Best CD ripping transport.

[Nacho]

Hi to all.
I ripp my cd's from my iMac with XLD software.
Are there any better transport dedicated ripper?
What's your experience?

[Randy Myers]

There are a thread a while ago talking about this. If I recall correct most people seemed to think just ripping with you computer worked pretty well <shrug>... I do not rip a ton but I have always used my computer when I have.

[nicoff]

There is no such a thing as best CD ripping transport. The Drive of your Mac will suffice. The key is the software that you use to rip the disc. For the Mac I use DBpoweramp. It has a great GUI and gives you bit-perfect rips. It is not free but worth it.
I have used XLD in the past but, imho, does not compare to DBp.
Also, you will need a good tagging software. I recommend mp3tag which is free.

[-E-]

Best rips: XLD (MacOS) or EAC (Win). Both require significant configuration to enable proper archive-grade ripping.

Everything else is second class - even when fully tweaked.

[The Lost Bears]

I also use EAC (Exact Audio Copy). Some drives do a better job than others for ripping. In general desktop drives do a better job than laptops. But as long as you use software that rips bit perfect and compares your results to the AccurateRip database, it does not matter that much. Better drives will rip a little faster and may read through an error better.

[Nacho]

So as important is the transport for reproduction, shouldn't it be so important to rip?

[The Lost Bears]

It's a totally different situation. When you are playing a CD, it is in real time. But a computer can go back and reread the CD over and over until it reads the bits correctly. A better CD drive can sometimes do this quicker and with less errors. But if you compare your rip to the AccurateRip database and it matches. Then you know the rip is bit perfect and it really doesn't matter. A better transport can also sometimes read a badly scratched disc where another drive gets an error. The main thing is that as long as your rips match the database you are fine.

[Nacho]

Thank you very much !!!

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by -E-

Best rips: XLD (MacOS) or EAC (Win). Both require significant configuration to enable proper archive-grade ripping.

Everything else is second class - even when fully tweaked.

Emile.......Did you forget to write "in my opinion".

There is plenty of evidence that demonstrates dBpoweramp is the equal to if not the better ripping software. You're right about one thing, EAC requires significant configuration to enable proper ripping. The EAC configuration wizard is just part of it. I can see why it is necessary for you to configure customers servers and hand-hold them until they are up to speed. I don't really get the "archive-grade" description you like to use. What does that mean, better than bit perfect? It is either bit perfect or it isn't.

EAC is kind of like Audio by E, a single person venture where you are the guy who assembles the computer and instructs the end user, and Andre Wiethoff is the guy who writes and supports the free ripping software along with his day job. There is nothing wrong with any of that if you can make it work. You have a number of happy customers that I am certain you are proud of, and EAC is well received as a ripping software. No offense is intended here, just a rebuttal with respect to your "Everything else is second class" comment and the insinuation it seems to infer.

Personally I prefer dbPowerAmp because it is a professional level software being actively developed by a company who is into high quality audio, i.e. Illustrate. Yes, dBpoweramp requires a small fee to purchase but it is well worth it, captures metadata and tagging more accurately, and is intuitive to use. dBpoweramp takes advantage of AccurateRip just like EAC and XLD for file accuracy comparisons. Lets not forget who invented AccurateRip, the same folks who developed dBpoweramp. Both ripping software programs inform you when a rip is not accurate.

Here is some interesting reading for those who may not have already seen it.

http://www.dbpoweramp.com/secure-ripper.htm

While I can appreciate your enthusiasm for your particular choice of ripping software and the less than user friendly setup required to configure it for proper ripping, there are just as many audio enthusiast and pro audio folks who prefer dBpoweramp. Making a blanket statement that EAC rips somehow make everything else "second class" is quite a stretch from reality, in my opinion.

[krustycat]

I too use dBpoweramp. [emoji4]