WMA vs WV
Ein detaillierter Vergleich von Windows Media Audio und WavPack Audio — Dateigröße, Qualität, Kompatibilität und welches je nach Workflow zu wählen ist.
Windows Media Audio
Audio FilesWMA is a proprietary Microsoft audio format from the Windows Media framework. Once common in the Windows ecosystem, it has been largely replaced by AAC and MP3 for general use.
Über WMA-DateienWavPack 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.
Über WV-DateienVorteilsvergleich
WMA Vorteile
- Good quality at low bitrates (32-64 kbps) — outperformed MP3 in that range.
- Native playback on every Windows version 2000 through 10.
- Lossless variant available (WMA Lossless) for archiving.
- Supports multichannel 5.1 surround audio.
WV Vorteile
- Hybrid lossy/lossless mode.
- Supports DSD, 32-bit float, multichannel.
- Competitive compression vs FLAC.
- Active maintenance since 1998.
Einschränkungen
WMA Einschränkungen
- Proprietary — poor support outside Windows and Windows Media Player.
- DRM variants made files brittle — many purchased tracks became unplayable when stores shut down.
- Ecosystem abandoned — no modern editors, hardware decoders, or streaming services use WMA.
- Windows 11 deprecated Windows Media Player entirely.
WV Einschränkungen
- Small ecosystem.
- Hybrid mode complexity.
- Hardware support limited vs FLAC.
Technische Spezifikationen
| Spezifikation | WMA | WV |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | audio/x-ms-wma | audio/x-wavpack |
| Extension | .wma | .wv (main), .wvc (correction) |
| Container | ASF (Advanced Systems Format) | — |
| Variants | WMA Standard, WMA Pro, WMA Lossless, WMA Voice | — |
| Max bitrate | 768 kbps (WMA Pro) | — |
| Modes | — | Lossless, Hybrid lossy+correction, 32-bit float |
| License | — | BSD-style |
Typische Dateigrößen
WMA
- 3-min song (128 kbps) 3 MB
- 3-min song (Lossless) 25-35 MB
- 1-hour talk (64 kbps) 28 MB
WV
- 3-min song (CD lossless) 18-24 MB
- 3-min hi-res 24/96 60-90 MB
Bereit zum Umwandeln?
Wandle zwischen WMA und WV online um, kostenlos und ohne Installation. Verschlüsselter Upload, automatische Löschung in 60 Minuten.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
WMA (Windows Media 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.
WMA (Windows Media Audio) is an audio formatoo de arquivo used to store sound recordings — music, voice, podcasts, sound effects. The formato defines how the audio samples are comprimido (or stored raw), what bitrates are suportado, e how metadata como title, artist, album, e cover art is embedded. It is part of the audio arquivos family.
VLC, foobar2000, and the default media players on Windows and macOS handle WMA 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, e the default media players no Windows e macOS handle WMA natively. On mobile, iOS Music e Android media apps vary in their support — popular formatoos funcionar everywhere; niche ones may need a dedicated app. If playback fails em um device, convertendo to MP3 ou AAC Geralmente solves it.
Upload the WMA 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.
WMA 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.