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.
What is MP3?
An MP3 is a digital audio file that’s compressed so it’s easy to store and transfer. It’s a lossy format, meaning it drops some of the audio’s sound when it’s compressed. Most of this dropped sound is inaudible when you play it back, however. MP3 files can be about one-tenth the size of lossless audio files, making them easy to share, store and play back on most devices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to convert WAV to MP3 online?
- Choose a WAV file from your computer or drag and drop it into Restream’s audio converter.
- Select Convert and the converter will start processing.
- Download your MP3 file when it’s ready.
Will my file lose quality when I convert WAV to MP3?
Depending on which file type you’re starting with, you might lose a little bit of quality when converting to MP3, but it’s such a small amount that it’s not noticeable.
Is MP3 better than WAV?
WAV files are higher-quality than MP3 if they haven’t been compressed. If they have been compressed, then the quality is about the same as MP3. Uncompressed WAV files, however, take up much more space than MP3 files.