AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

[sutjahjo]

Assuming I am only interested in the highest audio quality ripping from CDs to Apple Lossless for itunes, is there any advantage using AccurateRip over direct import by Itunes?

Any info and advise appreciated.

Sutjahjo

[garym]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

Assuming I am only interested in the highest audio quality ripping from CDs to Apple Lossless for itunes, is there any advantage using AccurateRip over direct import by Itunes?

Any info and advise appreciated.

Sutjahjo

oh my yes! itunes is not considered a "secure" ripper at best (even ignoring accuraterip) and secondly the accuraterip database comparison is particularly comforting. The odds of your rip matching even one other person's rip on a different machine, different drive, etc. is very, very low unless you both have a good, secure rip of the CD.

Of course if there are no errors then any decent ripper will work, including itunes. The value of secure rippers is how they deal with errors and potential errors (and I don't mean just visible disc scratches...sometimes my brand new first time played discs have errors in the ripping process and require some reripping to get correct).

Most people serious about secure ripping (and in a windows environment) use either dbpoweramp or EAC. There are some special things you need to do to create good apple lossless files. I don't use those (I use FLAC), so others can help with that issue.

[Spoon]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

I always say, take a CD you do not like and scratch it on a concrete floor, then rip it in dBpoweramp, if it shows errors then the secure ripper is working (in that the disc is unrecoverable). If no errors, then scratch it some more. Once you have a disc which cannot be ripped without errors then try in iTunes, there will be no errors reported (unless the disc is so badly scratched that the computer cannot read the disc).

You might think that none of your discs resemble the scratched disc, true, it is the manufacturing defects (invisible to the naked eye) which are the main issue when ripping.

[sutjahjo]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

Thanks so much for your advice, while audio quality is very important to me, I am quite new to digital music and using iPod (earphones and in my ICE). Is there anyway to put FLAC files into itunes? if I am still ending up using Apple Lossless into itunes, is it correct to assume that there is no point ripping into FLAC first?

I will try out dbpoweramp and see (or hear) if there is any difference just ripping into apple lossless.

Thanks again,
Jaw

[sutjahjo]

About to download trial Music Converter....

Noticed the "Compatibility: Windows 98, 2000, XP, Windows Vista (64 bit versions included). Linux supported through Wine. Fully Unicode compatible".

I am running Windows 7 Home premium 64 bit, should I expect any problem?

Jaw

[garym]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

Lossless is overkill for iPod. I create Flac files for archive then convert to mp3 for use on iPod. Since you are new at this you should read a lot more. Otherwise you'll be redoing all your ripping a couple of years from now. I know as that is my story.

[garym]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

And you don't need applelossless and flac. Just one or the other.

[sutjahjo]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

OK, will stick with Apple Lossless then, I am new to iPod but quite experienced in hifi, and I can hear the difference between Apple Lossless and MP3 even in my car, it is even more obvious at home setup.

Now the only question if it is Windows 7 compatible.

Jaw

[Spoon]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

Fully compatible with Windows 7

[sutjahjo]

Re: AccurateRip Vs. Itunes

Thanks Spoon,

Downloading now with intention to purchase.

Jaw