do burnt CD copys sound as good as originals?

To all those who say that a PC may not perfectly copy a CD I say this:

TREAT IT AS A DATA CD.

On Nero there is an option to make a duplicate of the original CD. This works no matter what is on the original CD, music or data. It is simply a bit for bit copy.

If you rip to the hard drive then burn to a CD it's hard to say for sure what happened to the data, but if you simply duplicate the original CD then you'll get a ...... duplicate.

Seandtaylor99,
Agree. Can you do this such that the duplicate ends up on the HDD (i am thinking in the network file player world)?
I think that is the intent of EAC (exact audio copy). IT reads the PCM (raw) from the disc and if you configure it, will emply error correction as well. I'm very green with EAC and as for help from you masters out there.

Seandtaylor99,

I have Roxio CD creator (an older version), and it too has a duplicate CD function...but it doesn't say what happens in the duplication process. Can I assume it's a bit-for-bit transfer?

If the "duplicate" feature works on data disks AND music CDs then it must be a bit-for-bit copy.

If it only works on music CDs it might not be a bit for bit copy.

Kudos to Shadorne for a superb post. I couldn't agree more. This new wave of so called "remastered" discs are pure garbage!!! They take a decent or even great original, compress the @#$* out of it, pump up the level, and try and pass it off as something new or better. This kind of sonic trickery only appeals to the ignorant masses, and has no place in the audiophile world! It's hard to believe that any artist or engineer could listen to this trash and think it's an improvement. The goal over the last 20+ years is to make CD's that sound better, not worse!! We've come too far to go backwards. Compression strips music of its emotional power and impact, that's why live music always blows us away, it's not just volume, but sheer dynamic power that keep us captivated!!

I am taking a stand though, I recently returned 3 CD's I bought from Amazon.com for this very reason. Thank god I still have the original versions!!
It's sad that I have to cringe everytime I load a new cd, wondering if they pulled this trick and ruined another piece of quality music!!