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Do I need to re-rip?

I do NOT want to resurrect the question of which is the better format - Apple Lossless or WAV. My question is about the need to re-rip my music if I want to change formats. My cd library was saved as Apple Lossless. Appears that I can go into the iTunes "preferences" menu and change my files from lossless to WAV, after-the-fact. Are these new WAV files every bit as good as a new cd that I rip as WAV? In other words, do I need to re-rip every one of my cds to obtain a quality WAV file or can I just let iTunes make that conversion?
rockyboy

Showing 2 responses by dtc

dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
I would suggest re-ripping some CDs that you know well and compare them to files that are converted. If you cannot tell any difference, then re-ripping may not be necessary.

There is a free version of dBpoweramp.It will find the tags, but you have to be careful. WAV files do not normally have tags, so unless you use WAV extensions, the tags will not be saved in the file. What player are you going to use?

The dBpoweramp batch converter can be set up to convert all the files automatically.

Next step would be to get dBpoweramp and do some experimenting.
dtc's avatar
dtc
1,047 posts
 
Some people report hearing a difference depending on format and even on ripping software. They report that a WAV file ripped with dBpoweramp sounds different than a WAV file converted from Apple Lossless (for example), even if the files are the same. My suggestion is to do a few new rips yourself directly to WAV and compare that to your Apple Lossless file converted to WAV. If you hear a difference, then you may want to re-rip a portion or all of your library. If you hear no difference, then just converting your existing files is probably OK.
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