All rips not equal...?!

Did the reviewer compare the bits in the two files?

Or was it just his perception? 

Taylor74:

Did the reviewer compare the bits in the two files?

Or was it just his perception? 

Apparently it was based on the difference he had heard when comparing them.   

It could have been imagined.

I did a lot of reading on this before starting to rip my CDs and found that iTunes creates perfect rips, although doesn't give any confirmation. The article showed the output from two rips using the a Bit Compare feature in Windows software, EAC. 

The test seemed straight-forward so you may be able to carry it out yourself.

Taylor74:

It could have been imagined.

I did a lot of reading on this before starting to rip my CDs and found that iTunes creates perfect rips, although doesn't give any confirmation. The article showed the output from two rips using the a Bit Compare feature in Windows software, EAC. 

The test seemed straight-forward so you may be able to carry it out yourself.

Thanks - that is some reassurance!

Of course I imagine that any rip the reviewer made on an HDX were replayed on the HDX, whereas presumably rips made other ways weren't.  Although from how the comment was written it made it sound like he had made a direct comparison. 

Dan Turner:

I read with interest (and dismay) in the latest issue of HiFi Choice that one of the reviewers had achieved different results ripping CDs to several different devices.  His contention was that rips via a Naim HDX was noticably superior to those made on a rip-NAS, the latter being roughly equivalent to ripping a CD on a MacBook in his opinion/experience

I think there's one solution. Those that want 100% from their music should stick to a good quality CD player.

I've not done any comparisons of CD vs high quality storage, but even if there were no difference, wouldn't there be something in the back of your mind telling you that you might be missing out on something? I've not yet gone as far as shifting my CD collection to hard drive, but if I do, I want to feel completely confident that the whole system is not suffering at any one point.

I'd like to read that article, as I've never been fully convinced by HD storage.

FrankHarveyHiFi:

Dan Turner:

I read with interest (and dismay) in the latest issue of HiFi Choice that one of the reviewers had achieved different results ripping CDs to several different devices.  His contention was that rips via a Naim HDX was noticably superior to those made on a rip-NAS, the latter being roughly equivalent to ripping a CD on a MacBook in his opinion/experience

I think there's one solution. Those that want 100% from their music should stick to a good quality CD player.

I've not done any comparisons of CD vs high quality storage, but even if there were no difference, wouldn't there be something in the back of your mind telling you that you might be missing out on something? I've not yet gone as far as shifting my CD collection to hard drive, but if I do, I want to feel completely confident that the whole system is not suffering at any one point.

I'd like to read that article, as I've never been fully convinced by HD storage.

 

I have to say that I listened long and hard before making the decision to go computer-based and in the end I concluded that lossless files on my macbook via a Cambridge DacMagic (which I had at the time) were better than the Arcam CD37 that i had in most regards - enough combined with the huge increase in convenience to swing it in favour of computer based storage and replay for me. 

I think that even if there is a possibility that one rip might be slightly more or less accurate from another then I'd still be more inclined to worry that I might be missing out on something with the CD - after all the CD player has to read and error-correct the information coming off the disc in real-time, which is a challenge that hard disk replay doesn't have to contend with either when ripping or replaying.

I suppose it depends on the CD player - I'd still be inclined to keep my CD's handy, so not much benefit for me really!

I can't believe the number of people who don't believe a computer can read a (undamaged) CD properly!

Hi, Frank.

I definitely think that HiFi is moving towards computers as an audio source, so it might be worthwhile talking to your employer about going on some training?

A quick Google has retrieved two articles that I read in the past:

Kent Poon, Mastering Engineer and

Link removed by Mods - House rules violation

FrankHarveyHiFi:

I suppose it depends on the CD player - I'd still be inclined to keep my CD's handy, so not much benefit for me really!

 

Hi David - I know what you mean - I'm certainly not going to get rid of my CDs and until high-res downloads in my taste of music are a reality I'll still be buying all my music on CD.

But they can at least be relegated to the spare room, and I can select all my music via my iPhone rather than getting up to swap CDs every few mins!

Taylor74:

Hi, Frank.

I definitely think that HiFi is moving towards computers as an audio source, so it might be worthwhile talking to your employer about going on some training?

A quick Google has retrieved two articles that I read in the past:

Kent Poon, Mastering Engineer and iTunes creates perfect rips

 

Brilliant - that's set my mind at rest nicely!

I would still like a Naim HDX tho..... :0) 

I have not read the article, but I was thinking that the rips would be the same, but the playback is not and in that case Naim beat Macbook, which is not that surprising when you think about it.

Audio cd's (unlike data cd's) do not have checksums to correct and reread wrong data. So rips can be different, in theory. And are often different, with surface scratches. That's why accuraterip was invented: to check your results with the rips by others. If they are the same, you almost certainly got the data intended by the manufacturer, as it is unlikely that two independent rips have exactly the same mistakes (in theory whole cd series could be wrong but that is not a ripping problem).  So don't worry, and this HifiChoice person should know better.

i think the hifi choice reviewer was talking rubbish!  if there was an audible difference then the hdx was less accurate or the dac wasn't up to it.

as long as your dac rejects jitter well then a hdd is the best option.

as someone else said, the reviewer should know better.  was it malcolm steward?

Craig M.:

i think the hifi choice reviewer was talking rubbish!  if there was an audible difference then the hdx was less accurate or the dac wasn't up to it.

as long as your dac rejects jitter well then a hdd is the best option.

as someone else said, the reviewer should know better.  was it malcolm steward?

It was...