And then there is the subject of converting the CD to a computer audio file. This is where I have found most of my problems. I live for the day when I have 4000-5000 CDs all ripped 100% bit perfect and double backed up on external storage. I think the DVD ROM drives of today fail in terms of accuracy. It's true that most of the error recovery takes care of drive innaccuracy but extracting BIT PERFECT audio copies is a whole different problem. I would think a company could put out a 16X CD ROM drive designed to rip a music CD to a computer file. Beef it up and sell it at a premium. Bring back the Plextor 16X SCSI drives of yore.
Then there are the surface scatches on the CD itself that cause errors ... Yet another source of problems.
Bottom line ... what a lot of people think is bit perfect ... really isnt. Too many variables to pin down. I have it down pretty well now but it can take a long time to rip a CD that has surface issues.
OS wise ... I work in Information Technology at a college. We have about 600 macs and 3000 PC's over the last 10 years I have messed with sound and music extraction. I have heard good, mediocre and bad sound come out of computers but I have never linked it to a specific OS. I think there needs to be a more stable way of getting those "pits stamped or burned" into an exact bit stream a computer can read and store. The file is sacred. Garbage in ... garbage out.
That being said ; I am looking at a Mac mini to play with this winter after 20 years playing with Linux and Windows. I have installed, configured and played with OS X and I really like it for it's simplicity and efficiency. Will it make a sonic difference? I'm thinking no ... but I have a open mind.
Then there are the surface scatches on the CD itself that cause errors ... Yet another source of problems.
Bottom line ... what a lot of people think is bit perfect ... really isnt. Too many variables to pin down. I have it down pretty well now but it can take a long time to rip a CD that has surface issues.
OS wise ... I work in Information Technology at a college. We have about 600 macs and 3000 PC's over the last 10 years I have messed with sound and music extraction. I have heard good, mediocre and bad sound come out of computers but I have never linked it to a specific OS. I think there needs to be a more stable way of getting those "pits stamped or burned" into an exact bit stream a computer can read and store. The file is sacred. Garbage in ... garbage out.
That being said ; I am looking at a Mac mini to play with this winter after 20 years playing with Linux and Windows. I have installed, configured and played with OS X and I really like it for it's simplicity and efficiency. Will it make a sonic difference? I'm thinking no ... but I have a open mind.