Overview: Lossless audio codecs
Lossless audio codecs reconstruct their defined source signal while using format-specific packing and decoding methods.
Lossless coding describes a reconstruction property. It does not specify one container, one channel layout or one output connection. The formats below include music and cinema-oriented uses, so their individual definitions remain important even when exact reconstruction is a shared goal.
Lossless audio compression
Lossless audio compression stores audio efficiently while preserving the encoded source sample values exactly.FLAC
FLAC is an open lossless audio format for preserving integer PCM samples in compressed form.Apple Lossless (ALAC)
Apple Lossless is a lossless codec that preserves supported PCM audio and is commonly stored in M4A files.WavPack
WavPack can compress audio losslessly or use lossy and hybrid modes with an optional correction file.Monkey's Audio (APE)
Monkey's Audio is a lossless audio codec commonly stored in APE files.Dolby TrueHD
Dolby TrueHD is a lossless audio format that can also carry Dolby Atmos information.DTS-HD Master Audio
DTS-HD Master Audio uses lossless extension information to reconstruct the encoded source audio exactly.WMA Lossless
WMA Lossless is the Windows Media Audio variant that preserves encoded source audio data without compression loss.