[Orpheus]

Hi! I've recently bought an ipod and wanted to rip all my CDs, but the stock internal CD-ROM I got is not cutting it. Even with error correction and all I still get clicks and noise on certain CDs. So, I'm looking for an external CD-ROM (or rewriteable) or DVD-ROM/RW, to be connected via USB.

What's the best one for ripping? Anyone do any comparisons by chance?

 

[ksaki]

Try ripping your cds using eac before using a different drive. It works wonders in most cases.
Other than that, most new optical drives are much of a muchness these days, IMO.

 

[Jaska]

Plextor PX-230A. In my opinion, it cannot be beat.

 

[iJoe]

Are these clicks occurring in the same places each time? if so are the CDs scratched in anyway?

Also are you using decent surge protection?

 

[Orpheus]

cds aren't scratched--some are brand new, read for first time. it's not the clicking sound you get from scratched cds. it does this sharp sound ever ~1s or so, in varying volumes during certain tracks. sometimes it's more pronounced. varies. i get the same effect from some stand-alone cd players. and on some other players the effect is gone. it seems like some players and cd-roms are more sensative. not sure what the real problem is though.

surge protection is adequate--again i get the same effect from other players, both at work and at home. but on different cds at different times. happens a lot more with burned cds.

 

[soul05]

i've heard plextors make good drives, but from personal experience, external drives are pretty crappy.

 

[classicalguy]

All ripping should be done with EAC in secure mode. Search Chris Myden's site for download and setup info. You'll at least know whether there is a problem with your rips or a problem with your player. I've had players that made clicking noises. You need to isolate the problem. Note that EAC in secure mode is really slow compared to non-secure rippers, but you are assured of excellent quality.

 

[mlarn]

It seems like external drives of similar quality are generally cheaper than replacing internal notebook drives. Is this generally the case?

 

[directstep]

Please do not start thinking external drives are inferior. There are good and not so good the same as with internal drives....

Advice: Get a Plextor 230A and either mount it in a 3rd Party external housing or try and source an old external Plextor Premium and replace with the 230A.

In some ways an external drive can prove better and more convenient.

This pairing (230A + Premium housing) is well proven for us in studio conditions ripping 10,000 + tracks.

Use EAC and set up correctly to rip.
If ripping from CDRs - best to re-record all the first tracks onto new CDRs inserting a test track at start of each (sometimes ripping CDR 1st track can be problematic)

Rip to WAV (convert to compressed formats after & seperately)

After you have your WAVs - download an old original copy of Cool Edit.... top & tail the tracks easily and adjust volume etc.

 

[Orpheus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaska /img/forum/go_quote.gif Plextor PX-230A. In my opinion, it cannot be beat.

just bought the px-240a/sw-bl from newegg. you guys were right--eac is incredible. it even made cds that clicked in my cd players sound better. nice! but unfortunately i had to rip some cds many times over to get accurarip to say they are good... i think i need the new drive. so.... we'll see how this plextor fairs.

btw, found a $30 rebate for this model on plextor's website. so, total price out the door would be $30! nice. now i need to find an external usb enclosure.

 

[Jaska]

Be sure to follow up with your thoughts on the new drive. I bought my PX-230A when there was little to no information available about it on the web, and it turned out to be one of the best blind purchases in my life.

 

[iJoe]

directstep you say that we should be ripping to WAV and then 'convert to compressed formats after & separately' would this still apply to Macs in going from the bit perfect AIFF to Apple lossless compression? Always wandered why there was a convert to lossless section.

This accurarip app is new to me, have to look into it.

Would a external drive be notably better than the internal, if the internal is still working fine and has not suffered some sort of mechanical wear like Orpheus' probably had?