Lossless Files Vs CD's

The trip to T.H.E. show was complete waste as I expected. Apparently, Steeven (“Audiogoner”) commented on my posts without even having neither ability nor desire to compare "apples to apples" i.e. his “highly tweaked” comp/ripper does not have ability to playback CDs, only files, hence one can’t compare SQ of files to CD playback played from the same computer (which was my original comment about.). However, after coming back from show, I decided to do very final experiment just to be absolutely sure in what I’m saying, i.e. that SQ of ripped files indeed inferior to the SQ of the same cuts played back from the same CD/CDROM. This time I finally downloaded AccurateRip soft, which was suggested by many Audiogoners, but was, for some error on my part, not available to me on my Mac Book pro, hence I mostly used ITunes for the ripping hence all my prior comments were based on such experience. So, I downloaded AccuRip to my PC and did some ripping and comparing using headphones directly to computer analog out. Yes, SQ of files ripped using AccurateRip is significantly!!! better than those ripped on ITunes and now was almost (not 100% though) identical to the sound of CD. However files were still slightly less transparent compared to the CD playback and I still can blindly tell the difference if listening in headphones. However, all other problems, complained about by me earlier, i.e. voice timbre change, noticeable loss of extensions and transparency etc., were no longer there. Does that mean that my I-5, “no fan” PC, hooked by Illuminati I-90 cable to my Reimyo777 DAC beats or at least matches my (hundred years old, but finally fixed)) Teac VRDS-10 used as transport to the same Reimyo 777 ? No way! Not even close! Once again, to me, computer as a transport/player does make a sense only for free digital music downloads or as non-stop, rendom playing device (it freezes time to time though)) for non-critical listening.

Dvavc, Steve and I have both indicated multiple times in our earlier posts that the methodology you have used in your comparisons of CD playback with your computer vs. file playback with your computer, to quote one of my statements:

... cannot distinguish between effects occurring during the ripping process and effects occurring during the playback process. Yet he attributes the differences he perceived to the ripping process, even though (as we've both explained) it is entirely expectable and technically explainable that differences will be introduced during playback, and entirely unexpectable and technically inexplicable that differences will be introduced during a properly implemented rip.

In other words, that comparison is not apples to apples, as you continue to claim. Somehow that point seems to not be getting across.

Regards,
-- Al

Eat, rip and be merry......

Hi all,

FWIW, my personal experience thus far in my home system(I am not a dealer) is that :-

1. A top-notch transport (Esoteric K-01) will beat my computer audio set-up for redbook CD
2. For hi-rez, the same computer set-up beats redbook CD in the transport
3. A top-notch computer set-up may or may not beat the transport for redbook CD

I think that is what dvavc wants to find out but can't in Steve's room which does not have a transport for comparison.
I am also keen for that kind of comparison and will need to bring Steve's computer rig home for the answer. But where I live, I will never be able to do this due to lack of availability of Steve's well-received products and so this mystery will remain unresolved for me.