What it does
WavPack provides lossless, lossy, and hybrid audio compression. Hybrid mode creates a listening file plus a correction file that together allow lossless restoration.
Lossless mode provides one archival WV file; hybrid mode creates a smaller listening file plus correction data required for full restoration. Hybrid’s two-file output cannot be piped. The tools accept supported uncompressed PCM/DSD, wildcards or file lists, with an output directory for multiple inputs and platform-specific syntax. Re-encoding can replace the source WV unless another destination is selected. Overwrite warnings and temporary-file replacement are default protections that switches can change. BSD source and a C library API are provided.
Strengths
- Offers a hybrid workflow combining a listening file and restoration data.
Watch out for
- Hybrid lossless restoration requires the matching correction file.
Best for
- Audio collections that need both portable listening and restorable source data
Sources
- WavPack Audio Compression (Oct 26, 2026)
- WavPack User Documentation (Oct 26, 2026)