diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e3fa6f5..461b711 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -46,6 +46,10 @@ an underrun.
 Use `tachyaudio.play()` for finite stimuli that should start, drain, and close
 as a single operation.
 
+See `examples/play_wav.py` for dependency-free playback of WAV files exported
+from an editor such as Audacity. The repository example uses a 48 kHz float WAV
+to avoid runtime resampling.
+
 Use blocking helpers when callers need complete buffer transfer:
 
 - `OutputStream.write_all(frames, timeout=None)`: wait until all frames are
diff --git a/examples/play_wav.py b/examples/play_wav.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..181b82b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/play_wav.py
@@ -0,0 +1,258 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+from array import array
+from collections.abc import Iterator
+from pathlib import Path
+import struct
+import sys
+import time
+
+import tachyaudio as ta
+
+
+_WAVE_FORMAT_PCM = 0x0001
+_WAVE_FORMAT_IEEE_FLOAT = 0x0003
+_WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE = 0xFFFE
+_PCM_SUBFORMAT = bytes.fromhex("0100000000001000800000aa00389b71")
+_IEEE_FLOAT_SUBFORMAT = bytes.fromhex("0300000000001000800000aa00389b71")
+
+
+def _pcm_sample_to_float(sample: int, sample_width: int) -> float:
+    if sample_width == 1:
+        return (sample - 128) / 128.0
+    return sample / float(1 << (sample_width * 8 - 1))
+
+
+def _read_pcm_sample(data: bytes, offset: int, sample_width: int) -> int:
+    if sample_width == 1:
+        return data[offset]
+    return int.from_bytes(data[offset : offset + sample_width], "little", signed=True)
+
+
+def _iter_chunks(data: bytes) -> Iterator[tuple[bytes, bytes]]:
+    offset = 12
+    while offset + 8 <= len(data):
+        chunk_id = data[offset : offset + 4]
+        chunk_size = int.from_bytes(data[offset + 4 : offset + 8], "little")
+        chunk_start = offset + 8
+        chunk_end = chunk_start + chunk_size
+        if chunk_end > len(data):
+            raise ValueError("WAV chunk extends beyond end of file")
+        yield chunk_id, data[chunk_start:chunk_end]
+        offset = chunk_end + (chunk_size % 2)
+
+
+def _parse_wav(path: Path) -> tuple[int, int, int, int, bytes]:
+    data = path.read_bytes()
+    if len(data) < 12 or data[:4] != b"RIFF" or data[8:12] != b"WAVE":
+        raise ValueError("file is not a RIFF/WAVE file")
+
+    format_tag: int | None = None
+    channels: int | None = None
+    sample_rate: int | None = None
+    bits_per_sample: int | None = None
+    audio_data: bytes | None = None
+
+    for chunk_id, chunk in _iter_chunks(data):
+        if chunk_id == b"fmt ":
+            if len(chunk) < 16:
+                raise ValueError("WAV fmt chunk is too short")
+            format_tag, channels, sample_rate, _, _, bits_per_sample = struct.unpack(
+                "<HHIIHH",
+                chunk[:16],
+            )
+            if format_tag == _WAVE_FORMAT_EXTENSIBLE:
+                if len(chunk) < 40:
+                    raise ValueError("WAV extensible fmt chunk is too short")
+                subformat = chunk[24:40]
+                if subformat == _PCM_SUBFORMAT:
+                    format_tag = _WAVE_FORMAT_PCM
+                elif subformat == _IEEE_FLOAT_SUBFORMAT:
+                    format_tag = _WAVE_FORMAT_IEEE_FLOAT
+                else:
+                    raise ValueError("unsupported WAV extensible subformat")
+        elif chunk_id == b"data":
+            audio_data = chunk
+
+    if format_tag is None or channels is None or sample_rate is None or bits_per_sample is None:
+        raise ValueError("WAV file is missing a fmt chunk")
+    if audio_data is None:
+        raise ValueError("WAV file is missing a data chunk")
+
+    sample_width = bits_per_sample // 8
+    if bits_per_sample % 8 != 0 or sample_width < 1:
+        raise ValueError("WAV bit depth must be byte-aligned")
+    if channels < 1:
+        raise ValueError("WAV file must have at least one channel")
+    if sample_rate < 1:
+        raise ValueError("WAV file sample rate must be positive")
+
+    return format_tag, channels, sample_rate, sample_width, audio_data
+
+
+def load_wav(
+    path: Path,
+    *,
+    volume: float,
+    max_duration: float | None,
+) -> tuple[array, int, int, float]:
+    """Load an uncompressed WAV file as interleaved float32 samples."""
+
+    format_tag, channels, sample_rate, sample_width, raw = _parse_wav(path)
+    if max_duration is not None:
+        max_bytes = int(sample_rate * max_duration) * channels * sample_width
+        raw = raw[:max_bytes]
+
+    if format_tag == _WAVE_FORMAT_IEEE_FLOAT:
+        if sample_width != 4:
+            raise ValueError("only 32-bit float WAV files are supported")
+        samples = array("f")
+        samples.frombytes(raw[: len(raw) - (len(raw) % sample_width)])
+        if sys.byteorder != "little":
+            samples.byteswap()
+        if volume != 1.0:
+            samples = array("f", (sample * volume for sample in samples))
+    elif format_tag == _WAVE_FORMAT_PCM:
+        if sample_width not in {1, 2, 3, 4}:
+            raise ValueError("only 8-, 16-, 24-, and 32-bit PCM WAV files are supported")
+        sample_count = len(raw) // sample_width
+        samples = array("f")
+        samples.extend(
+            _pcm_sample_to_float(_read_pcm_sample(raw, offset, sample_width), sample_width) * volume
+            for offset in range(0, sample_count * sample_width, sample_width)
+        )
+    else:
+        raise ValueError("only PCM and 32-bit float WAV files are supported")
+
+    sample_count = len(samples)
+    duration = sample_count / channels / sample_rate
+    return samples, sample_rate, channels, duration
+
+
+def upmix_mono_to_stereo(samples: array) -> array:
+    output = array("f")
+    for sample in samples:
+        output.append(sample)
+        output.append(sample)
+    return output
+
+
+def stream_wav(
+    samples: array,
+    *,
+    sample_rate: int,
+    channels: int,
+    block_size: int,
+    device_id: str | None,
+    prebuffer: float,
+    chunk_frames: int,
+) -> ta.StreamStats:
+    """Play samples through a prebuffered stream to avoid underruns."""
+
+    total_frames = len(samples) // channels
+    target_queue_frames = max(block_size, int(sample_rate * prebuffer))
+    prebuffer_frames = min(total_frames, target_queue_frames)
+    frame_cursor = 0
+
+    stream = ta.OutputStream(
+        sample_rate=sample_rate,
+        channels=channels,
+        block_size=block_size,
+        device_id=device_id,
+    )
+    try:
+        if prebuffer_frames:
+            stream.write_all(
+                samples[: prebuffer_frames * channels],
+                timeout=prebuffer + 2.0,
+            )
+            frame_cursor = prebuffer_frames
+
+        stream.start()
+        while frame_cursor < total_frames:
+            queued_frames = stream.stats().queued_frames
+            if queued_frames >= target_queue_frames:
+                sleep_frames = queued_frames - target_queue_frames + block_size
+                time.sleep(min(0.05, sleep_frames / sample_rate))
+                continue
+
+            writable_frames = min(chunk_frames, target_queue_frames - queued_frames)
+            end_frame = min(frame_cursor + writable_frames, total_frames)
+            stream.write_all(
+                samples[frame_cursor * channels : end_frame * channels],
+                timeout=2.0,
+            )
+            frame_cursor = end_frame
+
+        if not stream.drain(max(2.0, prebuffer + 2.0)):
+            raise TimeoutError("audio playback did not drain before timeout")
+        return stream.stats()
+    finally:
+        stream.close()
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Play an uncompressed WAV file with tachyaudio.")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "path",
+        nargs="?",
+        type=Path,
+        default=Path(__file__).with_name("reunited.wav"),
+        help="WAV file to play; defaults to examples/reunited.wav",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("--volume", type=float, default=1.0)
+    parser.add_argument("--duration", type=float, default=None, help="Optional maximum seconds to play")
+    parser.add_argument("--block-size", type=int, default=1024)
+    parser.add_argument("--chunk-frames", type=int, default=4096)
+    parser.add_argument("--prebuffer", type=float, default=0.25)
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--mono",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="Keep mono files mono instead of duplicating them to stereo output",
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("--device-id", default=None)
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    if args.volume < 0.0:
+        raise SystemExit("--volume must be non-negative")
+    if args.duration is not None and args.duration <= 0.0:
+        raise SystemExit("--duration must be positive")
+    if args.block_size < 1:
+        raise SystemExit("--block-size must be positive")
+    if args.chunk_frames < 1:
+        raise SystemExit("--chunk-frames must be positive")
+    if args.prebuffer < 0.0:
+        raise SystemExit("--prebuffer must be non-negative")
+
+    samples, sample_rate, channels, duration = load_wav(
+        args.path,
+        volume=args.volume,
+        max_duration=args.duration,
+    )
+    output_channels = channels
+    if channels == 1 and not args.mono:
+        samples = upmix_mono_to_stereo(samples)
+        output_channels = 2
+    print(
+        f"playing path={args.path} sample_rate={sample_rate} "
+        f"source_channels={channels} output_channels={output_channels} "
+        f"duration={duration:.3f}s prebuffer={args.prebuffer:.3f}s"
+    )
+    started = time.monotonic()
+    stats = stream_wav(
+        samples,
+        sample_rate=sample_rate,
+        channels=output_channels,
+        block_size=args.block_size,
+        device_id=args.device_id,
+        prebuffer=args.prebuffer,
+        chunk_frames=args.chunk_frames,
+    )
+    elapsed = time.monotonic() - started
+    print(f"elapsed={elapsed:.3f}s")
+    print(stats)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/examples/reunited.wav b/examples/reunited.wav
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..19ee084
Binary files /dev/null and b/examples/reunited.wav differ