Just created a lot of work for myself...

Well, I've been toying with the idea of ripping my CD collection for some time.

Since I have a bit of extra time on my hands today, I decided to give it a bit of a whirl.

I ripped a couple of albums. I used iTunes to rip to ALAC. Transferred to a SSD and plugged it into my Oppo 103. ALAC is my strong preference as I own almost Apple everything...

Dare I say, I like it better than disc playback.

I find better separation and lower noise floor. I can't detect any degradation of the music from ripping. One of my main test albums:

http://www.amazon.com/Super-Session-BLOOMFIELD-MIKE/dp/B00008QSA5/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1440968172&sr=8-1&keywords=super+sessions

I know this is a slippery slope, but I'm pretty sick of fumbling through my ever growing collection of physical disc's. Not to mention finding a wife approved place to keep them AND have them easily accessible.

I'll keep toying with it and see where it leads me.

Comments

  • Moose68Bash
    Moose68Bash Posts: 3,842
    edited August 2015
    So far I've ripped several CDs from my collection into iTunes, using the AIFF format.

    I download them to my NAS and play them through PS Audio bridges to a PS Audio PerfectWave DAC II or PS Audio DirectStream DAC.

    i think the music sounds better through either DAC than it does using either a Cambridge Audio 841C player or the PS Audio PerfectWave Transport to play the original CDs.

    However, my wife is of a differing opinion, but not dramatically different.
    Family Room, Innuos Statement streamer (Roon Core) with Morrow Audio USB cable to McIntosh MC 2700 pre with DC2 Digital Audio Module; AQ Sky XLRs to CAT 600.2 dualmono amp, Morrow Elite Speaker Cables to NOLA Baby Grand Reference Gold 3 speakers. Power source for all components: Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One with dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel.

    Exercise Room, Innuos Streamer via Cat 6 cable connection to PS Audio PerfectWave MkII DAC w/Bridge II, AQ King Cobra RCAs to Perreaux PMF3150 amp (fully restored and upgraded by Jeffrey Jackson, Precision Audio Labs), Supra Rondo 4x2.5 Speaker Cables to SDA 1Cs (Vr3 Mods Xovers and other mods.), Dreadnaught with Supra Rondo 4x2.5 interconnect cables by Vr3 Mods. Power for each component from dedicated 20 amp circuit to main panel, except Innuos Statement powered from Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One.

  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    It is better to use a program to do the ripping of CDs that has a better secure checking function than what is included in iTunes. dBpoweramp, JRiver or similar have secure ripping capability. iTunes will work of course, but based on personal experience it will not let a user know when a track is not reproduced 100 percent error free. Just want to mention it before you get too far down with ripping using iTunes. iTunes is ok as a playback tool and I do use it with my iPod Classic to manage 30K MP3 files because it is so simple and streamlined. I stopped using it to rip CDs years ago but had to re-rip a couple hundred CDs.
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    Emlyn wrote: »
    It is better to use a program to do the ripping of CDs that has a better secure checking function than what is included in iTunes. dBpoweramp, JRiver or similar have secure ripping capability. iTunes will work of course, but based on personal experience it will not let a user know when a track is not reproduced 100 percent error free. Just want to mention it before you get too far down with ripping using iTunes. iTunes is ok as a playback tool and I do use it with my iPod Classic to manage 30K MP3 files because it is so simple and streamlined. I stopped using it to rip CDs years ago but had to re-rip a couple hundred CDs.

    I've been looking at JRiver. I have the trial of it and I'll be testing it to see if I want to spend the money on it.

    iTunes does have error correction, is it not as good as others?

  • +1 for JRiver. I would be lost without it.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,346
    Upstatemax wrote: »
    iTunes does have error correction, is it not as good as others?

    ITunes does have basic error correction but it is not the same as the better programs. The main problem is it lacks a reliable way to notify a user when errors in ripping are detected. In my case, I would say 99 percent of my CDs have ripped successfully in JRiver without rereads taking place. On some tracks the software has had to read a sector of data a few times to get a perfect copy and on some it has reported being unsuccessful at making a perfect copy. iTunes does not have that extra function of informing when there is a problem with a track or sector on a disc, it just blows through what it is ripping leaving static and breakups where an accurate rip wasn't made. As an archiving tool, that error rate doesn't work for me. As a playback tool it works fine.

    Most of my CDs in the last several years have never been played in a CD player but just ripped to WAV, but the older ones are not in perfect condition. The older ones play fine in CD players but getting accurate rips from them is more difficult.

  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    I'm going to be testing JRiver out for the next few days.

    Thanks for all the info so far guys!
  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    Been using JRiver for awhile, I use it to rip to ALAC for my ipod, and then use Jriver to run my laptops music to my DAC! (portable Music Server)
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    I've used both JR and ITunes and couldn't tell the difference. So I just stuck with ITunes with all it's faults for simplicity....and the wife.

    If I was to venture into higher rez recordings, be a different story obviously.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • daddyjt
    daddyjt Posts: 2,305
    I use dbpoweramp (sp) to rip everything to FLAC. Then from the original FLAC file, I can make a conversion copy in virtually any other format. So new CDs get ripped to FLAC, then an MP3 file is created from the FLAC file, and linked to iTunes.

    Listening to your entire music collection without lifting your butt off the couch is highly addictive - you have been warned...:-)
    "Conservative Libertarians love the country, progressive leftists love the government." - Andrew Wilkow


    “Human beings are born with different capacities. If they are free, they are not equal. And if they are equal, they are not free.”
    ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    Why mp3 in ITunes ? Why not apple lossless ? Portable devices ?
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • Talk about creating more work for your self......when you finally figure out what exact setting results in the best sound..hopefully you are not on your 3rd go at it!! On my 3rd and final ripping project with well over 4000 cd's on board. All in 16 bit at 48000Hz and although it takes a little more room on the HD, results are unbelievable. I have compared 24 bit at 96000 Hz and with my gear there is no difference except taking way more space on the HD! almost ready to do my backing up project. That will be time consuming as well!! Make it fun!!!
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
  • tonyb
    tonyb Posts: 32,902
    4000 cd's ? You need help...lol.

    Lets see, at 15 bucks a cd average, that's 60,000 dollars bro. You can buy a lot of hookers and blow with that kind of scratch.....even have enough left over for a Happy meal for your closest 500 friends or so.
    HT SYSTEM-
    Sony 850c 4k
    Pioneer elite vhx 21
    Sony 4k BRP
    SVS SB-2000
    Polk Sig. 20's
    Polk FX500 surrounds

    Cables-
    Acoustic zen Satori speaker cables
    Acoustic zen Matrix 2 IC's
    Wireworld eclipse 7 ic's
    Audio metallurgy ga-o digital cable

    Kitchen

    Sonos zp90
    Grant Fidelity tube dac
    B&k 1420
    lsi 9's
  • voltz
    voltz Posts: 5,384
    Hopefully Johnny's been shopping at Red's $1 rack.
    2 ch- Polk CRS+ * Vincent SA-31MK Preamp * Vincent Sp-331 Amp * Marantz SA8005 SACD * Project Xperience Classic TT * Sumiko Blue Point #2 MC cartridge

    HT - Polk 703's * NAD T-758 * Adcom 5503 * Oppo 103 * Samsung 60" series 8 LCD
  • voltz wrote: »
    Hopefully Johnny's been shopping at Red's $1 rack.

    Better than that...I belong to 2 libraries, one of which has a nationwide interlibrary loan program and for the one that even they just can't get, Amazon has been pretty good for about 150 of them....and then my friends come to the party in a big way, so resourceful I am with it all!!
    "if it's not fun, it's not worth it & remember folks, "It's All About The Music"!!
    *****************************
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    tonyb wrote: »
    I've used both JR and ITunes and couldn't tell the difference. So I just stuck with ITunes with all it's faults for simplicity....and the wife.

    If I was to venture into higher rez recordings, be a different story obviously.

    Kind of where I have settled on myself.

    I'm interested in Hi-Rez, but finding a GOOD source is tough.

    Little to no information on the recordings.
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    Simple interface and accurate results---I like Foobar. Everything burned in Flac.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • Emlyn wrote: »
    Upstatemax wrote: »
    iTunes does have error correction, is it not as good as others?

    ITunes does have basic error correction but it is not the same as the better programs. The main problem is it lacks a reliable way to notify a user when errors in ripping are detected. In my case, I would say 99 percent of my CDs have ripped successfully in JRiver without rereads taking place. On some tracks the software has had to read a sector of data a few times to get a perfect copy and on some it has reported being unsuccessful at making a perfect copy. iTunes does not have that extra function of informing when there is a problem with a track or sector on a disc, it just blows through what it is ripping leaving static and breakups where an accurate rip wasn't made. As an archiving tool, that error rate doesn't work for me. As a playback tool it works fine.

    Most of my CDs in the last several years have never been played in a CD player but just ripped to WAV, but the older ones are not in perfect condition. The older ones play fine in CD players but getting accurate rips from them is more difficult.

    Banging head on desk. Back to re-ripping 600 plus...
    MacBook Pro running Roon-Monoprice USB-Schiit Gungir Multibit-Audioquest Earth-Schiit Freya with Tung Sol 6SN7s-Audioquest Sky-Krell FPB 400cx-Audioquest Mont Blanc-1.2tls with all the mods.
  • Upstatemax
    Upstatemax Posts: 2,623
    I tested the HD Tracks waters.

    I purchased Otis Redding's "The Dock of the Bay" in 192/24.

    Running it through the Oppo in the 2ch system. Dead silent noise floor and it sounds excellent...
  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    edited September 2015
    I have all of my cds stored as 16' 44' flac but am having Jriver upconvert them to 24' 96' wav during playback over DLNA. I don't know that it makes any difference but doesn't take anymore space that way.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    I must have ripped 500 CDs with iTunes into ALAC, with no issues. Errors will show up as clicks, pops, etc., and they all play fine.
    Lumin X1 file player, Westminster Labs interconnect cable
    Sony XA-5400ES SACD; Pass XP-22 pre; X600.5 amps
    Magico S5 MKII Mcast Rose speakers; SPOD spikes

    Shunyata Triton v3/Typhon QR on source, Denali 2000 (2) on amps
    Shunyata Sigma XLR analog ICs, Sigma speaker cables
    Shunyata Sigma HC (2), Sigma Analog, Sigma Digital, Z Anaconda (3) power cables

    Mapleshade Samson V.3 four shelf solid maple rack, Micropoint brass footers
    Three 20 amp circuits.