Download advice

Posted by: Richard Dalgleish on 06 May 2016

Hi there, I am a new member and my first post.

My Naim dealer told me in past about a service he uses for downloading music. The service he told me about compares all the zeros and ones with a master copy and then corrects any defects. In this way we get a "perfect" copy of the master. I not remember what this service called but will check with him. I wonder what service members use for downloading music and if they come across similar services to which I describe above?

Posted on: 06 May 2016 by Mike-B

Downloads come from a www store & do not need to be verified as your dealer describes. What he is describing (& I suspect you are misunderstanding) is verifying a music file copied or "ripped" from a CD. Most people on the forum use one or other ripping software on their laptops or desktop computers. "dBpoweramp" is probably the most popular & the one I use. It has its own Secure Rip verification program that gets the best from the CD being ripped, but additionally it uses a program called "AccurateRip", a web based database that compares your CD rip file & verifies that its the same. Other rip & verification software using "Bit Perfect" is available.

Posted on: 06 May 2016 by Bart

XLD, which is CD ripping software that runs on OS X, also can be set up to check the AccurateRip database.

I agree that with respect to music purchased and downloaded online there is nothing needed to be done to check it, nor am I aware of any such service. It may be possible to access the AccurateRip database from a web browser and ask it to check such downloads . . . but I have to think it's wholly unnecessary. The errors that can arise ripping a cd at home stem from issues not present when downloading music online, ie, errors translating pits on a plastic cd spinning in a drive and read by a laser.

Posted on: 06 May 2016 by trickydickie

Perfecttunes from the makers of DBPoweramp will scan your existing rips and compare with Accurate rip.

I haven't run it over any downloads though, assuming they come from the same source they should pass the test.

Richard

Posted on: 06 May 2016 by Bart

trickydickie posted:
Perfecttunes from the makers of DBPoweramp will scan your existing rips and compare with Accurate rip.
I haven't run it over any downloads though, assuming they come from the same source they should pass the test.
Richard

First, it would be hard to know exactly what the download should be compared to. Often there are versions . . . and versions . . . Also, I assume (?) most legit. sellers of downloads don't actually rip cd's to source their files. I assume that the record labels / publishers / etc. also don't rip cd's when providing files to the authorized outlets. It'd be disconcerting if that's indeed what takes place!

Finally, the types of errors that could arise merely from the download process I assume (again, ?) are detected by the checksum and other protocols that seem to work so well with everything else we download. Because in the end, bits are bits, right?