WAV to AC3 converter
Convert WAV 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.
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Related conversions
Need it the other way round? Convert AC3 to WAVRead more about the WAV format and the AC3 format, or see every audio tool and all audio conversions.
Should you convert WAV to AC3?
A good trade for listening and sharing: AC3 is a fraction of the size of WAV, and at 192 kbps or more the difference is inaudible for most people. Keep the WAV as your master if you’ll edit or convert again.
WAV is uncompressed, studio-quality audio; AC3 is Dolby Digital surround sound from DVDs and TV. Use AC3 for soundtracks going to DVD authoring or a home cinema system.
| Property | WAV | AC3 |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Uncompressed | Lossy |
| Typical quality | 16-bit PCM, 44.1 or 48 kHz | 192–640 kbps, up to 5.1 |
| Support | Opens everywhere | Has patchy support |
| Best for | Editing, mastering and software that insists on WAV | 5.1 surround soundtracks for DVDs and TVs |
| Introduced | 1991 | 1991 |
How to convert WAV to AC3
- 01
Add your WAV
Drop your WAV file onto the box, or click to choose it. It is read from your disk and stays there.
- 02
Check the settings
The output is already set to AC3. Change the bitrate if you want to; the defaults suit most files.
- 03
Save the AC3
Press convert and save the AC3. Several files come back together as a ZIP.
What changes when WAV becomes AC3
From lossless to lossy
WAV holds every sample; AC3 keeps what the ear notices and discards the rest. Pick the bitrate by use: 128 kbps for speech, 192 to 256 kbps for music.
Surround channels
AC3 keeps up to 5.1 channels, so surround sources stay surround. Stereo sources are written as stereo.
Expect a much smaller file
WAV: About 10 MB a minute at CD quality. AC3: About 3.4 MB a minute at 448 kbps. Shrinking the file is often the main reason to make this conversion.
This page is put together from our notes on each format, choosing only what is true of WAV 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 yourselfWorth knowing
- 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.
- 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 WAV 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.
Read more about this
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