In the crowded multimedia environment the range of audio and video converters tends to extend beyond any type of limit. Good, bad, handy or totally useless, these tools continue to pop up every day because sometimes we need them more than anything. Why? Well… for one tiny reason: music. Look around you and you’ll see that almost everyone carries with him/her a small object called MP3 player, iPod or any type of similar gadget. And to use these tools you need another device called an audio converter that will simply make your music readable for your audio player.

In this case, we think that AimOne Audio/Video to MP3/WAV Converter deserves a try, and our statement relies on the satisfying output of the application. Indeed, our tests could not be completely carried out because the tool had some limitations. The demo mode forced us to convert only the first 30 seconds of the audio file, which was quite annoying, but still we noticed that it really did its job. However, although it has a good functionality, the price  doesn’t quite rise to the expectations, especially since you can find a free tool that does about the same thing and you don’t have to pay $25 to get the full version.

Anyway, the app is very simple to use, with a clean and neat interface. The main window uses a basic language and a handy display, which gives you a feeling of familiarity, because it’s like you know exactly what menu to use and which button to click on.

Like we said, the app seems to be a good choice especially because it can handle a variety of audio and video formats, so you’ll be able to convert AVI to MP3, AVI to WAV, MPEG to MP3, DVD to MP3, VCD to MP3, ASF to MP3, WMV to MP3, WMA to MP3, RM to MP3, RA to MP3, and it supports DivX, XviD AVI, DVD, VCD, RM, RA, WAV extensions.

Another interesting feature is the small preview in the left corner of the application. It does not represent a necessity and it’s not a vital component for the functionality of the converter, but it may come in handy when you want to verify if a video file is corrupted or not. This built-in player also supports audio formats, so you can play your audio-video files directly from the main window of the converter.

In our opinion, the basic trump of this app here is its nice and tidy display. All the important functions and options can be accessed from the main menu, well positioned in the upper half of the window. From here you can manage your files (add or remove them), convert them and customize the conversion process. No spread around buttons or scattered tabs, just a simple and complete toolbar-like menu.

After adding your files, just select the output format – you can choose between two types of extensions: MP3 and WAV. This is a somewhat restrictive selection – too restrictive, we might say. Although, it supports many formats, you can only choose between two output types, which is a pretty big drawback if we think about the $25 price.

When you’ve added the output file, just click on the Convert button in the main menu and the app will start doing its job. Just be careful, because if you have more than one file added in the console, the tool will automatically start the batch mode conversion without prompting you. If that’s the case, simply interrupt the process using the Stop button.

To change the output folder open the Options window where you’ll be able to select a preferential directory. You can also customize the Mp3 encoder settings allowing you to modify the constant or the variable bitrate. The options under the Quality section are not exactly what we’ve expected; you can choose between 5 levels but it does not specify any value and you cannot create your own preset. However, this is not such a big deal if we remember that we’re not talking about a professional tool and you can only covert to Mp3 and WAV.

Overall, the app seems to satisfy the basic needs of a conversion process. It’s easy to use, it’s pretty fast from what we’ve seen during our tests, and it offers a good output quality. The price is not the best one, considering the free conversion tools, but, on the other hand, those might lack a good functionality.

The Good

AimOne Audio/Video to MP3/WAV Converter is very simple to use and has a relaxing interface that does not overwhelm you with a crowded display. You can batch convert your files and the app does a good job. We are sure it won’t fail you.

The Bad

Like we said before, we think the price is overestimated and, although the functionality of the software cannot be attacked in any aspect, we still believe that it really isn’t worth paying so much for it, especially for those who are on a rather tight budget. Another drawback that reinforces the statement above is the restrictive output format selection. It can create only two extensions and that’s a very small number if we compare it to other freeware apps out there.

The Truth

Basically, this converter has a strong plus: it really does its job. It’s handy and fast and it will never disappoint you when it comes to converting files. On the other hand, you might not enjoy the price and we totally agree, especially if we think about its built-in limitations discussed above. Anyway, you should give it a try, because we think it’s worth that much.
 

Here are some snapshots of the application in action: