CAF vs WAV
Ein detaillierter Vergleich von Apple Core Audio und WAV Audio — Dateigröße, Qualität, Kompatibilität und welches je nach Workflow zu wählen ist.
Apple Core Audio
Audio FilesCAF (Core Audio Format) is Apple audio container supporting any codec.
Über CAF-DateienWAV Audio
Audio FilesWAV is an uncompressed audio format that preserves full audio fidelity. Files are large but provide lossless, CD-quality sound. It is the standard working format in audio production and editing.
Über WAV-DateienVorteilsvergleich
CAF Vorteile
- Unlimited file size (64-bit offsets).
- Can hold any Core Audio codec (PCM, ALAC, AAC, etc.).
- Native Apple ecosystem support.
- Rich annotation and metadata capabilities.
WAV Vorteile
- Bit-perfect, uncompressed audio — the professional studio standard.
- Universally supported for playback, editing, and analysis.
- No re-encoding penalty — edit and save repeatedly with zero quality loss.
- Simple internal structure — easy to parse programmatically.
- Supports up to 32-bit float and 384 kHz sample rates.
Einschränkungen
CAF Einschränkungen
- macOS/iOS-centric — limited non-Apple tool support.
- Not a delivery format — exists for workflow, not consumption.
- Proprietary but documented.
- No broad industry adoption; WAV / BWF dominate interchange.
WAV Einschränkungen
- Enormous file sizes — 10 MB per minute for CD-quality stereo.
- 4 GB size limit for standard WAV (RF64/W64 variants extend it but break compatibility).
- No native support for cover art or rich metadata.
- Impractical for casual listening or bandwidth-constrained delivery.
Technische Spezifikationen
| Spezifikation | CAF | WAV |
|---|---|---|
| MIME type | audio/x-caf | audio/wav |
| Extension | .caf | — |
| Container | Chunked, 64-bit sizes | RIFF |
| Codecs | PCM, ALAC, AAC, IMA ADPCM, µ-law, Opus, FLAC | — |
| Max size | 2^64 bytes (effectively unlimited) | 4 GB (standard WAV), unlimited (RF64 / W64) |
| Typical codec | — | PCM (uncompressed) |
| Bit depth | — | 8, 16, 24, 32 bit integer or float |
| Sample rate | — | Up to 384 kHz |
Typische Dateigrößen
CAF
- iOS app sound effect (short) 10-200 KB
- 1 hour Logic Pro track (24-bit 48 kHz) ~620 MB
- Multi-track session (10 hours, 32 tracks) 100+ GB
WAV
- Song (4 min, CD quality) 40 MB
- Voice memo (1 min, 16-bit 44.1 kHz) 10 MB
- Studio master (1 min, 24-bit 96 kHz) 33 MB
- Field recording (1 hour, 24-bit 48 kHz) 1 GB
Bereit zum Umwandeln?
Wandle zwischen CAF und WAV online um, kostenlos und ohne Installation. Verschlüsselter Upload, automatische Löschung in 60 Minuten.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
CAF (Apple Core Audio) is an audio file format used to store sound recordings — music, voice, podcasts, sound effects. The format defines how the audio samples are compressed (or stored raw), what bitrates are supported, and how metadata such as title, artist, album, and cover art is embedded. It is part of the audio files family.
CAF (Apple Core Audio) is an audio formatoo de arquivo used to store sound recordings — music, voice, podcasts, sound effects. The formato defines how the audio samples are comprimido (or stored raw), what bitrates are suportado, e how metadata como title, artist, album, e cover art is embedded. It is part of the audio arquivos family.
VLC, foobar2000, and the default media players on Windows and macOS handle CAF natively. On mobile, iOS Music and Android media apps vary in their support — popular formats work everywhere; niche ones may need a dedicated app. If playback fails on a device, converting to MP3 or AAC usually solves it.
VLC, foobar2000, e the default media players no Windows e macOS handle CAF natively. On mobile, iOS Music e Android media apps vary in their support — popular formatoos funcionar everywhere; niche ones may need a dedicated app. If playback fails em um device, convertendo to MP3 ou AAC Geralmente solves it.
Upload the CAF to KaijuConverter and pick MP3, WAV, FLAC, AAC, OGG, or any other target. Our FFmpeg pipeline decodes the audio and re-encodes to the target format at sensible default bitrates (VBR ~190 kbps for music, 96 kbps for speech). Metadata and cover art travel with the audio where both formats support them.
CAF can be lossy or lossless depending on the specific variant. Lossy variants (smaller files) discard some audio detail during compression in ways tuned to be inaudible; lossless variants preserve every sample exactly but produce larger files. For distribution, lossy at high bitrate is standard; for archival, lossless wins.