[tarcalion]

This is possible. I know it is. However, I also know that it probably isn't as straight-forward as it should be. Why else would secure rippers like EAC, dBpowerAMP and XLD require such long and tedious setups in order to work properly?
 
I am on a Windows computer and consequently I'll be using EAC for most of my current and future ripping. I have bookmarked four different guides for properly setting up EAC, though I have yet to compare them to each other:
 
http://blowfish.be/eac/index.html
 
http://hiphopiscoolagain.com/secure-cd-ripping-with-exact-audio-copy/
 
http://www.fryth.com/eacfaq/
 
http://users.fulladsl.be/spb2267/
 
However, even if EAC is setup correctly, it is my understanding that you may not end up with a bit-perfect copy; even if most of the actual audio data is correct, leading and trailing silence blocks may be too short or too long.
 
Now please don't rant on me and tell me that I will not hear the difference and that it doesn't matter, because it does matter to me. I don't think getting a perfect copy of a CD should be a hard thing to do - I think it ought to be entirely fundamental in order for digital media to have any edge over analog - but apparently it is very hard, and now I want to know why.
 
I have been lurking at the Hydrogen Audio forums for a while trying to get an answer to this un-technical enough for me to understand, but I have not been successful. Furthermore I don't approve of the atmosphere at that place so I'd prefer not to keep trying to get my questions answered that way. The only thing I managed to understand over there was that part of the problem might be something called 'overreading'. I queried a member about it and he answered that if I used dBpowerAMP Reference and had a drive which could overread, then yes, if the CD was in good condition the rip would be bit perfect and the programme would notify me if it was otherwise.
 
I didn't undersand.
 
As the audio junkies we all are it seems plausible that some of you have encountered this problem as well, and I want to know if there is a definite answer and, if not, how can we come up with one?
 
I am very thankful for any input on this matter.

 

[Beefy]

It is difficult because Redbook audio was never designed to do this. It simply doesn't have the (from memory) indexing and error checking capability of data CD formats. So when you read a CD as data, you have to read it in overlapping blocks to make sure that the data is coming off the disk correctly. Things are complicated further by copy protection methods that screw up the indexing of the CDs even more...... even if the drive can read the data, it literally cannot work out where the tracks start and finish and has to guess.
 
dbpoweramp with AccurateRip is really your best bet. It compares the checksum of each track read from your CDs to a database. If your checksum is the same as the majority of other AccurateRip users, chances are the rip is bit perfect. If the checksum is different, then chances are the read process went wrong.
 
Quote:

Now please don't rant on me and tell me that I will not hear the difference and that it doesn't matter, because it does matter to me. I don't think getting a perfect copy of a CD should be a hard thing to do - I think it ought to be entirely fundamental in order for digital media to have any edge over analog - but apparently it is very hard, and now I want to know why.

 

[DaveBSC]

The blowfish.be guide with EAC should get you what you want. Just remember when ripping to detect gaps, and use "test and copy" mode so you can make sure the CRC values match. Assuming the disc is in the AccurateRip database, you can use that to be doubly sure that you have a bit-for-bit, second-for-second perfect copy of the original pressing.

 

[curioskilldcat]

May seem bit off-topic, but does anyone know how to rip to wav? I want to convert the CD to wav.
I have just downloaded this software and am now reading the EAC Setup guide (section 4b. External Compression) and stuck here. It says: ''Use file extension: .flac. The program will copy what you type here exactly the way you typed it!'' 
If I am gonna write flac. is it gonna convert it to flac?

 

[DaveBSC]

Quote:

May seem bit off-topic, but does anyone know how to rip to wav? I want to convert the CD to wav.
I have just downloaded this software and am now reading the EAC Setup guide (section 4b. External Compression) and stuck here. It says: ''Use file extension: .flac. The program will copy what you type here exactly the way you typed it!'' 
If I am gonna write flac. is it gonna convert it to flac?

EAC rips to Wav by default. If you rip using "compressed mode", it will then convert the ripped file to flac for you (or ape, wavepack, etc). You don't need to use lossless compression.

 

[tisb0b]

To be fair EAC also does this. 
 
Quote:

 
dbpoweramp with AccurateRip is really your best bet. It compares the checksum of each track read from your CDs to a database. If your checksum is the same as the majority of other AccurateRip users, chances are the rip is bit perfect. If the checksum is different, then chances are the read process went wrong.

 

[Achmedisdead]

And it is free!
Quote:

To be fair EAC also does this. 
 
Quote:

 
dbpoweramp with AccurateRip is really your best bet. It compares the checksum of each track read from your CDs to a database. If your checksum is the same as the majority of other AccurateRip users, chances are the rip is bit perfect. If the checksum is different, then chances are the read process went wrong.

 

 

 

[Beefy]

True. But I liked dbpoweramp so much after using the trial version, that it ended up being the first software I actually bought in many, many years.
 
Quote:

To be fair EAC also does this. 
 

 

 

[tarcalion]

No CDs I own have copy protection as far as I know. Now were I to keep using EAC I would of course set it up correctly, if there is even such a thing ... I just want to make sure that if nothing is really wrong with the drive or the CD the result WILL be bit-perfect. Is using EAC or dBpowerAMP with the correct settings the way to do this?
 
I really don't know how else to go about finding a fully reliable source of digital audio ... files sold online are also ripped from somewhere, unsettlingly often. And I think we can be pretty sure none of them are securely ripped.

 

[tarcalion]

bump
 
I e-mailed the developer of dBpowerAMP with this question and his simple answer was that "if you have a drive which can overread, yes [you will be able to get bit-perfect rips]". Why is this a necessity? What does it mean? Should I enable it in some setting, given my drive has this ability? Which drives are equipped with it? I think the overread thing could make sense, as the problem chiefly lies in the drives inability to detect exactly where a track/CD starts and ends. I don't know how, though.
 
I'd also very much like any comments to this:
 
Quote:

I really don't know how else to go about finding a fully reliable source of digital audio ... files sold online are also ripped from somewhere, unsettlingly often. And I think we can be pretty sure none of them are securely ripped.

 

[aangen]

I personally went through this process. I started out with EAC and I did all the studying and blah blah blah. I ripped 1300 CDs with EAC.
Now I use dBpowerAMP and all the tools that come with it. I Love it!! 
I wouldn't use EAC again NO MATTER WHAT. But hey, due diligence, it's a process.

 

[tarcalion]

Quote:

I personally went through this process. I started out with EAC and I did all the studying and blah blah blah. I ripped 1300 CDs with EAC.
Now I use dBpowerAMP and all the tools that come with it. I Love it!! 
I wouldn't use EAC again NO MATTER WHAT. But hey, due diligence, it's a process.

 
And you find that dBpowerAMP does provide you with bit-perfect results?

 

[Beefy]

How many times do you want people to say YES?
 
Quote:

Quote:
 
And you find that dBpowerAMP does provide you with bit-perfect results?

 

[Matt08642]

EAC is better than dBpoweramp if your CDs have errors, it has better error correction

 

[Beefy]

Rubbish, they both use the same strategy.
 
Quote:

EAC is better than dBpoweramp if your CDs have errors, it has better error correction