CD ripper software is intended for copying CD audio content to music files on hard disc of a computer. Read below about:
• sound quality,
• different ripping ways (including safe/secure and unsecure),
• ripping formats and settings,
• metadata management;
• Frequently Asked Questions;
• how to choose the best CD ripping software for audiophile.

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CD ripper software for audiophiles

Disclaimer: The list may contain mistakes and not be reflect the current version of a ripper software. If cell is empty, the author hasn't exact information. If you found an error contact us. We produce AuI ConevreR 48x44.

The CD ripper runs in your devices to rip out the digital audio tracks directly from the audio CDs to MP3 or WAV audio files. CD Ripping software is easily available in the market. The users can try the free version of the CD Ripper before purchasing the premium version of the software. Ripping music from CDs: The complete why and how to. CDs are the original digital music format, but more convenient methods of storing audio allow for the same sound quality in an even more enduring and portable from. For enjoying music on the go, audio file formats like MP3, AAC, ALAC and FLAC are the best.

CD ripper comparison
CD ripping software	Safe ripping	Attempt of broken audio data restoring	External checksum online database	Access metadata online database	Cost	Operation system
AuI ConverteR 48x44	yes	yes, detect and display error up to 1 sample precision	no	yes	Free / Commercial	Windows, Mac
CDex	yes	Open source	Windows
Cdparanoia	yes	Free	Windows, Mac, Linux
dBPoweramp	yes	yes	yes	Time limited demo / Commercial	Windows, Mac
EAC	yes	yes	yes	Free	Windows
foobar2000	yes	yes	Free	Windows
iTunes	no	yes	Free	Windows, Mac
Phile Audio	yes	Commercial	Mac
XLD	yes	yes	yes	Free	Mac
Windows Media Player	no	yes	Free	Windows

More CD rippers for Ubuntu Linux

Disclaimer: In this article theoretical concepts are discussed. Real software and hardware are not discussed here and may work differently. All stuff here is personal opinion of the author. And the stuff is based on the author's knowledge at the time of the article writing.

Common ripping issues

You can meet the topic of the article too often at the forums and articles, like: 'the best cd ripping software 2021', 'the best cd ripper 2021', 'the best cd ripper for mac', 'the best cd ripper for windows', etc. The rippers are compared by perceived sound quality, functionality, metadata (song information: track name, album, performer, etc.) abilities, ripping speed and other.

However, in the author's opinion, main feature of the best cd ripping software for audiophiles is exactness of copying CD's binary audio information to music files.

This feature is measurable. But the author doesn't know about studies, that available for public access.

A Safe CD ripper or secure CD ripper is the ripper software that has binary-content-copying exactness as aim.

Read below:

sound quality issues;
how to provide the exactness and how it linked with ripping speed;
damaged CD music information restoration;
best CD rip format and settings.

CD ripper software features

Copying music binary content from CD tracks to sound files
Copying optical disc fault detection
Attempt of damaged audio restoring
Ripping speed
Embedding text metadata and album artwork (auto and/or manual)
Resampling and bit-depth altering
Creating directory structure to ripped files

Read below review of audio data integrity control (quality issues), ripping speed and audio-information restoration.

CD ripper sound quality

Quality of CD ripping is a number of broken bytes in the ripped files.

CD ripping error is digital audio data difference between original record (binary audio file content that is intended for CD pressing) and audio content of a ripped file.

Original record is an audio file that is used to produce a compact disc.

Correct error detection is correct detection of real broken byte.

False (wrong) error detection is error detection for correct music information.

Abbreviations

ED - error detection

Correct and false (wrong) error detection in CD ripping

Maximal CD ripping quality is ripping without errors. I.e. binary music content of a ripped file should be fully identical to original record.

Aim of safe CD ripping software

In the first approach, CD ripping software can't improve sound of CD.

The best thing that can do the software is binary exact copy of music information from optical disc to sound file only.

However, there are some details. If computer optical drive provide lesser reading error number, than audio optical disc player, ripped sound files can be closer to original master record than digital music stream, that reading on the CD-player. It was important to remember, that hardware players have own ways of probable broken music restoration.

The word 'probably' is used too often in the article, because error rising, correct or false error detection, error fixing are not events with 100% probability.

What cause CD ripping fault

Digital music stream faults can cause either clicks or pauses or interruptions or other audible distortions.

CD ripping fault detection

There are different ways of the ripping error detection:

high-level fault detection
checksum comparison of number identical ripped discs
low-level fault detection

High level CD-fault detection

In this case CD, audio stream is read:

- without error flags,

- without re-readings,

- with buffering of reading information.

Audio information is corrected by optical drive anyway.

But there are some ways of additional ED are missed (read details 'Low-level CD-fault detection' part).

Sometimes, optical device driver of operation system can report about fault, sometimes - not (depend on implementation driver and operation system). CD ripper doesn't obtain to error flags, generated by compact disc drive, and store music information as is into files.

CD checksum comparison with database

This secure way calculate ripped CD's checksum. These checksums are collected into an internet database. When you rip CD at the database compatible ripping software, your rip checksum is calculated and compared with checksums into the database.

Checksum comparison via CD-ripping checksum database

But the database doesn't contain original record checksum. So ripped checksum compared with an array of uncertified checksums.

We can hope (without 100% warranty), that the majority (of similar checksums for some CD into the database) is the same checksum of the CD's original record.

But, in instance, if a serie of CD was manufactured without 100% identity to original studio files (for

Best Audio Cd Ripping Software