CD Ripping/Burning Question

I don't know. But you could just copy the MP3 files from the CD, rather than "rip" them. That way you would know they are the same as the original MP3s.

Does your question relate to something you want to do, or is it just academic?

winky,

The files are burnt to disc as a standard audio CD, not as a disc of mp3 files, so they cannot be just copied back to a computer. The disc would require ripping as any standard audio CD would. It is something I want to do as I have a number of discs created from mp3 files and I want to put the music onto a USB stick which therefore requires the discs to be ripped back to my PC in order to do so.

Peter

You will get loss squared, no recognition it has been lossy before.

Agreed, it will mp3 it twice and will degrade the sound quality. 

Peter,

Does it have to be mp3? You could rip to wav (or flac for that matter). It won't get any worse that way.

Andy

Thanks for the replies.

Andy, yes unfortunately it needs to be either mp3 or WMA. My little Denon system will not recognise lossless files on USB sticks, which is a pain.

Peter

Peter,

when you do the ripping you should do it to a lossless format anyhow. Then make copy to mp3 of those rips and store the lossless files away for later when you have a better system.

Otherwise you'll be doing all over AGAIN.

Oh, and do a propper tagging job on the lossless files before copying them to mp3!

PinkHamster,

Agreed. Unfortunately I ripped the discs several years ago not long after we got our first ever computer. I was a total novice and just went with the default ripping format I think. Anyway WAV meant nothing to me then! The original CD's are no longer available to re-rip, hence my dilemma. I'm stuck with what I have, ie. audio CD's burnt from mp3 files! We live and learn.....

Peter

Arrrrrgh ...

Peter,

Stuck indeed...

Trying to think laterally - what is the primary way you get music into the Denon?

Andy

Andy,

The Denon is an all-in-one unit with CD drive, USB port and tuner (+ aux inputs). It was a downsize from my Naim set-up due to prevailing financial issues. A perfectly nice system with the little Eclipse single driver speakers actually, but by no means in Naim territory.

I have primarily used CD's, and a few mp3 downloads on a USB stick. The number of CD's I have burnt from mp3 files is small, around 10, and if money were no object I would simply re-buy them. But even at say £5 a CD we are talking £50 which I just can't afford.

To be honest I cannot detect any worthwhile musical difference on this system between CD playback and mp3 files on USB. The sound is slightly different, with a slightly richer, fuller presentation from CD, but in purely musical terms the difference is minimal and certainly nothing to worry over. Cue shrieks of horror from the purists! Maybe on a Unitilite it would be a very different story, but this is a little Denon!  I might as well rip all my CD's to mp3 and put them on a USB stick, as listening is so much more convenient for me this way. I very rarely listen to whole CD's, so having to keep getting up to change discs is a real pain.

 My ultimate aim is to get a wireless USB DAC like an Arcam rDAC, and then have all my music on our netbook. This however will be at least 18 months away and most likely longer. It is a question of making the most of what I have now.....

Peter 

Peter,

Thanks. I see what you are trying to do now. If you have the storage space I'd probably follow PinkHamster's advice and rip to lossless so you don't have to do it again; I'd probably opt for flac so I could tag them properly and save some space, then trascode to mp3 for the usb stick. Good luck!

Andy

Thanks Andy.

Peter

This explanation may help 

You had a CD with information in 10,000 separate frequency bands. The ripper goes through removes frequency bands you cannot easily hear. A harmonic at 5,000 Hz at -60 dB will not easily be heard next to a 5,100 Hz partial at -20 dB. Frequencies mask nearby frequencies if their amplitude is sufficiently large.The 5kHz tone is gone forever. The ripper continues to remove such frequencies until the file is at the bit rate you set (e.g. 256). This affects some music more than others and pieces with a large frequency spectrum suffer most. 

If you want to keep all the frequencies rip to FLAC with maximum compression (save disk space) and make a second mp3 copy for the Denon. 

The files you have as mp3 are as good as they are going get ... if they remain enjoyable then that's surely OK ... if they had a small frequency spectrum then you'll not hear too much difference (if any .. depends how closely you listen). I think Arcam has a filter in its DAC that tries to make mp3 sound better (not sure though). 

Guido,

Thanks. As I say, on the little Denon there is really no significant musical difference between CD replay and 320 mp3 files on a USB stick. I remember reading reports that even on a UQ high bitrate mp3's sound perfectly enjoyable. I guess it comes down partly to whether you are wearing your audiophile hat whilst listening or if you just want to enjoy the music. Listening through headphones to some music on Youtube via our netbook often gives me great pleasure. In absolute terms the quality is poor, but I don't listen through audiophile ears, I just want to enjoy the music.

Peter

Actually - you shouldn't have those.

https://forums.naimaudio.com/di...33#18320909151281033