DBpoweramp utility
Posted by: JamieWednesday on 20 September 2009
I realise this thread's natural home could be the distributed Audio forum, but this is perhaps for the attention of us mere 'dabblers' in these new dark arts...
Don't know if anyone's tried it but DBpoweramp is a bit of freeware with an excellent CD ripper (it was mentioned in one of the HiFi mags this month). Lots of control and options (AAC/wav/flac/ogg etc.) and makes very accurate rips, it seems. I did a back to back test and an Apple lossless rip via this sounded a surprising amount better than when ripped through I-tunes (I don't know why this should be, it just is). At least when played back through full system over network. Defo using this from now on as it means I can still use the useful I-tunes interface but have improved quality of playback. Which is nice.
Don't know if anyone's tried it but DBpoweramp is a bit of freeware with an excellent CD ripper (it was mentioned in one of the HiFi mags this month). Lots of control and options (AAC/wav/flac/ogg etc.) and makes very accurate rips, it seems. I did a back to back test and an Apple lossless rip via this sounded a surprising amount better than when ripped through I-tunes (I don't know why this should be, it just is). At least when played back through full system over network. Defo using this from now on as it means I can still use the useful I-tunes interface but have improved quality of playback. Which is nice.
Posted on: 20 September 2009 by u5227470736789439
Not doubting your perception of the differences, but could you be a little more descriptive than simply calling it better comparecd to iTunes.
I have yet to find any ripping engine that sounded so different from another that I could definitely be sure which engine was used for any specific rip.
Not to say that there may not be differences, but rather that they seem insignificant to me so far. Is the new engine better and in what way to say EAC?
For myself, I am able to enjoy the simplicity that comes from using iTunes [using ALAC] to copy my CDs, and let others worry about what seem to me to be at most tiny differences, and sometimes so tiny as to be entirely indetectable to me.
My general recommendation, for what it may be wort, is to start with iTunes [using ALAC] and only if there is something that is not liked about the way it works would a further investigation of more complex solution really be advised.
ATB from George
I have yet to find any ripping engine that sounded so different from another that I could definitely be sure which engine was used for any specific rip.
Not to say that there may not be differences, but rather that they seem insignificant to me so far. Is the new engine better and in what way to say EAC?
For myself, I am able to enjoy the simplicity that comes from using iTunes [using ALAC] to copy my CDs, and let others worry about what seem to me to be at most tiny differences, and sometimes so tiny as to be entirely indetectable to me.
My general recommendation, for what it may be wort, is to start with iTunes [using ALAC] and only if there is something that is not liked about the way it works would a further investigation of more complex solution really be advised.
ATB from George
Posted on: 20 September 2009 by JamieWednesday
Hi George, nothing too techie about it, I'm not gonna get drawn into levels of bass,treble, decay etc.
Like you I struggle sometimes to get too excited about what seem to be slight differences at times
But sometimes you just hear something and right away, within the first few bars, you know it sounds better to you somehow - bit like sticking a power amp onto an integrated...
I ripped a couple of new albums, Muse and Arctic Monkeys, and immediately when I played back the Muse album I just thought 'Hello..this sounds better than normal' - I wasn't expecting it, I was only expecting same as...
So I ripped Rumours too as I'd only recently ripped this through I-tunes recently and it simply sounds clearer, more defined, more full on somehow - Can't honestly say it will change your life but I'm fed up with fiddling around with EAC, foobar et al and I like using I-Tunes as the front for the digital stuff - So for me, it's a good thing, especiallyas you can choose the format
I guess you can try it - it's certainly a lot simpler than EAC, whether that's a good thing for you I don't know, it doesn't have all the functions of EAC but enough for me
Like you I struggle sometimes to get too excited about what seem to be slight differences at times
But sometimes you just hear something and right away, within the first few bars, you know it sounds better to you somehow - bit like sticking a power amp onto an integrated...
I ripped a couple of new albums, Muse and Arctic Monkeys, and immediately when I played back the Muse album I just thought 'Hello..this sounds better than normal' - I wasn't expecting it, I was only expecting same as...
So I ripped Rumours too as I'd only recently ripped this through I-tunes recently and it simply sounds clearer, more defined, more full on somehow - Can't honestly say it will change your life but I'm fed up with fiddling around with EAC, foobar et al and I like using I-Tunes as the front for the digital stuff - So for me, it's a good thing, especiallyas you can choose the format
I guess you can try it - it's certainly a lot simpler than EAC, whether that's a good thing for you I don't know, it doesn't have all the functions of EAC but enough for me
Posted on: 20 September 2009 by Analogue
There'd a good reveiwe on the DBpower in the current Hi- Fi World.
Posted on: 20 September 2009 by u5227470736789439
Dear James,
I have two different computers loaded with my iTunes library and though the software bais is the same [both Windoes XP and the last version of iTunes] I expected the big PC with a good if fairly old PCI connected soundcaed outputting to the 72, and which really is very nice sounding, to be better than the Dell laptop. The Dell has the iTunes [ALAC files] in an external USB connected Hard Drive, amd has proven the more listenable and informative option. A surprise and a nice one!
If you asked me to A/B blind and state the one being used, I am certain that I could not, but I can equally state that there is enough advantage in the little Dell for me to say it is my primary digital file music source. and will be the computer of choice for future use.
Can I explain this? No of course not!
Which sort of brings me to the point about what can be accepted and enjoyed. As one can never audition everything, every option in hardware and software terms, one has to come a conclusion without some potentially important evidence!
My method has always been to try to audition some potentially fine arrangement, but it must be within the money that is set in my mind for it.
If I get a result that I can enjoy, then the search actually stops. Only if I cannot get on with what I auditioned would I continue the hunt!
I might guess that this is the essential difference between me and many others here. The quest for improvement is not very important for me, so that once I get content then I can leave alone for a very long time - probably till a breakdown intervenes.
I have got a system that now [in major aspects for the very first time] really fills the bill for me having the best radio that I have ever had - one so good that I will not change the tuner now - and having loaded up something like 520 CDs in iTunes, I have for the very first time got digital replay and access to a good selection of music that is more than musically and sonically pleasing, but also incredibly easy to use.
Already I consider a plan for what might change, such as feeding the computer output to a separate DAC, and even building a new PC from scratch that is silent in running, but given how nicely the little [effectively silent] Dell is working, such considerations are for me a bit like chewing on cold pork after the fat in the gravy has congealed!
ATB from George
I have two different computers loaded with my iTunes library and though the software bais is the same [both Windoes XP and the last version of iTunes] I expected the big PC with a good if fairly old PCI connected soundcaed outputting to the 72, and which really is very nice sounding, to be better than the Dell laptop. The Dell has the iTunes [ALAC files] in an external USB connected Hard Drive, amd has proven the more listenable and informative option. A surprise and a nice one!
If you asked me to A/B blind and state the one being used, I am certain that I could not, but I can equally state that there is enough advantage in the little Dell for me to say it is my primary digital file music source. and will be the computer of choice for future use.
Can I explain this? No of course not!
Which sort of brings me to the point about what can be accepted and enjoyed. As one can never audition everything, every option in hardware and software terms, one has to come a conclusion without some potentially important evidence!
My method has always been to try to audition some potentially fine arrangement, but it must be within the money that is set in my mind for it.
If I get a result that I can enjoy, then the search actually stops. Only if I cannot get on with what I auditioned would I continue the hunt!
I might guess that this is the essential difference between me and many others here. The quest for improvement is not very important for me, so that once I get content then I can leave alone for a very long time - probably till a breakdown intervenes.
I have got a system that now [in major aspects for the very first time] really fills the bill for me having the best radio that I have ever had - one so good that I will not change the tuner now - and having loaded up something like 520 CDs in iTunes, I have for the very first time got digital replay and access to a good selection of music that is more than musically and sonically pleasing, but also incredibly easy to use.
Already I consider a plan for what might change, such as feeding the computer output to a separate DAC, and even building a new PC from scratch that is silent in running, but given how nicely the little [effectively silent] Dell is working, such considerations are for me a bit like chewing on cold pork after the fat in the gravy has congealed!
ATB from George
Posted on: 21 September 2009 by DaveBk
I've been using dBpoweramp for approaching 3 years now and think it's a really great product. I needed something that would accurately rip to FLAC as this is the preferred format for my Transporter if you want playback without the server transcoding and support for tags. I ran the free version for a while, then upgraded to the 'paid for' version as this supports multi core CPUs and had a few more bells and whistles. I've never felt the need to try anything else as I'm very pleased with how the rips sound, I have the confidence boost of AccurateRip telling me that others have made identical rips, and the usability and flexibility are just what I need.
I have an iPhone so need iTunes to manage it. The dBpoweramp music converter is also used here to transcode from my native FLAC to 320Kbit AAC for use in the car.
I have an iPhone so need iTunes to manage it. The dBpoweramp music converter is also used here to transcode from my native FLAC to 320Kbit AAC for use in the car.