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AC3 to WAV converter

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

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Related conversions

Need it the other way round? Convert WAV to AC3

Other ways to convert AC3

Convert other formats to WAV

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

Should you convert AC3 to WAV?

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

WAV also plays in more places: every computer, audio editor and DAW, and most phones.

AC3 is Dolby Digital surround sound from DVDs and TV; WAV is uncompressed, studio-quality audio. Use WAV while editing and for systems that demand it, such as phone systems, samplers and some broadcast tools.

AC3 and WAV compared
Property AC3 WAV
Compression Lossy Uncompressed
Typical quality 192–640 kbps, up to 5.1 16-bit PCM, 44.1 or 48 kHz
Support Has patchy support Opens everywhere
Best for 5.1 surround soundtracks for DVDs and TVs Editing, mastering and software that insists on WAV
Introduced 1991 1991

How to convert AC3 to WAV

  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 WAV. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.

  3. 03

    Save the WAV

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

What changes when AC3 becomes WAV

Bigger, not better

WAV 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 WAV mixes it down to stereo when WAV can’t hold six channels, and dialogue may end up quieter than effects.

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

WAV is far bigger for the same content. Choose it because something needs WAV, not to send or store the file. AC3: About 3.4 MB a minute at 448 kbps. WAV: 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 WAV, 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 WAV. A WAV made from an MP3 is ten times bigger but sounds exactly like the MP3; the lost detail doesn’t come back.
  • 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 WAV lose quality?

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

Will a WAV play in my car or on my phone?

WAV opens everywhere: every computer, audio editor and DAW, and most phones.

Read more about this

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