[oak3x]

Moving from the IPOD, I am now considering the iAudio 7 and Samsung YP-T9.

Do either of these DAP's come with ripping software??? It seems most people who own these units use "other" software. Why?

What ripping software out there is most commonly used?

Which format typically gives the best audio reproduction? I have been reading alot of people use FLAC.

I am a novice, so please do not mind my questions

 

[Hooah]

DBpoweramp with EAC is by far the best ripper. And I prefer flac and then to transcode it to 128k mp3 onto my dap (digital audio player) to save room and due to the fact that I am listening with cheap earbud speakers.

 

[krmathis]

Some DAP's need special software for uploading music (example iPod <-> iTunes). Don't know the two players you mentioned, so no idea if they require a special software.

Ripping software.
I am a Mac OS user and prefer Max. But lots of MS Windows users prefer EAC (Exact Audio Copy).

There are two different audio compression "techniques" that you should know.
* Lossless codecs (Apple Lossless, FLAC, WavPack, Monkeys Audio, etc.). They are all without quality loss compared to the source file, and should sound the same. They differ in encoding/decoding speed, hardware/software support, etc.
* Lossy codecs (MP3, AAC, MusePack, etc.). These codecs throw away audio data on compression, and will never have the same audio data as the source.
If there are an audible difference depends on your ears, the bitrate used, and which codec/encoder you use.

 

[oak3x]

I am leaning toward purchasing the iAudio 7...based on the support of this unit's Sound Quality. My only concern was some reviews which stated that the iAudio 7's firmware was difficult?

For a Lossless Format, a would assume that FLAC is the way to go...unless anybody has other better suggestions.

Being new to this (again coming from an IPOD / ITUNES)...

Q - As a first step, I would have to convert my CD's via a program such as EAC???


Thanks!

 

[Jubei]

The Samsung does come with the Samsung Media Studio - but it is one seriously crappy piece of software. I believe it rips but I did not bother trying.

I think most people here would recommend EAC as ripper. I have used CDex before and EAC definitely managed to give me better rips. On some of my older CDs, CDex would tell me I had an OK rip, but the tracks would occasionally contain skips. None of this happened with EAC, although depending on your drive, rip times can be slow.

EAC is primarily a ripper - for some formats, you will need an encoding program (DLL file?) to do the encoding. For example with MP3s, most would go with a LAME encoder, which needs to be downloaded separately. Don't do FLAC myself, so can't offer more info in that area.

 

[mdarnton]

After reading this-- http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue32/lame.htm --I am using CDex with LAME, to 320kbps, for ripping. EAC sounds interesting, though....I'll check it out.

What you use to load tunes onto your player is, and should be, a separate issue.

 

[epaludo]

EAC is pretty good.
There's also the Easy CD-DA Extractor which has more functions, like a format converter, a burner, etc.
I use both ...

 

[pata2001]

EAC is pretty much the gold standard for secure ripping. 1 big annoyance of it is the lack of unicode support. CDex is unicode, doesn't do a secure rip like EAC, but it can do on-the-fly encoding (with EAC, it rips to WAV first, then starts encoding). Both are great and can be custom configured with Lame.

 

[Aevum]

add another vote for exact audio copy, it does secure rip, it controls the error correctiona and buffers on the CD readers, its the cleanest ripper available, and if the unicode bothers you, theres another programs out there to fix OGG,flac and mp3 tags out there,

 

[Danielj]

I have been using dbpoweramp with success. I found EAC to complicated to set up given my questionable brain power....tho I hear that those who take the time to set it up are rewarded with the most secure rips

 

[cbw]

My vote also goes for EAC. While it may be a little complicated to set up for some people, once set up it is definitely worth it.

As for FLAC, if your player supports it and you have a fair amount of space its nice, but for most the best bet would be MP3 encoded with APS LAME.

If you do need help setting up EAC you can pm me for some guidance.

 

[pata2001]

Here's a good guide for EAC: http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index....act_Audio_Copy

 

[citywithoutmetal]

I just started using mediamonkey cause it was easily the most user friendly lame ripper i found. I plop in a cd, press one button, and everything else is done for me. any fans of mm here?

 

[sammage]

Been using EAC for years, not the quickest, but works great.

 

[Brat_Boy]

Honestly, I just use Windows Media Player to rip to 192 kbps. I can't hear the difference between the CD itself and that, plus it saves space.