2. misc-audio
  3. 1119046577

Inaccurate computer CD reading?

OK, here's something I never understood, so maybe somebody can enlighten me:

Why do people say that CD's ripped onto a computer using Exact Audio Copy sound better/more accurate than with other software?

How can a computer CD drive be inaccurate? After all, they are used for executable software that must be entirely bit-accurate or else the software may simply crash. Why would it be different for reading audio CD's?
sufentanil

Showing 1 response by ghostrider45

ghostrider45
449 posts
 
Redbook CDs use Error Correcting Codes (ECC) also. The Redbook standard assumes that no CD will be a perfect pressing, so there is a lot of redundancy built into the data.

BTW, one bit could make a big difference if it happened to to be the most significant bit in a sample.

I think that some ripping programs ignore the ECC info and hope for the best, to get better reading speed, but I've never looked into this area before.
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