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Audible Digital Audio Book Format
An image of an Audible Digital audio book loaded in the Audible App for iPhone
Contents
Bookmarking and Playback Features
Overview
Audible Digital, file extension *.aa or *.aax, is a digital audio book format available exclusively from Audible.com, a subsidiary of Amazon.com. Audible Digital audio books feature wide device and software support meaning more features and the ability to listen to them on more devices than pretty much any other type of digital audio book format available today.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A superior playback and listening interface than any other format for major mobile devices means listening to Audible audio books is a joy.
- Huge selection of books means you can find books that aren't available in any other digital format or even on CD.
- Audible customer service is ridiculously helpful and will offer full refunds for problems such as not liking the narrator.
- Membership plans make these books very affordable.
Cons
- Some books can be more expensive than their CD or OverDrive MP3 counterparts.
- Some publishers will charge two credits for their books as a cash grab making them unnecessarily expensive.
Downloading
Downloading and listening to an Audible Digital audio book goes something like this:
- Download and install the Audible Download Manager to your computer.
- Access "My Library" after signing in to your account at audible.com and select the audio book you would like to download.
- Audible Download Manager downloads the book to your computer.
- Open the book with Audible Manager or iTunes
- Listen on your computer or transfer to your chosen portable listening device.
You can also download audio books directly to your Android, BlackBerry and iPhone/iPod Touch devices using Audible's custom apps for those devices.
Compatible Devices
Audible Digital audio books are compatible with listening devices that are "AudibleReady". Currently there are over 500+ AudibleReady devices. If your listening device's manufacturer is listed below your device is most likely compatible:
- Apple
- Cowon
- Creative
- Zune
- Garmin
- iRiver
- Kindle
- Memorex
- Blackberry
- Motorola
- Philips
- RCA
- Olympus
- SanDisk
- Sonos
- TomTom
- Pioneer XMp3
You can find a list of all devices that are AudibleReady at Audible's Device Center.
Audible Digital audio books can also be played on PC or Mac computers.
An Audible audio book may be transferred to up to three different portable listening devices.
Software
Depending on your computer and listening device different types of Audible software will be required to complete your download. Bear in mind all software is free:
| Device | Required Software |
|---|---|
| Computer |
PC: Audible Manager and Audible Download Manager Mac: iTunes |
| CDs |
PC: iTunes and Audible Download Manager Mac: iTunes |
| Apple iPod |
PC: Audible Download Manager and iTunes Mac: iTunes |
| Kindle | Audible Manager and Audible Download Manager |
| Mobile Phone | Audible Manager and Audible Download Manager |
| MP3 Player | Audible Manager and Audible Download Manager |
| GPS | Audible Manager and Audible Download Manager |
| Apple iPhone/ iPod Touch | Audible Application for iPhone |
| BlackBerry | Audible Application for BlackBerry |
| Android | Audible Application for Android |
Sound Quality and File Size
Audible Digital audio books are available in four different formats, ranging in file size and sound quality (see below) Most books are available in all four formats and you may choose to download your book in any quality you choose:
| Audible Digital Audio Book Format | 2 | 3 | 4 | e - Audible Enhanced Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound Quality is similar to | AM | FM | MP3 | CD |
| File size for 1 hr of audio | 3.7MB | 7.2MB | 14.4MB | 28.8MB |
| Download time per hour (high speed connection) | 20 sec | 40 sec | 1m 19s | 2m 37s |
| Download time per hour (56K modem) | 9 min | 17 mins | 35 mins | 1h 9m |
Some older digital playback devices don't support all four formats. Check your device in Audible's Device Center to make sure.
Bookmarking and Playback Features
Audible has a number of unique bookmarking and playback features that makes listening to an audible audio book a step above MP3 books.
The screenshot below shows some of the bookmarking and playback features available for the Audible App for iPhone:
- A custom single swipe playback screen (see right image) for quickly jumping forward and backward
- Sleep mode: the book will automatically turn off from your choice of 15-60 minutes or at the end of chapter
- Increase or decrease narration speed from 0.5x to 3x
- Go back 30 seconds instantly
- Bookmark this position to come back to later
Burn to CD
Audible's software allows you to burn your Audible audio book to CD one time. If there's any issue in the burn process their customer service are usually quite happy to help.
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