What is MIME type "audio/x-pn-wav"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

audio/x-pn-wav is a MIME type that marks files with raw audio data stored in a specific container.
This type tells systems and browsers to treat the file as sound data, usually in uncompressed Pulse Code Modulation (PCM) form and wrapped in a RIFF structure.
It is central to the playback, editing, and distribution of high-quality audio.

Main use case: Identifying files for accurate audio rendering without prior conversion.
Technical detail: Handles storage of sampled audio, preserving sound quality.
Platform usage: Commonly recognized on Windows, multimedia apps, and web servers.
File formats: Used by files such as .WAV and .WAVE.

This MIME type aids proper handling of audio files during transfer and playback. For more technical insights, see MIME types on MDN.

Associated file extensions

.wav, .wave

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:


    Content-Type: audio/x-pn-wav

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:


    <a href="file.dat" type="audio/x-pn-wav">Download file</a>

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:


    const http = require('http');    
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {    
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'audio/x-pn-wav');    
      res.end('Content here');    
    }).listen(3000);

Associated file extensions

.wav, .wave

FAQs

What is the difference between audio/x-pn-wav and audio/wav?

audio/wav is the standard, IANA-registered MIME type for WAV files, whereas audio/x-pn-wav is a non-standard, legacy variation. The x- prefix indicates it is experimental or non-standard, and pn historically refers to Progressive Networks (RealNetworks). Modern web development generally prefers the standard audio/wav.

Which file extensions are associated with audio/x-pn-wav?

This MIME type is almost exclusively used for .wav and sometimes .wave files. These files contain uncompressed PCM audio data wrapped in a RIFF container, offering high fidelity but larger file sizes.

Do modern browsers support audio/x-pn-wav?

Most modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari) can handle audio/x-pn-wav because they often "sniff" the file content to identify it as a valid WAV file regardless of the specific header. However, using the standard audio/wav is safer for ensuring compatibility across all devices and HTML5 players.

How do I configure Apache to serve files as audio/x-pn-wav?

If you specifically need this legacy type, you can add AddType audio/x-pn-wav .wav to your .htaccess or server config file. However, it is highly recommended to use AddType audio/wav .wav to adhere to current web standards.

Why does my server send audio/x-pn-wav instead of audio/wav?

This usually occurs because of outdated server configuration files or legacy defaults intended to support older media players like RealPlayer. You can usually update your web server's MIME types configuration (e.g., /etc/mime.types on Linux) to map the .wav extension to the standard audio/wav.

Can I use audio/x-pn-wav in HTML5 audio tags?

You can, but it is not best practice. When using the <source> element, it is better to specify type="audio/wav". If you use type="audio/x-pn-wav", some strict parsers might not recognize the subtype, though most will fall back to checking the actual file data.

General FAQ

What is a MIME type?

A MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document, file, or assortment of bytes. MIME types are defined and standardized in IETF's RFC 6838.

MIME types are important because they help browsers and servers understand how to process a file. When a browser receives a file from a server, it uses the MIME type to determine how to display or handle the content, whether it's an image to display, a PDF to open in a viewer, or a video to play.

MIME types consist of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg, application/pdf). Some MIME types also include optional parameters.

How do I find the MIME type for a file?

You can check the file extension or use a file identification tool such as file --mime-type on the command line. Many programming languages also provide libraries to detect MIME types.

Why are multiple MIME types listed for one extension?

Different applications and historical conventions may use alternative MIME identifiers for the same kind of file. Showing them all helps ensure compatibility across systems.