The WAV audio file is free of any compression, unlike MP3, GSM and other audio formats, which utilize the removal of information from the high and low ends of the audio spectrum to reduce file size. For this reason, the WAV file is the preferred format for recording music and for creating high-definition audio mixes. Being uncompressed also makes WAV files very large and an inconvenient format for casual music listeners.
Though uncompressed, WAV files can be stored at various sample rates and different bit rates. Although the highest sound quality of a WAV file used to be 16-bit, 44,100 kilohertz, advances in digital audio technology now allow for 24-bit audio that can be saved at sample rates up to 192,000 kilohertz.
Due to their rich nature, WAVs are typically the source file used for creating small audio formats.