AAC: a Standard Container for High-quality and Compressed Audio Files

When compressing your favorite songs or audio files in iTunes Store, Apple Music or most media players on iOS/Android devices, you may encounter this file format very often. With the output audio files in high quality and a relatively small size, AAC files are enjoying wider currency in music playing and processing. So is there any other mystery behind AAC? Continue reading this post and see what you can get.

Part 1. What is an AAC File?

AAC files are those which adopt Advanced Audio Coding during compression. The most distinguishing feature of AAC lies in its quality maintenance from the source files. On the basis of the former generations of audio formats, it has remedied the drawbacks of sound quality as a lossy audio format. With the increasing recognition of this frequently used audio format, it also enjoys better compatibility with multimedia players on standard devices like Apple QuickTime Player, Windows Media Player and more. But it’s also worth mentioning that it will take a certain time to convert a batch of audio files into AAC with the long encoding process.

Part 2. Compare AAC with Other Formats

AAC VS MP3

MP3 is short for MEPG-1 Audio Layer 3, which is also a lossy compressed format for digital audio files. But in terms of audio frequencies and sound quality, MP3 will be eclipsed by AAC with great improvements at lower bitrates. There will be an enhanced algorithm in AAC that determines what the listeners are able to access over audio. Compared with MP3, AAC seems to be a better choice in file quality and audio frequencies.

AAC VS ALAC

ALAC stands for Apple Lossless Audio Codec and is also a compressed audio format saved with the “.m4a” file extension. However, you can tell the difference by their names that all data of the original audio will be saved in ALAC with a higher resolution rate and sound quality. But still, AAC format is a more storage-friendly option with less requirements on mobile data compared with ALAC in streaming and downloading.

AAC VS AC-3

AC-3 was introduced by Dolby Laboratories and is abbreviated from Audio Codec 3 file. Mostly used in DVD, Blu-ray and other videos, it provides a surround sound effect without any quality loss at a smaller-sized file. However, when it comes to the audio quality at the same bitrate in AAC, AC-3 would fall an edge, especially when the media player is not Dolby facilities.

Part 3. How to Open and Play AAC Files

AAC files could be compatible with many media players on Mac and Windows PC. In order to open and play AACs, you can try iTunes, Apple Music, QuickTime Player and more as a Mac user. Or you can access VLC Media Player, Windows Media Player 12 and Groove Music on Windows for a smooth connection. And you can’t miss ArkThinker Video Converter Ultimate for the comprehensive functions for AAC files on playing, editing and converting safely and swiftly.

Part 4. How to Convert from/to AAC and Other Formats

Whether you want to convert your AAC files to other formats or switch other files into AACs, you can select an ideal match with the listed examples.

Convert AAC to Other Formats

• ACC to MP3
• ACC to AVI
• ACC to AMV
• ACC to WMV
• ACC to M4V
• ACC to MPG
• ACC to 3GP
• ACC to MXF
• ACC to MPEG
• ACC to FLV
• ACC to MOV
• ACC to VOB
• ACC to TS
• ACC to M4A
• OGG to M3UB
• ACC to WAV
• ACC to AVCHD
• ACC to VHS
• ACC to ARF
• ACC to SWF
• ACC to MKV

Convert Other Files to AAC

• MP3 to AAC
• AVI to AAC
• AMV to AAC
• WMV to AAC
• M4V to AAC
• MPG to AAC
• 3GP to AAC
• MXF to AAC
• MPEG to AAC
• FLV to AAC
• MOV to AAC
• VOB to AAC
• TS to AAC
• M4A to AAC
• M3UB to AAC
• WAV to AAC
• AVCHD to AAC
• VHS to AAC
• ARF to AAC
• SWF to AAC
• MKV to AAC

Part 5. FAQs about AAC

• How do I convert AAC files to MP3?

  You can easily convert AAC to MP3 on your PC with reliable converters like ArkThinker Video Converter Ultimate through simple steps: add files- set format-convert to generate.

• Is AAC low quality?

  On Android and iOS devices, AAC files will offer higher audio quality in streaming than many formats like SBC, MP3, etc.

• What are the disadvantages of AAC files?

  You can tell the shortcomings of AACs from the supported hardware (like Windows Media Player) and the irreversible sound data recovery after compression.