diff --git a/Lib/aifc.py b/Lib/aifc.py
--- a/Lib/aifc.py
+++ b/Lib/aifc.py
@@ -336,17 +336,17 @@ class Aifc_read:
                 params[1] = cl.MONO
             elif self._nchannels == 2:
                 params[1] = cl.STEREO_INTERLEAVED
             else:
                 raise Error, 'cannot compress more than 2 channels'
             self._decomp.SetParams(params)
 
     def __init__(self, f):
-        if type(f) == type(''):
+        if isinstance(f, basestring):
             f = __builtin__.open(f, 'rb')
         # else, assume it is an open file object already
         self.initfp(f)
 
     #
     # User visible methods.
     #
     def getfp(self):
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_aifc.py b/Lib/test/test_aifc.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_aifc.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_aifc.py
@@ -25,16 +25,20 @@ class AIFCTest(unittest.TestCase):
         except OSError:
             pass
 
     def test_skipunknown(self):
         #Issue 2245
         #This file contains chunk types aifc doesn't recognize.
         self.f = aifc.open(self.sndfilepath)
 
+    def test_unicode_open(self):
+        # see issue 15843
+        self.f = aifc.open(unicode(self.sndfilepath))
+
     def test_params(self):
         f = self.f = aifc.open(self.sndfilepath)
         self.assertEqual(f.getnchannels(), 2)
         self.assertEqual(f.getsampwidth(), 2)
         self.assertEqual(f.getframerate(), 48000)
         self.assertEqual(f.getnframes(), 14400)
         self.assertEqual(f.getcomptype(), 'NONE')
         self.assertEqual(f.getcompname(), 'not compressed')