What is WMA?
WMA (Windows Media Audio) is an audio codec that doesn’t lose sonic details when compressed (known as lossless). WMA files therefore have a higher audio quality than MP3 files, which are lossy. They’re used for voice content and audio recordings primarily and are compatible with most popular multimedia players.
WMA files also have a higher rate of audio compression, so they can retain high quality while taking up less storage space.
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 WMA to WAV online?
- Choose a WMA 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 WMA 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 WMA?
WAV files tend to be large in size and provide high-quality audio for professional audio editing and recording purposes. WMA are a lossy format (meaning they lose some quality during conversion) but have a much smaller file size than WAV, making them ideal for online music streaming and downloading.