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Lossless CD Ripping

Lossless CD ripping - how to store full resolution music
The invention of the MP3 revolutionized the computer's potential for storing, organizing, and playing music. Although a great advance that signaled the start of the computer entertainment center, MP3 compression does cause some loss of sound quality (especially at lower bit rates).

The easiest way to play lossless audio on your computer is to simply play the original CD (or an exact copy).

Ever increasing hard drive sizes have reduced the barriers to ripping a literal copy of a music CD on to a computer without any loss of quality. Below is a brief introduction to archiving lossless audio.

Keep in mind that you'll need either the original CD, or an exact copy. Once the audio has been converted to MP3, information is lost and cannot be recovered.

Please respect applicable copyright laws, and support the artists whose music you enjoy.

Windows
The current version of Windows Media Player (the built-in music player for Windows) can rip music to full resolution .wav files (.wav's are standard audio files, and can be played by pretty much any machine that can play .mp3's.)

If you have Windows Vista, you already have Windows Media Player 11. Users of Windows XP will probably need to download the latest copy of Media Player from Microsoft. The download is free. (Note that you must use Internet Explorer for the download to work.)

To set up lossless ripping, go to the "rip" drop-down menu and select "More Options." On the "Rip Music" tab, select "WAV (Lossless)" for the Format.

Media Player can also rip to the "Windows Media Audio Lossless" format. This format requires less storage space at the expense of increased processor usage during playback.

Additionally, many third party tools and formats exist for lossless audio compression.

For the highest quality copy of your original CDs, another option is Exact Audio Copy (EAC). EAC features sophisticated algorithms to ensure that the data you record is as close as possible to the original data on the CD. In addition, it will report any possible problems, so that you can easily verify the integrity of the source CD.

Apple
Though many convenient applications exist, one of the easiest methods is to use iTunes.

In the iTunes preferences panel, click on "Advanced" and select the "Importing" tab. You can then select either "AIFF Encoder" or "WAV Encoder" for uncompressed lossless audio, or the "Apple Lossless Encoder" for compressed lossless audio.

In general, uncompressed audio files require more space than compressed audio files, but require less processing power for play back. On the other hand, lossless audio compression can offer approximately 2x reductions in size, without any degradation of the sound quality.

The swiss army knife of CD ripping for Mac is the program Max. It provides comparison ripping as well as offering robust error correction to insure accurate acquisition of the CD audio data.
 

Where to Buy

The Devilsound Labs DAC is available at Wicked Digital with free shipping Australia wide.



"The converter is extremely good at playing well-recorded music (like Johnny Cash’s American III), with a big, immediately impressive soundstage, a strong and deep bass and lots of energy from top to bottom. And what remains especially good about the Devilsound is its ability to handle vocals with ease and detail – Ali Farka Touré’s final Savane album is a perfect example, handling the frail power of a dying man’s voice with exceptional grace. This is a quality product in a very small package that represents the perfect starting place for computer audio without tears, and you do have to go very far up the DAC list to find better."
Hi-Fi Plus



"The Devilsound DAC is perfectly capable of delivering high-quality sound from a computer to most audio systems. It’s tonally accurate, has a satisfying degree of resolution, and reproduces musical subtleties with surprising nuance and focus, particularly in the midrange. What impresses me is that such an inexpensive device can get so many things so right. And when you factor in the cost of the included cables, well, it’s easy to envision the Devilsound in a system based on a computer you already have, a pair of EgglestonWorks Dianne speakers, and a Simaudio or Bel Canto integrated amplifier -- for about $6000, you’d have quite satisfying sound."
UltraAudio.com

The Devilsound DAC v2, predecessor to the current v2.1, was given a Best of 2009 award by Enjoy the Music.com! "Even when compared to a much higher-priced DAC, such as the Bel Canto DAC3, the Devilsound ranks very well. The DAC3 has a blacker background with no hint of noise, as well as a slightly more dynamic overall presentation. But the Devilsound is its equal in terms of depth, soundstage width, and even low-level inner detail. I was especially impressed with how well the Devilsound matched the DAC3 in terms of three-dimensionality and imaging palpability."

" I hate to say it but I was surprised that such good sound could come from this little device. This DAC simultaneously brings you into the future of audio playback while taking you back to simpler times when a couple pairs of RCA cables were all you needed. If you have an open USB port and an open set of RCA inputs in your audio system you owe it to yourself to take a serious look at the Devilsound DAC." – Chris Connaker, computeraudiophile.com (click for full review)

"... the Devilsound DAC sounds incredibly pleasing to the ear. The top end is smooth and unobtrusive, and the soundstage offers depth alongside definition; it's a remarkably pleasant playback path. I stacked the DAC against various convertors from RME, Digidesign, MOTU and Presonus—all at least five times the price of the DAC. And I've got to say it sounded very sweet. For a 'listening' system, i.e., one that you'll have playing for appreciation of recordings, the DAC will be very hard to beat." – Brad Watts, Audio Technology Magazine, Issue 63

Distributed in Australia by Wicked Digital
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