What is a key characteristic of digital audio?

Digital audio's key characteristic is that it can be stored on various types of digital media. This flexibility is due to the nature of digital files, which can easily reside on different storage devices such as hard drives, USB flash drives, CDs, and cloud storage. These media types facilitate the easy transfer, playback, and manipulation of digital audio files, allowing for broader access and more versatile use compared to analogue audio formats.

In contrast, other options address misconceptions about digital audio. For instance, digital audio is not recorded using analogue techniques; instead, it is specifically defined by its use of discrete data samples to represent sound. Additionally, digital audio file size is affected by compression, which can reduce the file size without significantly sacrificing quality, allowing for efficient storage and streaming. Lastly, digital audio can indeed be compressed, contrary to the assertion that it cannot be, through various encoding techniques that help manage file size and improve transmission efficiency.