What Is Lossless Audio Compression? GA S REGULAR Menu Lifewire Tech for Humans Newsletter! Search Close GO Home Theater & Entertainment > Audio 174 174 people found this article helpful

What Is Lossless Audio Compression?

Learn the pros and cons of using lossless formats

By Mark Harris Mark Harris Writer University of Wolverhampton Mark Harris is a former writer for Lifewire who wrote about the digital music scene and streaming music services in an easy to understand, no-nonsense manner. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Audio Speakers Soundbars Stereos & Receivers You might think the word "lossless" is used for audio formats that don't use any compression. However, even lossless audio formats use compression to keep file sizes down to a reasonable level. Lossless formats use compression algorithms that preserve audio data so the audio is exactly the same as the original source. This contrasts with lossy audio formats such as AAC, MP3, and WMA, which compress audio using algorithms that discard data. Audio files are made up of sounds and silences. Lossless formats are able to compress the silences to almost zero space while maintaining all the sound data.

Which Lossless Formats Are Used for Digital Music

Examples of popular lossless formats used for storing music include: FLAC WAV ALAC WMA Lossless

Lossless Formats and Music Quality

If you download a music track in a lossless format from an HD music service, expect high-quality sound. On the other hand, if you convert low-quality music cassettes by digitizing them using a lossless audio format, the quality of the audio won't improve.

Can You Convert From Lossy to Lossless

It's never a good idea to convert from lossy to lossless. A song that has already been compressed using a lossy format will always be that way. If you convert it to a lossless format, you achieve only wasted storage space on your hard drive or mobile device. You can't improve the quality of a lossy song using this method.

Advantages of Using a Lossless Audio Format

Using a lossy format such as MP3 is still the most common method by which people store their music collections. However, there are clear advantages to building a lossless music library.

Perfect Music CD Backups

Ripping to lossless audio files gives you an exact bit-for-bit copy of the original music CD. This means that whatever audio formats come out in the future, you'll always have a perfect copy of the original.

Recover From Loss or Damage

Having your music in a lossless format lets you restore a damaged or lost original CD onto a blank CD.

Convert to Any Format

When music is in a lossless format, convert it to any format and achieve the highest quality that format can support.

Disadvantages of Storing Your Music in a Lossless Format

Not as Compatible

Compared to formats like MP3, lossless formats aren't as well supported on hardware devices such as smartphones and tablets.

More Storage Space Needed

Lossless audio files typically require more storage space than lossily encoded ones.

Final Thoughts

Be aware of trade-offs and compatibility issues when selecting a file format for your audio files. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using a lossless format and make the best choice for your situation. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire WMA File (What It Is and How to Open One) ALAC Audio Format: Is It Better to Use Than AAC? You Have Options for Lossless Audio Ripping M4A File (What It Is and How to Open One) How to Rip Music From CDs Using Windows Media Player 11 What Are MP3 CDs? FLAC File (What It Is & How to Open One) How Audio File Formats Differ and What This Means for Listeners 6 Best Free Audio Converter Software Programs What Is the Best Audio Format for My Portable Device? What Is Hi-Res Audio? The Basics OGG File (What It Is and How to Open One) Monkey's Audio Definition: What is the APE Format? iPhone Audio File Format Compatibility AC3 File (What It Is & How to Open One) What's the Difference Between CBR and VBR Encoding? Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies