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RA file (RealAudio)

RealAudio, the streaming audio of the dial-up era.

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Convert RA to MP3, free and without uploading it.

What is an RA file?

In short: An RA file (.ra) is an audio file in the RA format. RealAudio streamed sound over 14.4k modems, which meant heavily compressed mono at telephone quality. It can be converted to MP3, WAV or FLAC for free in a web browser with iHateFiles, without uploading it.

RealAudio, launched in 1995 as the first practical streaming audio on the internet.

RealAudio streamed sound over 14.4k modems, which meant heavily compressed mono at telephone quality. It made internet radio possible years before anything else could, and the archives of that era are still in it.

What RA is good at

  • Worked over connections that could carry nothing else
  • Historic archive of early internet radio
  • Very small files

Where RA falls short

  • Obsolete
  • Quality that only makes sense against a dial-up constraint
  • Almost nothing plays it

When to use RA

Convert RA to MP3 to keep an old recording playable.

How to open an RA file

VLC and dedicated converters.

Opening a .ra file on each platform
WindowsVLC.
macOSVLC.
LinuxVLC or mpv.
PhoneVLC.
In a browserNo browser plays RealAudio.

The thing that usually goes wrong

These recordings were made for modems. Converting keeps them alive but cannot make them sound better than they were captured.

Not sure the file really is an RA? Identify it by its contents, whatever its extension says.

Questions

What is an RA file?

RA stands for RealAudio. RealAudio, the streaming audio of the dial-up era. Files use the .ra extension.

What does RA stand for?

RA stands for RealAudio.

How do I open an RA file?

On Windows: VLC. On a Mac: VLC. On a phone: VLC. Or convert an RA here to a format that opens everywhere, free and without uploading it.

Can I convert RA for free?

Yes. Every conversion here is free and unlimited, because your own device does the work rather than a server we have to pay for.

Is RA lossless?

No. RA is a lossy format, so saving discards some detail to save space.