Wavpack

Installation:

Just run the installation by doubleclicking on its icons and follow the
instructions given.

About WavPack:

WavPack is a completely open audio compression format providing lossless,
high-quality lossy, and a unique hybrid compression mode.

Although the technology is loosely based on previous versions of WavPack, the
new version 4 format has been designed from the ground up to offer unparalleled
performance and functionality. In the default lossless mode WavPack acts just
like a WinZip compressor for audio files. However, unlike MP3 or WMA encoding
which can affect the sound quality, not a single bit of the original
information is lost, so there's no chance of degradation. This makes lossless
mode ideal for archiving audio material or any other situation where quality is
paramount. The compression ratio depends on the source material, but generally
is between 30% and 70%. The hybrid mode provides all the advantages of lossless
compression with an additional bonus. Instead of creating a single file, this
mode creates both a relatively small, high-quality lossy file that can be used
all by itself, and a "correction" file that (when combined with the lossy file)
provides full lossless restoration. For some users this means never having to
choose between lossless and lossy compression!

WavPack employs only well known, public domain techniques (i.e., linear
prediction with LMS adaptation, Elias and Golomb codes) in its implementation.
Methods and algorithms that have ever been patented (e.g., arithmetic coding,
LZW compression) are specifically avoided. This ensures that WavPack encoders
and decoders will remain open and royalty-free.