These electronic devices generally support a wide range of audio formats, some of which are compressed and have a loss of quality. Others are somewhat compressed but do not lose quality. Finally, you can also find uncompressed formats with intact quality, but these take up more space. Here is a list of the most common types:
MP3: This is the most typical format. The files are compressed, but they offer good quality if you keep them at a bit rate of 320 Kbps.
WAV: This digital format was developed by Microsoft and IBM without audio compression. Its biggest drawback is that it takes up a lot of space.
FLAC: Free-license audio codec. Its main advantage is that it allows compression without losses, so you don’t sacrifice sound quality. This is why it is a favorite among audiophiles and the star format for hi-res MP3 players. It needs less space than WAV.
AIFF: Audio format developed by Apple Inc. Its quality is excellent because it is not compressed.
OGG: Free and open audio format developed by the Xiph.Org Foundation. It is generally delivered with the Vorbis codec, whose quality is similar to that of MP3. This audio file is used by platforms like Spotify.
ALAC: Format developed by Apple to compete directly with FLAC. It is used by Apple Podcasts and Music. » learn more