WMA and FLAC explained
WMA is Microsoft's audio format from the Windows Media era. It is functionally obsolete and some older files carry DRM that prevents conversion.
FLAC compresses audio losslessly, typically to about half the size of WAV. Decompressed, it is bit-for-bit identical to the original — the compression is mathematical, not perceptual.
- Where WMA files come from
- Music ripped on Windows in the 2000s.
- Where FLAC is used
- Hi-fi music libraries and archival rips of physical media.