WAV to HE-AAC - Online Audio Converter
Convert WAV to HE-AAC online. Private, client-side - no uploadrequired. Batch conversion, quality presets, codec control.
About WAV to HE-AAC
WAV holds 16-bit PCM near 10 MB per minute, which suits masters but not streaming. HE-AAC re-encodes the sound with spectral band replication for efficient low-bitrate delivery, fitting streams where plain AAC would need more bits. Use low bitrates for speech streams and moderate ones for music. Playback needs an HE-AAC decoder; plain AAC players may play only half the bandwidth. Keep the WAV master for re-exports, since repeated lossy passes stack artifacts.
Why convert WAV to HE-AAC?
- Smaller files with HE-AAC lossy compression.
- Keep quality where supported.
- Private, no upload - runs in your browser.
WAV vs HE-AAC
| Codec | PCM 16-bit | AAC (HE) |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | uncompressed | lossy |
| Sample behavior | Full quality kept | Quality set by bitrate |
| Typical use | WAV is Microsoft's RIFF container, usually holding 16-bit PCM. | HE-AAC adds spectral band replication for efficient low-bitrate streaming. |
When not to convert WAV to HE-AAC
- Skip HE-AAC for archival masters: lossy compression discards detail, so keep the WAV original.
- Keep a master copy: repeated exports stack small losses, so archive WAV before batch HE-AAC shares.
Limits
Starting point: WAV - 16-bit PCM near 10 MB per minute. Files run about 10 MB per minute, so archive as FLAC. Needs an HE-AAC decoder; plain AAC players may play only half the bandwidth. Encode HE-AAC (AAC (HE)) from WAV at 256k for music or 128k for speech, starting from the master.
How conversion works
Conversion runs entirely in your browser with FFmpeg WASM. Files never leave your device.