MP3 vs WAV

WAV is technically lossless while MP3 discards audio data, but at 320 kbps MP3, the difference is virtually inaudible on typical speakers. The quality gap is most apparent in professional production contexts on high-end monitoring equipment.

WAV stores raw, uncompressed audio — every sample value is written out in full. A stereo WAV at CD quality requires about 10 MB per minute. MP3 uses psychoacoustic compression to discard inaudible data, achieving the same 1 minute in roughly 1–2.5 MB.

Always record in WAV or another lossless format. Applying lossy compression at the recording stage is irreversible. Convert to MP3 only at the final distribution stage.

WAV is not suitable for streaming due to its very large file sizes. Streaming services transcode all audio to compressed formats like AAC, OGG, or MP3 before delivery.

Yes. Converting WAV to MP3 applies lossy compression that permanently discards audio data. The quality loss is one-way — you cannot recover the original fidelity from the resulting MP3 file.