Convert 3GA to WAV — Free Online Converter

WAV (Waveform Audio File Format) is the standard uncompressed audio format co-developed by Microsoft and IBM in 1991. It stores raw PCM audio data in a RIFF container with zero compression, making it the universal baseline format that every audio application, operating system, and hardware device can read without any codec. Converting 3GA recordings from old Samsung, Nokia, and LG phones to WAV creates the most compatible uncompressed representation possible.

The conversion decodes the AMR audio from the 3GA container and writes the raw PCM samples into a WAV file at CD-quality specifications (16-bit, 44.1 kHz). While this dramatically increases the file size compared to the compressed AMR source, it produces a file that every audio editor, DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), and analysis tool on every platform can open instantly. WAV is the go-to format when you need guaranteed compatibility with professional audio software or need to avoid any potential codec-related issues.

WAV is the universal interchange format for audio production. Every DAW — Pro Tools, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reaper, Audacity, Adobe Audition — imports WAV natively without any conversion step. If you need to edit old phone recordings from 3G-era handsets in any audio editor, WAV is the safest choice. There is no audio application in existence that cannot open a WAV file.

WAV is also the standard input format for audio analysis, speech recognition, forensic analysis, and scientific processing. Tools like Praat (phonetic analysis), Audacity (waveform editing), MATLAB (signal processing), and Python's librosa library all work most reliably with WAV input. If you are processing old voice recordings through any analytical pipeline, WAV is the format least likely to cause import errors or codec incompatibilities.

FFmpeg decodes the AMR-NB (8 kHz, 4.75-12.2 kbps) or AMR-WB (16 kHz, 6.6-23.85 kbps) audio from the 3GA container and writes it as signed 16-bit little-endian PCM (pcm_s16le) at 44.1 kHz sample rate in the RIFF WAVE container. The output uses the standard WAV header with fmt and data chunks. At CD quality (16-bit, 44.1 kHz, stereo), WAV files consume approximately 10.6 MB per minute. The little-endian byte order is the standard for WAV and is universally supported across all platforms.