Convert Audible Files to mp3

Update April 13th, 2007
Many people have been asking for the old version of Goldwave as an alternative for converting audible files. You can easily find this file by doing a Google search for gwave506.exe will turn up some download sites that still have 5.06 mirrored.

Audible is a great service and they have a nice format that is flexible, but sometimes it just isn't flexible enough. I have an mp3 player in my truck that I wanted to use, doesn't support .aa or drm for that matter. I certainly didn't want to burn them to however many cd's it would take, so I started scouring the web for ways to convert this file to a usable format.

Most of the sites I found recommended playing the book and recording the stream, then compress that to mp3. This is a silly idea and is wholely uesless to me, work though it may. I did, however, find instructions to convert .aa using dbpoweramp on a forum that I can no longer find. To preserve these instructions I will post them here as well.

  1. Install dbpoweramps DirectShow codec:

    http://www.dbpoweramp.com/codecs/dBpowerAMP-codec-DirectShowDecoder.exe

  2. Install AudibleManager AND Windows Media Player Filter (bottom of download page):

    http://www.audible.com/software

  3. Set DirectShow to know about Audible file types:

    Start >> Programs >> dbpoweramp Music Converter >> Configure DirectShow Decoder

    at the end of this text file type (on a new line):

    .aa

    Save the file (File >> Save)

  4. Run dBpowerAMP Configuration:

    Start >> Programs >> dBpowerAMP Music Converter >> Configuration >> dMC Configuration

    That is it, dbpoweramp can read audible files and Sveta Portable audio can upload Audible files to portables that support it.


Submitted by Mark (not verified) on Sun, 2006-08-20 17:07.

Hi...

I tried the instructions above but I keep getting "The CODEC required to decompress 'C:\blah.aa' could not be opened.
DirectShow filter for '.aa' not installed, or Audio File Corrupt."

I did everything I could of the instructions, but the audible site no longer has a WMP filter for download on the site (I guess the consolidated on iTunes). I guess that could be the missing piece. Any idea where to get that?

Thanks
-mar

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2007-06-03 22:15.

I am currenyly using WMA convert to convert Audible titles to mp3
you can find it at wmaconvert.com

Submitted by Chris (not verified) on Wed, 2006-05-24 13:50.

Thanks a ton. Worked perfectly, finally. Now that I've got it mp3, I can finally orb it ^_^;;

Submitted by Kanus (not verified) on Sun, 2006-06-18 15:06.

Now I can split a large MP3 book and download bite size portions to my ipod shuffle. Loosing your place while listening to a long book with an ipod shuffle sucks. Smaller book segments allows milestone navigation with the cue button.

Submitted by Stebin (not verified) on Sat, 2008-01-19 23:06.

Hey can you email me the file showing how to convert audible with goldwave? My email is stebinjohn@gmail.com thanks a lot.

Submitted by DeWitt Shank (not verified) on Sun, 2006-06-18 19:36.

Version 5.06 of GoldWave can use the Batch Processing option on the File menu to convert Audible files to mp3 or any other format GoldWave supports.

The GW manual included in the setup file explains how to make GW translate the Audible format.

I can email the setup file to anyone who can receive a 1.6Mb filesize.

Just let me know...

Submitted by vfilby on Sun, 2006-06-25 01:47.

I had bad luck trying to find the old version of GoldWave when I originally was trying to get this working. I wouldn't mind giving it a try, if you are still watching this thread please reply.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2006-07-20 03:21.

I'd like to get that file.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2006-09-20 15:33.

Hi, i'd really appreciate a copy of that old version of GoldWave for converting .aa files?? thanks, J.

Submitted by Dave E (not verified) on Thu, 2006-08-03 03:34.

Thanks for your help!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2006-08-03 16:43.

could you send that version to me please? I would like to try it out.

Thnks a bunch :)

Submitted by Jonny (not verified) on Wed, 2006-08-23 18:53.

I'd love the file if you're still out there

Ta

Submitted by Alex (not verified) on Sat, 2006-08-26 10:32.

Can I have this file please.
Many thanks.

Submitted by Anonymous112 (not verified) on Mon, 2006-08-28 22:17.

I'd like to get that file. Is it possible for you to send it to me?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2006-09-06 07:23.

Could you please send me the version of goldwave that you mention? Thanks a lot!

Submitted by Raghav (not verified) on Fri, 2008-09-26 12:29.

Dear, Rob,

It would be great if you could please send me the Gold version 5.06. I want to convert the audible files from audible.com to mp3 which I can transfer on to my cell phones and hear when I want.

If you could please help me.

Thanks in adavnce,
Raghav.

Submitted by guest (not verified) on Fri, 2006-09-08 00:33.

It would be very nice if you could mail me Goldwave Version 5.06

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2006-09-14 03:19.

I'd like to get the GoldWave Setup file...thx!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2006-10-24 22:40.

Yes Please!
I could really use that file.
Thanks!

Submitted by orcowboy32 (not verified) on Fri, 2006-11-03 05:00.

Could I please get a copy of the file? I'll share my audiobooks...

Submitted by Vaughn (not verified) on Fri, 2006-11-24 05:21.

Would you mind emailing me the 1.6 MB file? I need to convert so aa files.

Thanks,
Vaughn

Submitted by Vaughn (not verified) on Fri, 2006-11-24 05:21.

Would you mind emailing me the 1.6 MB file? I need to convert so aa files.

Thanks,
Vaughn

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2007-03-18 22:11.

Hi - could you please send Goldwave 5.06? Thanks in advance...

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2007-03-19 09:09.

Hi, I'd really appreciate a copy of Goldwave if you still have it. I'm having a hard time trying to convert my.aa files. Many thanks.

Submitted by vfilby on Mon, 2007-03-19 12:49.

Unfortunately I don't have a copy of GoldWave, sorry!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2007-04-13 17:29.

Would you please send me the file

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-05-23 01:39.

Hi,

I've been looking for a copy of Goldwave 5.06 and haven't had any luck. Can I as k for a favor and send me a copy. I would appreciate your help very much.

Thanks.

j

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2007-05-28 17:38.

Any chance I can get both the Goldwave 5.06 and Audible manager 3.5 software from you?
I've tried to get the media player plugin to work but so far have had only an error message pop up MSVCR.70.dll not found. What does this mean and how do I get around it?
Thanks

Submitted by Jack (not verified) on Mon, 2007-08-06 21:23.

I wold love it if you would be good enough to send me a copy.
Jack

Submitted by tt (not verified) on Wed, 2007-08-22 02:48.

I would like that file

Submitted by Daventry (not verified) on Tue, 2007-08-28 21:32.

Hi, i would really like to get the GW setup for audible .aa books convert to mp3. please send to
vrklmpt@hotmail.com

thankyou
daventry

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2007-12-27 03:00.

I'd love the file also. Thanks.

Submitted by Cameron (not verified) on Sat, 2008-02-09 21:06.

Could you e-mail me this file please I would like to try it
Thanks

Submitted by Ken (not verified) on Fri, 2008-03-14 09:29.

I have the 1.6Mb gwave506.exe file I think you are referring to but cannot find the instruction on how to get GW to recongnize .aa files. It just says "cannot determine file type" when I load .aa file. Any assistance is much appreciated.

Submitted by Tony (not verified) on Sun, 2008-03-16 15:12.

Hi

Is the setup file for Goldwave 5.06 still available and if so could you email it to me please?

Mant thanks for your time and trouble.

Tony

Submitted by Eddie (not verified) on Mon, 2008-04-21 20:24.

Hi, I'd love to learn how to convert my Audible files to either WMA or MP3 using Goldwave 5.06.

Thanks, Eddie.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2006-08-08 23:00.

I use to use the Gold Wave program to convert my audible files to MP3 with great success. However recently this process stopped working and now Gold Wave claims it does not support this file type. Without being able to play on my MP3 player in my car audible is pointless no matter how great their books are. I cannot even convert .aa files I have already converted with the same gold wave program I used a week ago. The only difference is I downloaded the newest version of the Audible download manager. If you have yet to download this i would suggest you do not. If anyone has any way to fix this please let me know.

Submitted by Rob (not verified) on Thu, 2006-09-07 20:49.

This post uses the information gleaned from other posts, I hope it helps.

In order to use Goldwave to convert .aa from Audible files:

1. Uninstall Audible (current version blocks conversions)
2. Install the Win98/ME version (old version, works fine in XP)
3. Uninstall Goldwave 5.x
4. Install Goldwave 5.06 (Google it, I downloaded from Download.com)
5. Open Goldwave
6. Choose All Files (of type)
7. Navigate To Your .aa File
8. Open It
9. Enter Your Username/Password To Activate The File (if required)
10. Watch As It Converts

Submitted by Charlie Tuna (not verified) on Wed, 2006-10-04 18:07.

Anyone know how to convert the AA files to MP3 on a MAC?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2007-02-28 08:38.

I guess SoundTaxi software is the best AA to MP3 converter! If the files are DRM-protected, the program re-records them into unprotected mp3, aac or wav!
The software does just what it does on the box. Great, simple to use product.

Submitted by Art (not verified) on Sun, 2007-05-06 21:54.

I have been a member of Audible for years and had been using Goldwave to convert files since my player is not supported. I never thought that upgrading would kill capabilities that I already had. Oh well, live and learn. I had to find an old Audible Manager program and go back to my old version of GW.

Anyway, if you can find them, Rob's comments above work fine.

Happy converting!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2007-05-11 10:45.

To use dBPowerAmp (and probably Goldwave) with new Audible manager you need to get hold of an old version of the file "awrdscdc.ax" version 3.6.2, replace the new one that is windows\system32 directory. I think that is the directshow filter file.
It worked for me anyway.

Submitted by Max (not verified) on Sat, 2007-05-26 16:56.

I've followed Rob's Goldwave .aa Workaround instructions but Goldwave 5.0.6 doesn't recognise the .aa format. Do I need a codec or something?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2007-05-27 10:20.

Hello,
I had the same problem transfering a file to my girlfriends mp3-Player - it is not supported by audible. Some time ago I simply used Goldwave - it didnt work this time. I tried several things - until I found an early File named AudibleMediaPlayerFilter.exe
I installed this and suddenly all worked perfectly fne again, even with the newest Audible Manager.
Hope this helps,
greetings

Submitted by vfilby on Tue, 2007-05-29 23:46.

Anonymous comment posts will probably not help you get the files you seek. If you want something post your address, if that freaks you out you can always try the contact form

Submitted by Jared (not verified) on Thu, 2007-05-31 17:20.

I too have been working on this issue, my girlfriend needed to convert files from .AA (Audible Audio) to .MP3 or .OGG (Ogg Vorbis).

I did not install Audible Manager

Download/Install GoldWave 5.06 (download.com has it)
Install/Install AudibleMediaPlayerFilter.exe (Google it as well)
Download/Extract MSVCR70.dll and MSVCI70.dll into C:\windows\system32 (from DLL-Files.com)

Should work after that

Submitted by bolvanka (not verified) on Wed, 2007-06-06 20:12.

right!
here it is! after a long and painful search

http://rapidshare.com/files/35634664/kjhdf.rar.html

the archive contains dbpoweramp converter R12, the DirectShow filter for it as well as an old audible filter for media player.

Install the audible filter, then install the player and the directshow filter for it.

Locate your .aa book file and right click on it. The "convert to" option will allow you to change the .aa to anything you want!

PS By the gods, I can't believe I finally found this

PSS the dbpoweramp is a trial version though but the full doesn't cost much...

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/

I guess any converter that can make use of DirectShow can be used..

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2007-06-15 12:56.

bolvanka, thank you so much!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2007-06-16 15:16.

After much trial and error, I found SoundTaxi to be the simplest option. The software does everything if you're willing to spend the $15 for it.

Submitted by Alex (not verified) on Thu, 2007-06-28 02:09.

That is true - great piece of software. The problem is though, if you had a material longer than an hour as the usual books are, it takes forever to convert, notwithstanding the company's claim that the process is very fast.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2007-07-31 14:47.

Wow Bolvanka, it's really working! Thanks very much :)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2007-08-06 20:23.

In Audible's infinite wisdom they have made all upgrades to the media player filter or their main program block the ability of db to work. You need to find a version of AudibleMediaPlayerFilter.exe from 6-6-2006 or older. Reinstall it over what ever you have. Then you will be able to convert again with dbpoweramp.

*this is assuming you have already configured your directshow to see .aa files. Works with old and new versions of db.

Submitted by EK (not verified) on Fri, 2007-08-17 03:24.

If you have the old version of Goldwave could you please send it to me? (Bought the program a long time ago, but can't find the right version anymore (re-installing after HD crash))

Submitted by EK (not verified) on Fri, 2007-08-17 03:32.

Looks like I am goign to need the old audible program to since the 98/ME verions are no longer avaialbe on audible.com

Submitted by EK (not verified) on Sat, 2007-08-18 19:45.

If anyone still has these two programs please contact me. Looking for Goldwave 5.06 and Audible Manager 4.0.

Thanks in advance,
EK

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2008-01-30 22:07.

Can you please send me the files to transfer .AA to MP3 Please. I Would Greatly Appreciate it.

Submitted by rod (not verified) on Sun, 2007-09-30 01:54.

I can not believe I got this to work...

I did the audible 98/me install, installed goldwave 506 (google file:gwave506.exe it's the first link) and opened the aa file. It didn't even ask for a user/pass (though, this could be becasue itunes already auth'd it a few minutes before.)

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Audible is stupid, being able to convert their audio only makes me feel better about BUYING audible files. Dumba$$es.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 2007-11-05 20:17.

I have been reading the posts but seems that you all are using a PC and I have a mac and need to convert audible files to MP3 since my coby MP3 player is not supported by Audible. Can anyone tell me how to do it on a mac?

Submitted by butterfly (not verified) on Thu, 2007-11-29 02:48.

If anyone still has these two programs please. I can't find any working mirror sites! :( Looking for Goldwave 5.06 and Audible Manager 4.0.

Submitted by Circuits (not verified) on Fri, 2008-01-18 16:56.

I get to the final step "Run dBpowerAMP Configuration"
a Configuration window pops up. It does not mention Audible or .aa files.

Help please!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 2008-01-30 21:43.

Can you please send me a copy of this file? I am trying to get a .AA to MP3. I would greatly appreciate it.

Submitted by James (not verified) on Sun, 2008-02-10 22:30.

Rob's 10-step process to convert Audible Files to MP3 Files (located above) worked for me. Thanks Rob!

I located GoldWave v5.06 here...
http://www.badongo.com/file/4493892

I located a name and serial for GoldWave v5.06 here...
http://www.serialsam.com/?serial=goldwave

I located Audible Manager v4 here...
http://www.zdnetasia.com/downloads/pc/swinfo/0,39043052,39052743s,00.htm

Today's Date: February 10, 2008

Submitted by James (not verified) on Sun, 2008-02-10 22:33.

OK, well I guess Rob's 10-step process to convert Audible Files to MP3 Files is not located above, rather it is on page 1, but it works!

Submitted by Audible Hater (not verified) on Fri, 2008-10-03 15:18.

James - I did as you said - still getting errors. Doesn't recognize .aa

Any ideas?

Submitted by Dan (not verified) on Wed, 2008-04-09 20:59.

Make your audio book ready for your mobile player with Audiobook Cutter:
For those who finally managed to get the MP3 out of a .aa file it might be interesting to cut it into short parts. Audio Book Cutter does this automatically in silent sections. Very fast! I'm using the tool for some podcasts

Download:
http://www.audiobookcutter.com

The free version should be good enough for the average user!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 2008-05-29 03:43.

One other option I found, because I seem to have horrible luck getting the other methods to work, is to use the newer versions of Nero. Although there are a few extra steps.

With the newer versions of nero you open up the "Nero Burning Rom" and select Audio Book. You then point it at an audible file. It will ask you for your username and password. Then as the burner select "Image Recorder" and click burn. It will then make an ISO file for each CD it would have burned. Nero also allows you to mount an ISO as a CD. So mount each ISO and then use a CD ripper to rip the ISOs.

Hope that helps someone.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sun, 2008-08-17 21:35.

Can you use the above approach with a mac?

Submitted by Audio Recording (not verified) on Thu, 2008-09-04 17:14.

thanks so much for this. I was trying to figure out how to play music on my computer...now they're all mp3s and i can listen to them whenever i want.!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 2008-09-12 18:28.

Thanks fo rthe advice!

Submitted by Zlartibartfast (not verified) on Sat, 2008-10-18 15:18.

Mac users - the latest iTunes is reported to handle Audible Audio. No additional SW required.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2008-11-18 04:40.

Anyone experience an output mp3 file which doesnt start at the same place as the original .aa file? If so know why and how to fix? I have 6 hour .aa file and the converted MP3 file starts in the middle of th ebook some where. Some .aa files seem to have sections to them so I wonder if that could affect it.

Submitted by poker (not verified) on Fri, 2009-08-21 19:24.

Good afternoon, thank you for putting this very interesting article, thank you greetings.

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