaning the quality of M4A audio files are a bit lower than WAV. However, if you want your files to take up less space, M4A is better than WAV.