I have ripped about 900 CDs now in Lossless using the built in drives first in my G4 dual and after it died, my G5 dual. I agree with Kennyt that the condition of the disk impacts the time required for error correction.
So, I have developed a little ritual for cleaning each CD before I rip it. I developed this based on the ideas on the products offered by Pierre Spey on the Mapleshade Records site...
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/cdtreatments_main.php
I use the Optrix spray to clean the surface on both sides, using Kimwipes. Then I zap the little sucker with the Iconoclast on both sides and toss it in the drive. I have tried all the other treatments (Illuminator, Vivid, MikroSmooth etc) and while they probably yield benefits for those who will be using a CD player, I don't think they are necessary for ripping and they are very time consuming to apply.
I buy a lot of CDs used on Amazon and am regularly disappointed by how many which are advertised as Very Good or Like New have been thrashed, or as I have taken to saying "are covered with peanut butter"... In extreme cases I have found that washing the disc with warm water and soap, rinsing thorougly and then using the Optrix works miracles.
New CDs theoretically have the mold release compound still on them, and this takes care of that as well. Not sure if its an issue or not but this is rip once for posterity and it gives me something to do while the drive turns... You can certainly hear the difference on even the crappiest boom box - though again that is real time playback.
And yes I did go through a phase of blacking the centers etc but after making a royal mess realized that the CD reader with error correction on probably didn't care about that anyhow and was glad to stop.
So, I have developed a little ritual for cleaning each CD before I rip it. I developed this based on the ideas on the products offered by Pierre Spey on the Mapleshade Records site...
http://www.mapleshaderecords.com/audioproducts/cdtreatments_main.php
I use the Optrix spray to clean the surface on both sides, using Kimwipes. Then I zap the little sucker with the Iconoclast on both sides and toss it in the drive. I have tried all the other treatments (Illuminator, Vivid, MikroSmooth etc) and while they probably yield benefits for those who will be using a CD player, I don't think they are necessary for ripping and they are very time consuming to apply.
I buy a lot of CDs used on Amazon and am regularly disappointed by how many which are advertised as Very Good or Like New have been thrashed, or as I have taken to saying "are covered with peanut butter"... In extreme cases I have found that washing the disc with warm water and soap, rinsing thorougly and then using the Optrix works miracles.
New CDs theoretically have the mold release compound still on them, and this takes care of that as well. Not sure if its an issue or not but this is rip once for posterity and it gives me something to do while the drive turns... You can certainly hear the difference on even the crappiest boom box - though again that is real time playback.
And yes I did go through a phase of blacking the centers etc but after making a royal mess realized that the CD reader with error correction on probably didn't care about that anyhow and was glad to stop.