Skip to content
All audio conversions

AAC to AC3 converter

Convert AAC to AC3 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 AC3
Advanced 4
sec

Leave both at 0 for the whole file.

sec
Channels

Bytes of your files sent anywhere: 0 B

Related conversions

Other ways to convert AAC

Convert other formats to AC3

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

Should you convert AAC to AC3?

Fine when a player or app needs AC3. Converting between two lossy formats compresses the sound a second time, so match or exceed the original bitrate to keep the loss inaudible.

AAC is a bare AAC audio stream without the M4A wrapper; AC3 is Dolby Digital surround sound from DVDs and TV. Use AC3 for soundtracks going to DVD authoring or a home cinema system.

AAC and AC3 compared
Property AAC AC3
Compression Lossy Lossy
Typical quality 96–256 kbps 192–640 kbps, up to 5.1
Support Opens almost everywhere Has patchy support
Best for Recordings captured from streams and broadcast 5.1 surround soundtracks for DVDs and TVs
Introduced 1997 1991

How to convert AAC to AC3

  1. 01

    Add your AAC

    Drop your AAC 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 AC3. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the AC3

    Press convert and save the AC3. Several files come back together as a ZIP.

What changes when AAC becomes AC3

Two rounds of compression

Each lossy encode throws away a little more. A AAC at 128 kbps converted to AC3 at 192 kbps sounds like the original; converted at 96 kbps it can turn swirly and dull.

Surround channels

AC3 keeps up to 5.1 channels, so surround sources stay surround. Stereo sources are written as stereo.

Expect a larger file

AC3 generally takes more room than AAC. If the file has to fit an upload limit, check the size once it’s converted. AAC: About 1 MB a minute at 128 kbps. AC3: About 3.4 MB a minute at 448 kbps.

This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of AAC and AC3, 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 AAC. Raw AAC has no index, so players often show the wrong duration or can’t seek; saving it as M4A fixes both.
  • 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.
  • 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 AAC to AC3 lose quality?

AC3 is lossy, so a little is discarded, but at the default bitrate the difference is inaudible for nearly everyone.

Will an AC3 play in my car or on my phone?

AC3 has patchy support: home cinema receivers, TVs, VLC and video editors; phones and browsers often can’t.

Other tools