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AC3 to AIFF converter

Convert AC3 to AIFF in your browser. No upload and no account: the file never leaves your device, so the only size limit is your device’s memory.

I want AIFF
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Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert AIFF to AC3

Other ways to convert AC3

Convert other formats to AIFF

Read more about the AC3 format and the AIFF format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.

Should you convert AC3 to AIFF?

Only when software insists on AIFF. It stores the decoded AC3 perfectly, but the detail the AC3 discarded is already gone, so the AIFF is bigger without sounding better.

AIFF also plays in more places: Macs, iPhones and pro audio software; some Windows and web apps prefer WAV.

AC3 is Dolby Digital surround sound from DVDs and TV; AIFF is uncompressed audio, Apple’s equivalent of WAV. Use AIFF for editing in Mac audio software, or when a Mac workflow asks for it.

AC3 and AIFF compared
Property AC3 AIFF
Compression Lossy Uncompressed
Typical quality 192–640 kbps, up to 5.1 16-bit PCM
Support Has patchy support Opens almost everywhere
Best for 5.1 surround soundtracks for DVDs and TVs Audio production on Macs, and importing into Logic or GarageBand
Introduced 1991 1988

How to convert AC3 to AIFF

  1. 01

    Add your AC3

    Drop your AC3 file onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.

  2. 02

    Check the settings

    The output is already set to AIFF. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the AIFF

    Press convert and save the AIFF. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when AC3 becomes AIFF

Bigger, not better

AIFF can’t restore what AC3 compression removed. It does make editing easier and stops further loss, which is why editors and some broadcast systems ask for it.

Surround channels

AC3 is often 5.1 surround. Converting to AIFF mixes it down to stereo when AIFF can’t hold six channels, and dialogue may end up quieter than effects.

Who needs AIFF

Use AIFF for editing in Mac audio software, or when a Mac workflow asks for it.

A one-time engine download

AC3 is decoded by FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, a 31 MB download the first time. After that it is cached, and the conversion never leaves your device.

Expect a much larger file

AIFF is far bigger for the same content. Choose it because something needs AIFF, not to send or store the file. AC3: About 3.4 MB a minute at 448 kbps. AIFF: About 10 MB a minute at CD quality.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of AC3 and AIFF, so every pairing states the same facts the same way. How these pages are made.

Why it doesn’t upload

Recordings are often private: interviews, voice notes, unreleased music. Your browser can decode and encode audio itself, so there is no reason to send it anywhere.

How to check for yourself

Worth knowing

  • About the AC3. Converting a 5.1 AC3 to a stereo format mixes it down; dialogue that lived in the center channel can end up quieter.
  • About the AIFF. AIFF stores samples in the opposite byte order to WAV; tools that assume WAV turn it into loud static.
  • MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, Opus and FLAC are converted by your browser directly. WMA, AMR, APE, AC3 and the other specialist formats use the FFmpeg engine, a one-time 31 MB download.

Questions

Does converting AC3 to AIFF lose quality?

No quality is lost converting to AIFF, though it can’t restore what the AC3 already discarded.

Will an AIFF play in my car or on my phone?

AIFF opens almost everywhere: Macs, iPhones and pro audio software; some Windows and web apps prefer WAV.

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