Should I re-rip?


I ripped all my CDs to FLAC files using dbPoweramp on my PC yrs ago. I now have a better DAC and want to maximizie sound quality.  WouId it be worth my time to re-rip my cds to WAV (I even see that Steve Nugent on his website recommends AIFF over FLAC). Is lack of metadata still a problem with WAV?
Also, in dbPoweramp there are a number of setting options.  When I ripped to FLAC I just went with the default settings. Was that a mistake?
I’m not a computer guy. So please keep explanations very simple. Thanks in advance. 
rockyboy

Showing 1 response by mapman

You are better off with lossless flac for streaming. Consumes less disk space and supports flexible tagging of metadata. Data content is the same.

I went the other way being a purist and starting ripping with .wav, then switching and converting to now lossless flac using dbpoweramp. I used dbpoweramp to batch convert my old .wav files to .flac and then ripped only to flac using dbpoweramp from there.

I listened carefully for any difference that might matter before committing to the switch there was none, as it should be if everything is working well since its the same information to read and stream, just in two different source file formats.

So bottom line if you ripped at CD resolution to lossless compressed FLAC format, there is no concrete reason to re-rip. I would not do it.

That’s not to say all streamer/DAC combos will do equally well with both formats, since the processing requirements are different to do it correctly. Compare each in your setup first and see.

IF any of your ripped FLAC files show as lower than CD resolution, then there is a clear reason to re-rip for best quality results.