What is AAC audio? Everything About AAC File Format

What is an AAC file?

The AAC file extension is the abbreviation for “Advanced Audio Coding.” The AAC audio container format is designed for lossy digital audio and music data compression and is developed as a more advanced successor to MP3.

The AAC format is an MPEG-2 Advanced Audio Coding file container that works similarly to an MP3 format but with better performance. In short, AAC files can achieve more improved sound quality than the MP3 format at the same bit rate.

Is AAC audio?

AAC, short for “Advanced Audio Coding”, is a standard audio file format containing compressed music and digital audio data. It has received several performance improvements from its predecessor, MP3. Therefore, it produces better audio quality at similar bitrates than previous audio formats. So, the short answer is that AAC is an audio container format with improved sound quality.

How to open an AAC file?

The AAC extension is a commonly used audio format compatible with most media players, including iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. If your inbuilt players do not support AAC, you can use other third-party AAC players, such as VLC Media Player, AIMP, KMPlayer, Winamp, etc.

To open an AAC file, follow these steps.

Learn the exact location of the AAC file in your local or cloud storage. Launch your AAC playing program and select File>Open. Now, choose the AAC file you wish to play and click Open. Apart from playing, some AAC players also let you edit your AAC file using various video and audio editing tools. Before leaving the player, save your file by clicking on File>Save As. Name the file and select your target folder to save your edits.

What is the AAC file format used for?

As the name suggests, an AAC file format is an audio coding standard similar to the MP3 extension with significant performance improvements. It is a standard audio container designed to compress digital audio data while retaining the sound quality. The AAC extension is preferred by many video editors, movie creators, or entertainment lovers, as it does not damage the sound quality.

Are AAC files good quality?

AAC files have improved sound quality compared to MP3 files, which is why AAC extensions are considered superior to MP3. For instance, an AAC file has better audio clarity at low bit rates, as opposed to similar bit rates in MP3 files.

In other words, at the same bit rate, an MP3 file may sound less clear than an AAC file. However, MP3 still manages to provide decent sound playback quality, especially at high bit rates. But AAC files are much clearer and crisper than MP3 audio files.

What are the advantages of AAC files?

An AAC audio file comes with the following benefits.

As mentioned above, AAC files provide better and crisper sound quality than MP3 files at the same bitrate. The AAC formats are great for streaming since they have smaller file sizes compared to other lossless codecs. AAC files are compatible with multiple devices and operating systems, including Android, iOS, and iTunes.

What are the disadvantages of AAC files?

There are a few disadvantages to using AAC files, too.

AAC files might sound a bit more “metallic” to some users, as opposed to other codecs that might not sound normal. But it depends on the user’s perception. AAC is a lossy codec, which means it compresses the digital audio and music data by eliminating some of it. It may result in quality drops compared to lossless codecs, like FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec).

Key Features of AAC Files

The primary features of AAC extensions include:

Compatibility

AAC files come with a wide range of flexibility and compatibility across multiple devices and platforms, including Android, iPhone, Nokia, Blackberry, etc. In short, an AAC audio file can run on all these supported devices without lags or limitations.

Frequency

The AAC extension offers about 50+ frequency effects and is compatible with 48 channels. Furthermore, the AAC file format contains flexible variation limits within the frequency, which further enhances the audio coding.

Enhanced Options

An AAC file format offers higher enhanced playback options, making them superior to MP3 files. Some of these features include TNS (Temporal Noise Shaping), parametric stereo, and spectral band replication.

How to Convert AAC files?

If you wish to convert an AAC file into MP3 or other audio extensions, use an efficient ACC file convertor. For example, MConverter is a hassle-free online tool that lets you convert files of multiple formats. With MConverter you can easily convert your AAC files to popular audio file formats, such as MP3, WAV, FLAC, and AC3.

Here are the steps you can follow to convert AAC files.

• Upload the AAC audio file by dragging and dropping or browsing from your local drive. You can also copy-paste the file using Ctrl+V.
• Next, adjust the audio settings by selecting your output format and desired audio quality. At this stage, you can choose your desired “File Location”, where you wish to save your converted file.
• Finally, select the “Convert” or “Download” button to start the downloading process. MConverter also has an automatic downloading feature which can reduce your wait time.

We hope the article helped get a clear understanding of what is AAC audio format, along with its benefits and features. We have also covered how to convert an AAC file into other audio formats using an online converter such as MConverter.