[CarbonTi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantsleep /img/forum/go_quote.gif plus, pc feels soul-less, compared to cdp. but again, cdp, too, feels soul-less compared to vinyl..

This is very true, and I'm in the pc audio camp. All this debate about different flavors of digital when the antidiluvian swiggly groove has all the swing a music lover could want. Progress amplifies the efficiencies and kills the emotion.

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audioengr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Quality? I didn't know there was quality read-out on EAC. I only see the maximum level read-out. With loudly recorded tracks, this can be 99% Where do I get the quality number from? Steve N.

http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/eac.shtml

Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and then move up about 1/2 a screen, this shows what I mean.

You have to be using secure mode to get this level of detail, secure mode is rather slower.

http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/...boutSecureMode

To set secure mode you have to go into Drive Options (F10)

 

[audioengr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hciman77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/eac.shtml Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and then move up about 1/2 a screen, this shows what I mean. You have to be using secure mode to get this level of detail, secure mode is rather slower. http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/...boutSecureMode To set secure mode you have to go into Drive Options (F10)

I have seen this. I just ignored it because it was always 100%. My disks have no scratches though.

I think the results of ripping time and quality will vary a lot with the drive. It is difficult to get a fast, accurate drive with a PC anymore. In the past, you bought the top of line laptop and it came with a superb, fast DVD/CD drive. Now that they have mixed-in HD and other features, most of them are slow now. I just bought a new Toshiba for $2400 with big screen and the drive only rips at 2X.....
Steve N.

 

[audioengr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hciman77 /img/forum/go_quote.gif http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/eac.shtml Scroll down to the very bottom of the page and then move up about 1/2 a screen, this shows what I mean. You have to be using secure mode to get this level of detail, secure mode is rather slower. http://www.teqnilogik.com/tutorials/...boutSecureMode To set secure mode you have to go into Drive Options (F10)

I have seen this. I just ignored it because it was always 100%. My disks have no scratches though.

I think the results of ripping time and quality will vary a lot with the drive. It is difficult to get a fast, accurate drive with a PC anymore. In the past, you bought the top of line laptop and it came with a superb, fast DVD/CD drive. Now that they have mixed-in HD and other features, most of them are slow now. I just bought a new Toshiba for $2400 with big screen and the drive only rips at 2X.....
Steve N.

 

[325xi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeonvB /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you're talking about transports: virtually 0. I compared the Stello transport (coax) to my Sony CE595 (toslink), both running to a Stello DA220MKII, and very little difference can be noticed. When compared to my PC (USB input of DA220 MKII), there's again very little difference. It's hardly noticable unless you really dig deep, and still I wonder how much difference there REALLY was. The PC wins big time however in convenience (700+ CDs at my fingertips), with the CE595 a good second (5 disk changer), and the Stello ending last (1 disk).

Absolutely correct - assuming everything done right.
Take care of the way you output audio from a computer, jitter, possible ground loop... Send it to a really good DAC. Then there's no reason to get back to optical disc based digital audio.

 

[325xi]

Double post

 

[325xi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by CarbonTi /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is very true, and I'm in the pc audio camp. All this debate about different flavors of digital when the antidiluvian swiggly groove has all the swing a music lover could want. Progress amplifies the efficiencies and kills the emotion.

Just learn how it works. It's all about DAC - one in your CD player, and the other you connected your PC to. Get the right DAC and there will be no problem with "emotions". Yes, the other, minor though, thing is jitter, which is normally more pronounced with outboard DAC, and if not handled well it may affect the sound to make it "lifeless".

 

[Dr.Love]

There is no such thing as a universal "better" in the audio world despite what random self appointed Inquisitors would have you believe.

What sounds good to you? Figure it out and enjoy the music!

 

[003]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icarium /img/forum/go_quote.gif EAC corrects a lot of that and may one of the most accuracate ripping programs, but it is still not perfect. Nothing is, and probably nothing will be.

Hi, that's actually not true at all. Unless the disc is bad from the get-go, badly scratched, or the CD drive being used is faulty, then yes -- EAC will give you a perfect rip. Especially in secure or paranoid mode.

Andrew

 

[jp11801]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icarium /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well depending on who you listen to... jitter doesnt exactly creep in during the ripping process. Discrepancies do between the original and the rip. EAC corrects a lot of that and may one of the most accuracate ripping programs, but it is still not perfect. Nothing is, and probably nothing will be. Whether or not EAC is perfect to the point where your ears cannot tell the difference (Probably true for most people if not all shrug) that's between you and your ears ;p I'm not saying the difference I hear is due to this discrepancy for certain, more I am offering a possible source of that discrepancy. I certainly think its plausible shrug. As for jitter? Well there are a multitude of theorized sources of jitter and some definitely border on the pseudo-mystical though no matter how crazy those theories are I don't necessarily rule them out (I try to keep an open mind when possible)... however there is one sure source of jitter and that's desync'd clocking between your computer and your dac on playback. Even if you feed your dac a bit perfect word stream there is mismatch between the clock in your computer and whatever clock your dac uses... this will cause distortion. Whether you can hear that distortion or not? Again between you and your ears.

I would urge you to take the pepsi challenge on this one, the clock issue from my limited understanding is negated with USB or Firewire.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jigglybootch /img/forum/go_quote.gif That being said, couldn't it be reasoned then that no CDP transport is perfect and that a dedicated CDP is capable of equal, if not more discrepancies (on account of the meticulous nature of EAC)?

or ALAC on a Mac
Quote:

Originally Posted by greggf /img/forum/go_quote.gif I can't imagine spending even 20 minutes transferring one single CD, let alone 20 minutes X a zillion CDs. Get a life! What are you guys, human beings, or accountants/librarians/engineers/geeks? And what about, for most people, the noise of computer cooling fans whirring away? Doesn't that negate Benchmark DACS, HD6X0, K6/701, and numerous Raptors/Singlepowers/archaic tubes/tube rolling/opamp rolling/arrrrghing.................! Let me know when computers are painless and perfect. For now, the "convenience" isn't, it's a royal PITA. But in the meantime, I selfishly hope you geeks waste lots of your personal time perfecting things for the rest of us!!

get a mac mini very queit, do the rips when you listen then you have all your music in the most user friendly interface imagineable.I browse my tunes on a
37" LCD using apple itunes cover art feature, it's really amazing and I find it opens me up to more of my collection.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 325xi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Absolutely correct - assuming everything done right. Take care of the way you output audio from a computer, jitter, possible ground loop... Send it to a really good DAC. Then there's no reason to get back to optical disc based digital audio.

Amen!!
My computer set up is easily as good as my two dedicated cdps the wadia 302 or the exemplar.

 

[sejarzo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, that's actually not true at all. Unless the disc is bad from the get-go, badly scratched, or the CD drive being used is faulty, then yes -- EAC will give you a perfect rip. Especially in secure or paranoid mode. Andrew

x2. I don't get Icarium's point......

Now the first thing I do with a new disc is rip to FLAC via EAC, and I just let it fly in burst mode and am done in 4 minutes or so.

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audioengr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have seen this. I just ignored it because it was always 100%. My disks have no scratches though. I think the results of ripping time and quality will vary a lot with the drive. It is difficult to get a fast, accurate drive with a PC anymore. In the past, you bought the top of line laptop and it came with a superb, fast DVD/CD drive. Now that they have mixed-in HD and other features, most of them are slow now. I just bought a new Toshiba for $2400 with big screen and the drive only rips at 2X..... Steve N.

Sorry, I also have a new Toshiba laptop and the DVD/CD drive is absolute rubbish. It is remarkably slow - rips (via EAC) at 5x (burst) or 1.8X (secure) , burns CDs at < 24X - my old dell desktop DVD drive is vastly superior in terms of speed, quality is about the same.

As for quality, I am very careful with my CDs yet if a new CD rips at 100% quality for all tracks that is unusual for me across several different systems, dont know why , I will try one now...

 

[003]

There are still plenty of very good optical drives being made. Check out the CD freaks forums:
http://club.cdfreaks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=61

 

[hciman77]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, that's actually not true at all. Unless the disc is bad from the get-go, badly scratched, or the CD drive being used is faulty, then yes -- EAC will give you a perfect rip. Especially in secure or paranoid mode. Andrew

Tht isnt my experience, even with new CDs ....

Quote:

First off many thanks for Steve N. for sending me the Jitter-free copy of Norah Jones. First off I made my own copy of the new CD and did a quick comparison between the three CDs and there were some interesting results. 2) I tested all CDs using EAC test DA extract Nero CD Speed Nero DAE test utility Both copies (mine and Steve's) read noticeably slower than the Commercial CD sometimes my copy was marginally faster than Steve's , sometimes it was slower but there was precious little in it EAC extracted tracks from all CDs with no reported errors and the peak levels on all versions were the same for all tracks. Steve's copy showed 99.8% on 4 tracks and 100% on the rest, the original and my copy both showed 99.8% on 3 tracks (the same tracks) but in my experience this is EAC being paranoid and 99.8% does not mean audible errors. There is nothing here to suggest that the CDs are really any different. Nero DAE shows all CDS will extract with zero errors.

Now I dont rightly know what EAC means when is says 99.9% since it also reports zero errors - perhaps it is alluding to corrected errors ?

 

[MatsudaMan]

I always thought that computer as a source was only for those who don't have room for a proper hi-fi setup. Dedicated source please.