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Audio

The audio family on Konvert.in describes formats like MP3, WAV, FLAC and AAC and how they compare for size and quality.

Format details

What is Audio?

The audio family covers the formats people encounter when dealing with music, voice recordings and podcasts: MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG and OPUS. On Konvert, this hub explains the differences between lossy and lossless audio, why file sizes vary so much, and how to pick a format for a given use case. Fully in-browser audio conversion tools are future rather than universally live today, so this section focuses on knowledge and choices rather than a specific one-click workflow. Live Konvert tools for this family are not available yet.

Specifications

Typical file size
Roughly 1 MB per minute for a 128 kbps MP3, 2 MB per minute for a 256 kbps AAC, and around 10 MB per minute for CD-quality WAV or FLAC.
Quality
Audio quality is shaped by bitrate, sample rate, bit depth and codec. Lossy formats like MP3, AAC and OPUS discard sound that is unlikely to be heard; at 192–256 kbps most listeners find them transparent. Lossless formats like FLAC and WAV keep every sample, which matters for archival, mastering or heavy editing.
Transparency support
Varies — Not applicable. Transparency is a visual concept and does not apply to audio.
Animation support
Varies — Not applicable. Audio is time-based sound rather than animated media.
Compression type
MP3, AAC, OGG Vorbis and OPUS are lossy. FLAC and ALAC are lossless. WAV and AIFF are typically uncompressed PCM.
Browser support
MP3, AAC and WAV play natively in all major browsers. OGG Vorbis and OPUS are well supported in Chromium and Firefox, and FLAC support has improved but is still less universal in older environments.
Compatibility
MP3 remains the most universally compatible option across devices and software. AAC is standard in Apple's ecosystem and many streaming services. FLAC is preferred by audiophiles and archivists. WAV is common in professional audio software.

Advantages

  • Modern lossy codecs (AAC, OPUS) sound excellent at low bitrates, making files tiny.
  • Lossless formats (FLAC, ALAC) let you archive audio without generation loss.
  • MP3 remains almost universally playable, from car stereos to old phones.
  • Podcasts and voice recordings can be compressed aggressively with little perceived loss.
  • Metadata (tags, cover art, chapters) is well standardized across formats.

Disadvantages

  • Repeatedly re-encoding lossy audio degrades quality each pass.
  • WAV and AIFF files can be very large and awkward to share.
  • In-browser audio processing is CPU intensive for long files.
  • Live Konvert tools for this family are not available yet.
  • Some formats (like OPUS) still fail in older or embedded players.

Common uses

  • Converting music from FLAC or WAV to MP3 or AAC for portable playback.
  • Preparing podcast episodes in a size-friendly format for hosting.
  • Extracting audio from a recording for transcription or editing.
  • Archiving master recordings as FLAC to preserve full quality.
  • Producing OPUS or AAC audio for streaming and voice chat.

Common conversions

  • WAV or FLAC → MP3 or AAC
  • MP3 → WAV for editing (planned, note: cannot recover lost quality)
  • M4A/AAC → MP3 for older players
  • OGG or OPUS → MP3 for compatibility
  • Trimming and re-encoding long recordings

Compression tips

  • Choose the format for the destination first, then pick a bitrate: AAC or OPUS at 128–192 kbps is great for most listening.
  • Use FLAC or WAV only when you truly need lossless — archiving, mastering or heavy editing.
  • Prefer variable bitrate (VBR) over constant bitrate for smaller files at similar quality.
  • For speech and podcasts, mono at 64–96 kbps AAC or OPUS is often plenty.
  • Avoid re-encoding lossy files repeatedly; convert from the highest-quality source you have.

Frequently asked questions