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What's the best CD ripping software?

151K views 162 replies 74 participants last post by  Michael Sargent 
#1 ·
Hi, everyone. Would like to rip our CD collection to the computer. We have approximately 800 CDs, and also have plenty of hard drive space available for storage. It's a big project so would like to simplify it/automate it as much as possible while retaining the best quality sound. Want to rip everything in .wav format. Later on we may convert various music to FLAC or .wma lossless for smaller file sizes to take along on vacation, etc. Have heard that the free program Exact Audio Copy (EAC) does a good job of ripping with the fewest data errors or error correction, but am open to persuasion.

Beyond the basic task of high quality ripping to .wav files, there are a number of information and convenience factors to consider. Will list the main ones here and hope you experts can suggest what software would best handle everything. A friend suggested we might want to rip using one program (like EAC?) and to organise or catalog the music using a different program. Although we prefer free software, an excellent program that does it all very conveniently might be worth paying for. Here are some features we're hoping for:


After initial setup and configuration be able to insert a CD and have it automatically rip at highest quality to desired folder, probably organised by album title and with full artist, track, title information. If one or two quick mouse clicks are necessary with each CD that would be OK I suppose, but fully automated would be most convenient, of course.


Album art included would be nice.


Tagging or key words included would be nice. For example, locating a particular piece of classical music on an album containing various composers would be much easier if we could search tags or keywords.


There may be other useful features we haven't even thought about.


Thanks very much for your help!


Creating and saving playlists of various music would be nice.
 
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#2 ·
I like EAC for burning CDs. I use Media Monkey for the media server.
 
#3 ·
Me, too. I've used EAC for years to rip to flac. Then I use Media Monkey as a media server. I can take any selections of songs on Media Monkey and convert the flacs to mp3 or wav very easily.


Since EAC is freeware, might as well download and try it.
 
#4 ·
I just use iTunes ALAC and check the CD. I store all of this on a 2TB external SATA3/6G hard drive. Then I use the home share on the Apple TV, iPhones and other computers running iTunes. A more universal format would be .wav but I play all my audio out of iTunes and you can convert ALAC to WAV or FLAC if you ever need to play it in something else that doesn't support ALAC. I can't find a cleaner interface, also Media Monkey tries to say they have a bunch of features that WMP and iTunes don't have but you can find most of them in iTunes (such as the mini player). I also shop on the iTunes store, so it's a win for me. Not sure if that meets all your needs though. You get the album art with iTunes as well, as far as automation you pop in a CD and it starts ripping, pulls the song info and grabs the album art.
 
#5 ·
Hi Gaucherre,


I have one minor suggestion: Rip to FLAC or ALAC instead of WAV. You would get the most convenience if your files are properly tagged, and WAV has very poor support for tagging. If you keep your library in FLAC, you can have EAC tag and include the cover-art, and you can always convert back to WAV later if you need.


I use EAC, but dbPowerAmp is also well regarded and is easier to setup. Configuring EAC for your needs can be time consuming, and may include a little trial&error. I still fuss with it, even after 13 years of using it. DbPowerAmp is not free (you can try it out for free), but those I know who have bought it claim it's worth the price.
 
#6 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkHotchkiss  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22134400


DbPowerAmp is not free (you can try it out for free), but those I know who have bought it claim it's worth the price.

$38 Dollars, looks interesting like it has a lot of features. I would definately use that to convert as the free one I use isn't that good. Thanks!
 
#7 ·
I've been using dBPowerAmp for years, and it's worth every penny. It's the gold standard for ripping, tagging, converting, and doing just about anything else with your digital music files you care to do. I used to use EAC, but frankly there's no comparison between the two.
 
#8 ·
I too use Dbpoweramp.. its so easy to use and set up.. ripped more than 500 CDs in the last 2 years best 38 bucks spent. it even allows dual ripping.. i rip to FLAC for my main system(squeezebox) use and to mp3 for portable ipod use and it does it at the same time.
 
#10 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by coolsax  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22146712


I too use Dbpoweramp.. its so easy to use and set up.. ripped more than 500 CDs in the last 2 years best 38 bucks spent. it even allows dual ripping.. i rip to FLAC for my main system(squeezebox) use and to mp3 for portable ipod use and it does it at the same time.

+1 for this reason. You can rip into multiple different formats/compression levels in one pass. Another benefit to dbpoweramp, if you have multiple drives you can run multiple instances at the same time. I have two internal, a third USB CD drive and had all three cranking at the same time. It also has ability to look up selections in multiple choices for selection and association of metadata.
 
#11 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Will2007  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22145282


I've been using dBPowerAmp for years, and it's worth every penny. It's the gold standard for ripping, tagging, converting, and doing just about anything else with your digital music files you care to do. I used to use EAC, but frankly there's no comparison between the two.

Another +1. I used to use EAC as well, but dBPowerAmp is much better. To start with the tagging is far better and it is much faster at secure ripping. If you value your time, it's well worth $38. You will also get the batch conversion program so you can rip to loseless and convert to any other audio format you need.
 
#12 ·

Quote:
+1 for this reason. You can rip into multiple different formats/compression levels in one pass. Another benefit to dbpoweramp, if you have multiple drives you can run multiple instances at the same time. I have two internal, a third USB CD drive and had all three cranking at the same time. It also has ability to look up selections in multiple choices for selection and association of metadata.

That's pretty cool. I may have to take a look at dbpoweramp.
 
#13 ·
Considering everything I have at home is Apple based (imac, ipod, Apple TV, etc, ) is there any downside to using dBpoweramp as opposed to ALAC? Obviously I would need to be able to stream and play it from existing players.
 
#14 ·
I’ve read a lot of praise for dbpoweramp and EAC over the years; they must be good programs. However, I don’t recall having seen them directly compared & contrasted to Nero Burning ROM.


Do dbpoweramp or EAC do anything significantly better than Nero Burning ROM? – For example:


Do they actually produce better quality rips.


Does dbpoweramp create better tagging than Nero and its Gracenote plug-in?


Not trying to push Nero or anything; I’m just seeking knowledge. – And for me, the entire Nero Multimedia Suite (which includes Nero Burning ROM) is basically like freeware because, I only update when the cost after rebates is $0.



Thanks,

Dave
 
#15 ·
Hi Dave,
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWind  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22151422


Do dbpoweramp or EAC do anything significantly better than Nero Burning ROM? – For example:


Do they actually produce better quality rips.
Short answer:

Much of the time.


Long answer:

EAC, which stands for Exact-Audio-Copy was written to do something that the other ripping software at the time (Real-Audio, Nero) did not do: Insure that the data read from the disk was an exact copy of what was meant to be there. That meant understanding the error-correction capabilities and buffering mechanisms of many different CDROM drives. The software would go through great lengths to read accurate data from the CD. I had a Notorious B.I.G. disk that took two days to rip, because of error-recovery due to scratches. Other software would do a simple read of the CD, errors and all. DbPowerAmp did the same as EAC, and added another level of protection as well.


So if you have pristine CDs with no errors, Nero would most likely produce the same results as EAC and dbPowerAmp. But if any of those CDs have dirt, scratches or flaws, EAC and dbPoweramp will create a more accurate rip, although it will take longer.
 
#16 ·
Thanks Mark!


That was very helpful. – Fwiw, like gaucherre, I’m about to begin ripping my CD collection to a hard drive. Since the vast majority of my CDs are in very good condition and ripping speed will probably be a factor, I think I’ll stick with Nero and see how it goes.


Thanks again,

Dave
 
#18 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWind  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22153152


Thanks Mark!

That was very helpful. – Fwiw, like gaucherre, I’m about to begin ripping my CD collection to a hard drive. Since the vast majority of my CDs are in very good condition and ripping speed will probably be a factor, I think I’ll stick with Nero and see how it goes.

Thanks again,

Dave

Speed doesn't matter if there is no error correction. You will need to rip again.
 
#19 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWind  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22153152


Thanks Mark!

That was very helpful. – Fwiw, like gaucherre, I’m about to begin ripping my CD collection to a hard drive. Since the vast majority of my CDs are in very good condition and ripping speed will probably be a factor, I think I’ll stick with Nero and see how it goes.

You do realize you probably won't be able to easily tell if there are any errors, but you won't have made exact copies of your CDs.


And I use Nero for burning. EAC is not any harder to use for ripping. Not only that, but there is the cost savings benefit of having error correction. I almost never buy new CDs any more if I can buy "like new" used ones off Amazon for less money since I can count on EAC to deal with any minor disk imperfections.
 
#20 ·
Another vote for dbpoweramp. One feature that I like is that it makes use of multi-core processors. I have a quad-core i7 processor and was flying through my collection.
 
#21 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tank_PD  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22154211



Speed doesn't matter if there is no error correction. You will need to rip again.


Based on my experience this is probably total misinformation.


Over the past 12 years or more, I have ripped lots of music with Nero Burning ROM. The resulting music sounds exactly like the original and I have NEVER had to rip again with alternate software for any reason whatsoever.


I’m not saying that dbpoweramp or EAC don’t offer some advantage, but telling people that Nero’s ripping function doesn’t really work is misleading and wrong.
.
 
#22 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheWind  /t/1415758/whats-the-best-cd-ripping-software#post_22154646


Based on my experience this is probably total misinformation.

Over the past 12 years or more, I have ripped lots of music with Nero Burning ROM. The resulting music sounds exactly like the original and I have NEVER had to rip again with alternate software for any reason whatsoever.

I’m not saying that dbpoweramp or EAC don’t offer some advantage, but telling people that Nero’s ripping function doesn’t really work is misleading and wrong.
.

Whenever I've ripped CDs without error recovery I have run into problems; I have sometimes encountered large artifacts like blips, static, or skips. I have quite a few used CDs and they are not in perfect condition. So I have had to rip discs again.


Even without using error recovery / verification features, dbPowerAmp is still the best ripper I have used.
 
#24 ·
EAC with LAME or a FLAC encoder.
 
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#25 ·
You all should try this one its called EZ CD Audio Converter

http://www.poikosoft.com/


It does the following:


Unique features of EZ CD Audio Converter:

Multiple services for retrieving high-quality metadata

Intuitive and easy-to-use interface

Best audio codecs out of the box for best audio quality

Exact and reliable CD ripping with error detection and two-pass verification of audio

Extremely high-performance ripping and converting that takes advantage of the multimedia features of processors

Multi-core audio converter that allows parallel audio conversion with up to 8 parallel converters

ReplayGain for automatic loudness leveling on playback


Supported audio formats include: Dolby Pulse, AAC / HE AAC, MP3, FLAC, Vorbis, Opus, Apple Lossless, Windows Media Audio, and more.
 
#26 ·
... If you're pay that much, may as well just get dbpoweramp instead. That's not to suggest this program is no good. Only that, upon first skim, the feature list looks similar to dbpoweramp.
 
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