What you should know
MP3 to WAV produces an uncompressed audio file, the format many editing applications, instruments, phone systems and transcription tools expect. The sound is decoded once and for all and stored as 16-bit PCM.
Key point: this conversion does not give the MP3 back the quality it lost. The WAV faithfully reproduces the MP3's sound with no further degradation, but no better.
Strengths
- Accepted by virtually every audio application
- No further degradation of the sound
- Avoids another round of compression during editing
- The source's sample rate is preserved
Limitations to know
- File roughly seven to ten times heavier than the MP3
- No quality gain: the MP3's losses remain
- Metadata (title, cover art) is often lost
- Poorly suited to sharing or listening on the go
When to use it
Convert when software demands WAV: video or audio editing, a sampler, a business voicemail system, a transcription tool. For simple listening or sharing, keep the MP3, which is much lighter.
Quality, size and compatibility
The WAV is stored as 16-bit PCM, audio CD quality. One minute of stereo weighs about 10 MB, against 1.4 MB for a 192 kb/s MP3: size goes up, while perceived quality stays that of the source.
Frequently asked questions
- Does the WAV sound better than the original MP3?
- No. Details removed by MP3 compression cannot be recreated. WAV only prevents any further loss during later processing.
- Why is the file so large?
- WAV stores sound without compression: about 10 MB per minute in stereo. That is what makes it simple for audio software to handle.