Best CD => MP3 tools?

[EngenZerO]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Exact Audio Copy + LAME = :thumbsup:

 

[wfbberzerker]

exact audio copy + lame.
nuff said

 

[ActuaryTm]

Originally posted by: cmdrmoocow
EAC + encoder of your choice.

Agreed.

 

[BaboonGuy]

What's the best lossless solution that can play on an ipod?

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Exact Audio Copy + LAME = :thumbsup:

 

[So]

Originally posted by: JetBlack69

Originally posted by: Ilmater
Exact Audio Copy + LAME = :thumbsup:

:music::thumbsup:

This is the best way, but the OP asked for an EASY way in his post, so IMO the best price/performance/simplicity mix is CDex

 

[YetioDoom]

Originally posted by: dwell
iTunes. He said easy.

I use iTunes also. Just insert the CD, it does the rest. May not be the absolute best sound quality, but I don't notice.

 

[tami]

EAC + LAME for sure

 

[Allio]

CDex. You don't need to follow a three page guide to set it up and it will give you exactly the same quality as EAC. Plus, it's open source.

 

[samgau]

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
CDEx

Yup.... can also record analog to mp3 unlimited lengths....

 

[tfinch2]

Originally posted by: samgau

Originally posted by: Heisenberg
CDEx

Yup.... can also record analog to mp3 unlimited lengths....

 

[Cerb]

Easy: Audiograbber...be prepared for errors with most newer drives.
Good: CDex...not as good as EAC, but better than Audiograbber.
Best Free: CDparanoia (can get CDex-like results--command-line!)
Best free: Exact Audio Copy...requires some setup time. Read the stickies at HA.org and google some guides. You can get it to be as easy as Audiograbber (click MP3 and wait), but it is not that simple out of the box. EAC secure mode is only bested by Plextools Pro due to very good error correction in Plextools Pro. CDex will get you about the same quality on good CDs, but on scuffed up ones and unbalanced ones, EAC will give an audibly better result.
Best: Plextools Pro (only with Plextor drive)

For an MP3 encoder, LAME 3.96.1 or 3.90.3. --preset standard will be quite good (transparent for 90+% of stuff), with extreme offering a nice bit of quality overhead.

Ogg is better at low bitrates, but not hgiher (though some of it depends on your ears--Ogg has a smoother/warmer degredation than MP3, so lower quality just sounds muddy, not scratchy).

FLAC offers a free way to get lossless done, which, with the proper offset, also means true archiving.

P.S. just went to Faith No More's War Pigs...The Real Thing would not rip without terrible audible errors (badly messed up) with anything but EAC's secure mode. It took an hour or so, IIRC, but it sounds great: no pops, clicks, or skips.

 

[Baked]

EAC to LAME using secure mode and "--alt-preset standard" command line.

EAC's used for ripping the CD to HD in WAV, LAME's the encode that compresses the WAV to MP3.

Originally posted by: BaboonGuy
What's the best lossless solution that can play on an ipod?

Apple Lossless.