What is the difference between MP3 and WAV?
WAV is an uncompressed audio format that keeps every detail of the recording but takes about 10 MB per minute at CD quality. MP3 is a compressed format that discards sounds most people cannot hear, making files roughly seven to ten times smaller. Use WAV for editing and MP3 for listening and sharing.
WAV was created by Microsoft and IBM and usually stores raw PCM samples. CD quality audio is 44.1 kHz, 16 bit stereo, which works out to about 10.6 MB per minute.
MP3, short for MPEG-1 Audio Layer III, was standardised in the early 1990s. It uses psychoacoustic models to remove detail that is unlikely to be noticed, and because its patents have expired, it is now free to implement.
If you want smaller files without any loss, FLAC compresses audio perfectly and typically cuts WAV size to about half.
Convert WAV to MP3 →More questions
Which sounds better, MP3 or WAV?
WAV is technically better because nothing is removed. At a good MP3 quality setting most listeners cannot tell them apart.
Can I turn an MP3 back into WAV?
You can convert it, but the detail already removed does not come back. The WAV will be larger without being better.
Related
Last updated 9 October 2026. Published by ARTH, the studio behind ARTH Convert.