ExactAudioCopy ripping software

There is only one Exact Audio Copy and it is free. All of those other programs you see are advertisements from others selling other programs. Sogood is correct that you need to click the download link on the left then scroll to the bottom of that page for the download.

Google around and do some research on setting it up properly or you may end up with rips other than what you intended.

500 gig won't hold 1,500 Cds without compression and then it will be close. With lossless compression you could do it but you'll need 600-700 meg without. Don't forget you need a second drive for backing up as you go. EAC is slow so you'll be lucky to get 5 an hour ripped. That means 300 hours (over 3 months at 3 hours a day) to rip 1500 CDs and you don't want to get done and lose it all because your drive crashed.

Wav files are 10 meg a minute so about 450 Meg for a 45 minute CD. As far as "average" goes it depends on what kind of music you mainly have. A lot of rock and pop Cds come in well under 40 minutes and many classical are closer to 70. I'm using Apple Lossless and the average CD is about 300 Meg.

Thanks everyone

What is the difference between Compressed Lossless and Uncompressed lossless - reproduction/quality wise??

Although this a second system, one day it could be my first (only if this technology ever evolves to an audiophile level).

So nows the time to choose wisely - I think, as I'd rather rip these CDs just the one time...

I'm prepared to get a larger capacity HD - if it's justified.

Saffy

Compressed lossless means when it is played back that it reconstructs the original data perfectly so they are effectively the same, but compressed takes up less space.

That part of the equation is audiophile quality, and since you can feed that same data to any DAC on the market via a USD to spdif converter or directly from a computer to an audiophile USB DAC, that is also beyond reproach.

The weak link is getting from the compressed file on the computer to the DAC. If you are close (25 feet or so) enough to use a USB cable you are good to go via one of the methods above, but if you aren't or want to go wireless then you have a problem.

Correct me if I'm wrong but the only wireless solutions (Apple Airport, Squeezeboz, Sonos etc.) use their own DACs and I don't think they are considered audiophile quality. I would love to hear if I am wrong about this.

The problem today is that all USB audio is Isosynchronous and there are no wireless USB transmitters that handle it, they can only handle asynchronous. I traded some emails with Silex about http://www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=317840&pfp=SEARCH and they told me that they hope to have isosynchronous USB device servers later this year. That would be the last piece to the puzzle..

Apple Airport Express and Slim Devices Squeezebox both have analog and digital outputs so the results depend on how you use them. I can't speak for quality of the Airport digital out, but the Squeezebox SPDIF output quality is excellent, and improved even further with some simple modifications. Using the digital output, the sound is pretty much determined entirely by the quality of external DAC you choose to use.

Thanks for the correction Kjg. At present I'm using a USB DAC so I'm tethered to my computer but I'm going to look into the Squeezebox. Do you have more info/links on the modifications?