Older CD players / newer cd pressings / Apple Music question ( Long post )

cx6

Exact Audio Copy

download to your pc/laptop, and use it to rip the CD onto your HDD. Note: this is Windows only, not Mac.

You will probably end up with .WAV files, which are lossless but quite large. You can easily convert them to lossless FLAC which will reduce them is size (Google FLAC)

If you want to reduce them is size even more, then convert to a lossy format such as 320k mp3. Some purists will advise not to use lossy, I can never even remotely tell the difference when listening between .wav and .mp3 @320 - others will disagree

another_casualty

Thanks for that .
Unfortunately , I haven't got windows which is a pane . 

I could sell amp and CD player , and perhaps get something for a few hundred at a push pending on quality etc ..

googler

I think the current EAC download includes a convertor to automatically spit out FLAC if requested.

Some purists insist on keeping WAV files, but they're less flexible with regards to tagging.

Lots of software out there for converting WAV or FLAC to mp3 if needed for iTunes and/or mobile devices. Foobar2000, Trader's Little Helper, etc.  

OnlyTheBestWillDo

cx6 said:

Exact Audio Copy

download to your pc/laptop, and use it to rip the CD onto your HDD. Note: this is Windows only, not Mac.

You will probably end up with .WAV files, which are lossless but quite large. You can easily convert them to lossless FLAC which will reduce them is size (Google FLAC)

If you want to reduce them is size even more, then convert to a lossy format such as 320k mp3. Some purists will advise not to use lossy, I can never even remotely tell the difference when listening between .wav and .mp3 @320 - others will disagree

The only reason for choosing anything other than a Lossless format would be a lack of storage space. We've moved on from 256 MB MP3 players. Our PCs will have at least one thousand times that storage capacity; so unless your hardware is incapable of playing Lossless media, don't choose lossy MP3.
It will be like when you regret not having purchased a better camera/phone camera. Keep your source material high quality. Apart from a more enjoyable listening experience(those who claim not to be able to hear the difference, will perhaps have some other sense heightened, in compensation for the lack of sensitivity in their hearing   ). it's the way to archive your collection. 

Neil_Jones

another_casualty said:

Thanks very much for this @Neil_Jones
On the subject of the metallica cd..it was totally black on the playing side . Not the usual silver . 

Shouldn't make any difference, Playstation disks were black, and a PC could read them happily.  Couldn't copy them (not directly anyway) but they were readable.  That's just the colour of the die.

A CD is just in a nutshell a round piece of plastic with a reflective shiny surface on it (that contains the recording - on professional CDs it is effectively a glorified stamp/mould) and some die to protect it.  This is what gives it its reflective/silver side.  In theory it can be any colour you want, its just a different coloured die on "this" side of the mould.  However you tend to see different colours for certain music bands or special occasions/themes or similar - https://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/cds-with-colored-or-black-playing-surfaces.479168/ has some examples.

cx6

If you don't have Windows then you can't run EAC unfortunately.

I am not an Apple person but I believe you can use iTunes to rip CDs into WAV.

You can then convert these WAV files into FLAC (lossless) or .mp3 (lossy but smaller) as you wish. Or indeed into one of the Apple music formats

another_casualty

I've decided to do nothing ..

Yesterday, while listening to certain albums , things sounded pretty decent .
Strangely, the first Swamp Terrorist album recorded in '91 ( a mix of samples / gruff vocals etc) sounded really good . The onkyo amp is on a par with the old Cambridge audio A3i back in the mid '90s. It has better seperation , although the phono signal is a little weaker
( I may get a DAC some time in the not too distant ..).

As it's mse , I have paid legally ( for a lot less ££) from a website for downloads .
I won't elaborate incase it's frowned upon here 😔
However, a couple of tangerine dream soundtracks sounded great it has to be said .

It has taken me ages to rip CDs onto iTunes / Apple Music which is a long way from finished due to " life " getting in the way. 

What may be my best way forward, is to purchase CDs and downloads .
Certain bands these days due to the new way of the music business  seem to charge huge amounts ,and have too much " filler " content imho
The latest tool album for example , and the Metallica Black Album spring to mind .

Anyway , I'll leave it there 🎶

lammy82

 Neil_Jones said:

A CD is just in a nutshell a round piece of plastic with a reflective shiny surface on it (that contains the recording - on professional CDs it is effectively a glorified stamp/mould) and some die to protect it.  

Wow, never realised that people go to such lengths to safeguard their music collection!   

flaneurs_lobster

   Heh !

onomatopoeia99

another_casualty said:

There was a similar problem with a Klaus Schulze cd as well . 

My copy of "Timewind" plays fine, though I generally only listen to Bayreuth return.