Lossless audio is a way of storing and playing music without throwing away any detail from the original recording.
Unlike formats such as MP3 or AAC, which shrink file size by cutting out parts of the sound that are considered less noticeable, lossless formats like FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) or ALAC (Apple Lossless) keep every bit of the audio information intact.
That means when you listen to a lossless track, you are hearing the music exactly as it was mastered in the studio — with the full dynamic range, subtle details, and depth preserved.
The trade-off is that lossless files are much larger and require more bandwidth to stream, which is why not every device or service supports them natively.
In simple terms:
- Lossless = original sound preserved
- Lossy = compressed version of the sound
For casual listening on wireless earbuds, the difference may be subtle. But on high-end headphones or speaker systems, lossless audio can provide a noticeably richer and more accurate listening experience.
For deeper insights into sound quality, don’t miss our Complete guide on lossless audio in AirPods Pro 3
Explore every feature in our in-depth guide on the Apple AirPods Pro 3 – the next generation of earbuds.