Ripping CDs from CDP to Laptop

[Formerly YB-2]

Originally Posted by crwilli

Make sure the laptop has a CD drive or the ability to connect a USB CD drive so you can rip CDs. JRiver will rip CDs (EAC and dbPoweramp are also great choices).
Craig

Craig - would like to use my McIntosh MCD301, which has both coax and optical digital outs, to rip CDs to my laptop, using JRiver software. Am wondering what adapters, if any, or other bits and pieces might be needed in order to do so?
Thanks.

[nicoff]

The best device for ripping is a regular computer disc drive (internal or external connected via USB). You don’t want a regular music CD player for this. That’s because when using the ripping software (EAC, dbP, etc) the software changes the speed of the disc when reading data depending if it finds errors or not.
A normal music CD player (like the CDP) is designed to go at one speed. Any inexpensive disc drive will work. The ripping software will make sure that the data is bit perfect.

[Formerly YB-2]

Thank you. I'm learning.

[nicoff]

Here is what you need for ripping:
1. A computer
2. A disk drive that is connected to the computer
3. Ripping Software installed in the computer. I recommend DBPoweramp because it is easy to use.

DBpoweramp has a free trial period.

If you already have a computer with a disk drive, go ahead and download dbP and try it out.

You may be surprised how easy it really is.

[crwilli]

Originally Posted by nicoff

Here is what you need for ripping:
1. A computer
2. A disk drive that is connected to the computer
3. Ripping Software installed in the computer. I recommend DBPoweramp because it is easy to use.

DBpoweramp has a free trial period.

If you already have a computer with a disk drive, go ahead and download dbP and try it out.

You may be surprised how easy it really is.

+1 Good response.

Only build would be that JRiver will also rip CDs. It can save you the extra subscription to dBPowerAmp.

But DBPA is easy to use and is what I have mostly used after getting started with the less user friendly EAC.

[Formerly YB-2]

How about dBpA with perfectTUNES? Any reason to go with perfectTUNES?

[crwilli]

Originally Posted by Formerly YB-2

How about dBpA with perfectTUNES? Any reason to go with perfectTUNES?

I never used it.

[nicoff]

As you accumulate digital music from different sources, you will find that the metadata is not consistent and you will want to make corrections. That is where software like PerfecTunes come in. I do not use PerfectTune. Instead I use MP3TAG for that purpose. The only reason is because there was not a version of PerfectTunes for MAC OS at the time when I started using dbP.

[Yamaki]

+2 on dbpoweramp cdripper. Great program, easy to use, translates all the metadata so you keep the album art, artist & album name, date of issue, etc...

I use a small ASUS USB CD/DVD drive hooked to my laptop for ripping. cdripper lets you select the drive, location and file folder you wish to store your ripped files in.

cdripper is very flexible for file extension selections and the AccurateRip function is consistent in measuring the accuracy of the rip when compared to the original CD file.

I never use the PerfectTunes product. cdripper does everything I need with respects to ripping, converting and storing my files.

[2fastdriving]

I like EAC.