W64 vs WV
A detailed comparison of Sony Wave64 and WavPack Audio — file size, quality, compatibility, and which format to choose for your workflow.
Sony Wave64
Audio FilesWave64 (W64) is an extension of the WAV format developed by Sony that breaks the 4 GB file size limit of standard WAV by using 64-bit chunk sizes. It is used in professional audio production for very long or multi-channel recordings.
About W64 filesWavPack Audio
Audio FilesWavPack is an open-source audio codec that offers lossless, lossy, and hybrid compression modes. Its unique hybrid mode creates a lossy file plus a correction file that together reconstruct the original, enabling flexible storage strategies.
About WV filesStrengths Comparison
W64 Strengths
- Unlimited file size (64-bit chunks).
- Professional DAW compatibility.
- Bit-exact lossless.
WV Strengths
- Hybrid lossy/lossless mode.
- Supports DSD, 32-bit float, multichannel.
- Competitive compression vs FLAC.
- Active maintenance since 1998.
Limitations
W64 Limitations
- Less universal than WAV.
- Niche — only matters for very large sessions.
- Competes with RF64.
WV Limitations
- Small ecosystem.
- Hybrid mode complexity.
- Hardware support limited vs FLAC.
Technical Specifications
| Specification | W64 | WV |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | audio/x-w64 | audio/x-wavpack |
| Extension | .w64 | .wv (main), .wvc (correction) |
| Max size | 2^64 bytes | — |
| Relative | RF64 (EBU 64-bit WAV) | — |
| Modes | — | Lossless, Hybrid lossy+correction, 32-bit float |
| License | — | BSD-style |
Typical File Sizes
W64
- 1-hour 24-bit 48 kHz mono ~620 MB
- 48-hour field recording ~30 GB
WV
- 3-min song (CD lossless) 18-24 MB
- 3-min hi-res 24/96 60-90 MB
Ready to convert?
Convert between W64 and WV online, free, and without installing anything. Encrypted upload, automatic deletion after 2 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
W64 (Sony Wave64) is an audio file format used to store sound recordings — music, voice, podcasts, sound effects. The format defines how the audio samples are compressed (or stored raw), what bitrates are supported, and how metadata such as title, artist, album, and cover art is embedded. It is part of the audio files family.
WV (WavPack Audio) is an audio file format used to store sound recordings — music, voice, podcasts, sound effects. The format defines how the audio samples are compressed (or stored raw), what bitrates are supported, and how metadata such as title, artist, album, and cover art is embedded. It is part of the audio files family.
VLC, foobar2000, and the default media players on Windows and macOS handle W64 natively. On mobile, iOS Music and Android media apps vary in their support — popular formats work everywhere; niche ones may need a dedicated app. If playback fails on a device, converting to MP3 or AAC usually solves it.
VLC, foobar2000, and the default media players on Windows and macOS handle WV natively. On mobile, iOS Music and Android media apps vary in their support — popular formats work everywhere; niche ones may need a dedicated app. If playback fails on a device, converting to MP3 or AAC usually solves it.
Upload the W64 to KaijuConverter and pick MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, or any other target. Our FFmpeg pipeline decodes the audio and re-encodes to the target format at sensible default bitrates (VBR ~190 kbps for music, 96 kbps for speech). Metadata and cover art travel with the audio where both formats support them.
W64 can be lossy or lossless depending on the specific variant. Lossy variants (smaller files) discard some audio detail during compression in ways tuned to be inaudible; lossless variants preserve every sample exactly but produce larger files. For distribution, lossy at high bitrate is standard; for archival, lossless wins.