Free online SHN to AU converter

Source format: SHN

SHN stands for Shorten, an older lossless audio compression format. It was widely used in the 1990s and early 2000s for distributing live recordings, bootlegs, and archived audio where preserving the original waveform mattered. SHN files are most often found in trading communities and legacy audio collections, and they are now largely replaced by newer lossless formats such as FLAC.

Because SHN is lossless, it preserves audio quality exactly, but it is not as broadly supported by modern players and devices as current formats.

Target format: AU

AU is a simple audio container format originally associated with Sun and NeXT systems. It is commonly used for basic PCM audio and, in some cases, compressed audio codecs depending on the encoder and player support. AU is valued for its simplicity and compatibility with older Unix-based systems and some embedded or legacy software.

The main advantages of AU are its straightforward structure and broad historical support in technical environments. However, compared with modern formats, it is less flexible and less common for everyday music distribution.

How to perform the conversion

The most reliable way to convert SHN to AU is to first decode the SHN file to uncompressed audio and then encode that audio into AU. A command-line tool such as FFmpeg is often the easiest option if your SHN file is supported by your build.

1. Install FFmpeg if it is not already available on your system.

2. Open a terminal or command prompt in the folder containing the SHN file.

3. Run a command such as ffmpeg -i input.shn output.au.

4. Check the resulting AU file in a compatible player or audio editor.

If FFmpeg does not recognize the SHN file, use a dedicated Shorten decoder or an audio editor that can open SHN, then export the audio to AU. In some workflows, you may need to convert SHN to WAV first and then save or export as AU.

If you prefer a browser-based workflow, you can convert the file on 101convert.com for free without installing any software.

In desktop software, the process is usually similar: open the SHN file, then choose File → Save As or File → Export, and select AU as the output format if the application supports it.

Notes on quality and compatibility

SHN is lossless, so the conversion itself does not need to reduce quality. However, the final quality of the AU file depends on the AU encoding settings and codec used. If you export to uncompressed PCM AU, the audio remains faithful to the source, but the file size may be much larger than the original SHN.

Compatibility is the main limitation. Not every audio editor or player can open SHN files, and not every AU encoder supports all sample rates, channel layouts, or compression variants. For best results, verify that the source SHN file is valid and that the target AU file opens correctly in your intended software or device.