---
title: "The default format of Plan 9 audio streams as expected by /dev/audio is a 16-bit LE integer, stereo, sampled at 44.1 kHz"
slug: default-format-of-plan-9-audio-streams
type: evergreen
stime: 2026-05-25 @ 12:00AM
status: rough
certainty: likely
importance: 5
tags: [plan9, audio]
---

Plan 9 `/dev/audio` is preset to take s161e, stereo, 44.1kHz because [The default PCM format s161e predates plan 9](the-default-pcm-format-s161e-predates-plan-9.md). s161e is the only reasonable choice for a default PCM format, being the most widely used encoding method across various industries.

## Related

- [The Plan 9 audio interface is composed of 4 files](the-plan-9-audio-interface-is-composed-of-4-files.md)
- [12th International Workshop on Plan 9](12th-international-workshop-on-plan-9.md)