2 June 2026 | 5 min read
WAV vs MP3: what you actually hear, and what you actually lose
The honest answer is not that WAV always sounds better. It is that WAV always behaves better.
WAV stores every sample as it was captured. MP3 removes information the encoder predicts you will not notice, then stores what is left far more compactly. Both are useful, at different points in the same project.
Size
A stereo 48 kHz 24 bit WAV runs about 16 MB per minute. The same minute at 320 kbps MP3 is about 2.4 MB. On a feature with hundreds of hours of rushes that difference decides how you ship review copies.
Quality in practice
On a laptop speaker, a 320 kbps MP3 and a WAV are indistinguishable. On a mixing stage, with dense material and after processing, MP3 artefacts become audible: pre-echo on transients, dull cymbals, a slight hollowness on sibilance.
Behaviour in an edit
- MP3 adds a small encoder delay, which can shift sync by a few milliseconds.
- Every re-export of an MP3 re-encodes and stacks new artefacts.
- WAV carries BWF timecode and iXML track names; MP3 does not.
- MP3 tops out at two channels, so no multichannel work.
A simple rule
Work in WAV, deliver in WAV, and use MP3 only for listening copies that nobody will edit. If someone asks for an MP3 of a mix, export it from the WAV master rather than from another MP3.