MP3 vs WAV | Which is Better Audio in 2024

At present, the audio formats are various, such as MP3, AAC, WMA, WAV, FLAC, etc. WAV and MP3, are two popular audio formats. Which audio is better? Also, do you know the differences between WAV and MP3? Here, this post shows you the characteristics of these two audio formats. Meanwhile, an audio converter is introduced to you for this audio conversion. 

MP3 vs WAV, Which is Better for Your Music

MP3 vs. WAV, which is better?

If you want the highest quality and do not care about the file size, choose WAV format. WAV is for audio professionals.

To share and play your audio on multiple platforms, and do not mind the sound lossy, an MP3 audio format will fit for you.

WAV and MP3 are both audio formats, but MP3 format is more popular than WAV. Do you know why? Next, you will get the answer.

About these two audio formats, here list a table to show the difference between MP3 and WAV.

From this table, you can clearly see the differences between these two audio formats. 

MP3 Overview

The MP3 format is also called MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III. It was released in 1993 and then became the most popular audio format in the world. MP3 is designed to reduce the quality of sounds that aren't easy to hear and to compress audio data as efficiently as possible. The high compatibility makes MP3 audio format can be played on plenty of platforms.

Pros:

• It provides a high sound quality while the file size is just 1/10 of the lossless audio.
• It can play in almost all players and devices.
• MP3 takes up less storage space.

Cons:

• When the bit rate is lower than 64kbps, the sound quality of MP3 is poorer than WAV.
• MP3 file format can not perform many sound details at a lower bitrate and higher frequencies.

WAV Overview

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is an audio file format standard developed by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. WAV audio files are uncompressed that meaning WAV files will contain too much sound data. So, WAV files are also known as lossless audio files.

Pros:

• Because of lossless and uncompressed, this type of format has a higher audio quality than MP3.
• It is very simple to edit and process by using third-party software.

Cons:

• The size of the WAV audio format is bigger than MP3.
• The large file size makes the WAV file format is not ideal for uploading online.

Best Format Converting Software

Here you can see two media converters on Windows. Choose one of them as you like. 

Tool 1. EaseUS Video Converter

The first choice is EaseUS Video Converter. It can import the MP3 file into this tool and convert it to a WAV file. You can use this tool on most Windows operating systems. 

It also allows batch conversions. So you can import different media files at the same time. Practically, there will be no losses in the quality during the process. After that, you can save the file on your computer. 

• Convert audio to video files with ease
• Single or batch conversions
• High speed and quality for conversion
• Increase the conversion ability with GPU acceleration
• Deal with different files without compromising quality

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How to convert MP3 file to WAV:

Step 1. Launch this software and click "Audio Converter" on the main interface. Next, hit "Choose Files" to import audio files.

Step 2. Hit the gear icon once the audio is imported. In "More Options" window, hit "Audio" > "WAV". 

Step 3. Finally, choose "Convert All" at the bottom to start it. Once done, find your converted files in the "Finished" tab.

Tool 2. EaseUS Video Editor

Now, you know the MP3 vs WAV, and each one has its advantages. In order to play the WAV file format on many platforms, you need to convert WAV to MP3. So, here comes a powerful software, EaseUS Video Editor.

EaseUS Video Editor is an all-in-one video editing program. Except for the basic video editing function, such as adding music, adding text, and more, this app also has a powerful format conversion function. You can use this app to convert MP3 to MP4, convert WAV to MP3, and so on.

EaseUS Video Editor

Easy & smart video editing software for beginners

• Allow plenty of file formats, such as MP3, etc
• Trim, crop, split, rotate, import, mix video and audio, etc.
• Adjust style, add watermark, zoom, mosaic, speed or slow video/audio.
• Support green screen cutout, PIP, voiceover, speech & text convert

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Features:

• Allow plenty of file formats, such as MP3, etc.
• Convert video to audio easily
• Support 300+ effects and transitions
• Able to add text, filters, music, transitions, elements, overlays to your video

Conclusion

To sum up, this page has introduced MP3 and WAV comparison. Based on your situation, find a suitable audio format. If you need professional, high-quality audio, WAV will fit you. If you need to save more audio files on your device, then the MP3 audio format will be your best choice. Try to use EaseUS Video Converter to make this audio conversion!

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FAQs about MP3 vs WAV

There are some questions about WAV and MP3 audio formats. If you want to know more, keep on reading.

1. Is a WAV file better than MP3?

It is hard to say which audio format is better.

• WAV files are lossless, uncompressed, high-quality music files. WAV files are also the right choice for loops to be processed with Flash for web animations. WAV is better for professionals to use.
• MP3 files are compressed music formats. MP3 files are widely used in web pages, web videos, and the Internet. MP3 is an ideal choice for people who have low requests for sound quality.

2. What are the disadvantages of WAV?

Although these WAV files can copy and save the music, they have high-quality sound. But there are still have a few disadvantages associated, they are:

• It is an uncompressed format WAV format that will take big storage space.
• Due to large sizes, the tracks saved using this format are not ideal for uploading online.

3. Can you hear the difference between WAV and MP3?

For general purpose listening, you may not hear the difference between WAV and MP3 files in terms of audio quality, but it may differ a lot as only fewer WAV files will fit in mobile devices such as mobile phones, tablets, music players, etc.