Exact Audio Copy vs. Other Rippers: Why It Still Matters

Exact Audio Copy — The Complete Guide for Perfect CD RipsExact Audio Copy (EAC) is a Windows program designed to produce the most accurate digital copies of audio CDs. Built with error detection, drive-specific strategies, and powerful extraction settings, EAC is the tool of choice for archivists, audiophiles, and anyone who wants bit-perfect CD rips. This guide walks through what EAC does, why it matters, how to set it up, and how to create reliable, lossless archives.

Why Exact Audio Copy matters

• Error detection and correction: Unlike simple ripping tools that may silently copy corrupted data, EAC reads audio data multiple times and compares reads to detect and correct read errors.
• Drive-specific offsets and read modes: EAC can use drive offsets and custom read modes to align rips exactly to the original CD data.
• Secure ripping for archival quality: For preserving rare or aging CDs, EAC’s secure mode minimizes the risk of producing flawed digital masters.
• Support for accurate metadata and checksums: EAC can produce cuesheets, log files, and generate checksums, making your archive verifiable and reproducible.

What you need before you begin

• A Windows PC (EAC is Windows-only; can run under Wine with caveats).
• A reliable CD/DVD drive — not all drives are equal for accurate ripping; some drives have superior error-correction behavior.
• Exact Audio Copy installer (download from the official site).
• Optional: an external USB CD/DVD drive (some external drives are better behaved than laptop drives).
• Optional software: codec pack or standalone encoder binaries (LAME, FLAC, Nero AAC, etc.) for creating compressed formats.

Installation and initial configuration

1. Download EAC from the official site and run the installer.
2. On first run, EAC will prompt to configure drive settings and detection. Allow it to run the automatic drive detection tests.
3. When asked about drive features, EAC will detect supported features like Accurate Stream, C2 error info, and caching. Take note of what your drive supports — more features generally mean better ripping accuracy and faster operation.
4. Configure the offset(s): EAC may ask to verify the drive’s read offset or suggest a default. For best results, use published offsets from the AccurateRip database or verify using test discs if available.

Essential EAC settings explained

• Secure mode vs. burst mode:

  • Secure mode reads audio multiple times and performs comparisons to guarantee accuracy — use this for archival rips.
  • Burst mode is faster but lacks error checking — suitable only if you trust the disc and drive and don’t need exact copies.

• Drive features:

  • Accurate Stream: helpful for jitter-free reading.
  • C2 pointers: if supported and reliable, C2 pointers can speed up error detection. Not all drives report them reliably.

• Gap handling:

  • EAC can detect and preserve pre-gaps (index 0) and handle CD-Text and hidden tracks. Use cuesheets to keep precise track boundaries when creating files like FLAC.

• Compression/encoding:

  • For lossless archiving, use FLAC (free, open, widely supported). EAC can call the FLAC encoder to produce .flac files and produce a CUE sheet.
  • For lossy formats, integrate LAME (MP3), Nero AAC, or other encoders; configure command-line options for bitrate/quality.

• Filename and metadata:

  • Configure EAC to query freedb (or MusicBrainz via plugins) for track names and album metadata. Save logs and create proper filename templates to keep collections consistent.

Step-by-step rip: secure, verifiable workflow

1. Insert the CD and let EAC read the Table of Contents (TOC).
2. Verify drive offsets if not already set. EAC will show drive features and a color-coded readout indicating any immediate issues.
3. Click “Action > Copy Image & Create CUE Sheet” for a full-disc image (recommended for exact preservation, including pregaps). Or use “Action > Copy Selected Tracks” to rip individual tracks.
4. Choose a destination folder and filename template. Select the encoder (FLAC recommended) and any encoder options.
5. Start secure ripping. EAC will read each sector, re-read suspicious areas, and attempt to resolve mismatches. Watch the status for any reported read errors; EAC will log them.
6. After ripping, EAC can query AccurateRip (if enabled/available) to compare your rip’s checksums with a database of verified rips. A successful AccurateRip match gives confidence your rip is identical to others in the database.

Using cuesheets and logs

• Cuesheets (.cue) record track indices, pregap information, and arrangement of tracks on the disc. Use cuesheets when you want to preserve exact track boundaries or create a single-image rip.
• EAC creates log files (.log) that show read statistics, offsets, and any errors encountered. Save these logs alongside your rips for provenance. A log showing no errors is valuable if you ever need to demonstrate rip integrity.

Choosing encoders and settings

• FLAC: use for lossless archives. Typical command-line options: -8 for a balance of compression and speed, -0 to -8 scale for faster to smaller output. EAC will embed CD-TEXT and tags when properly configured.
• WAV+FLAC: some users prefer creating WAV files first (uncompressed) and then compressing with FLAC separately to control metadata and checks. EAC can do WAV output directly.
• MP3 (LAME), AAC, Ogg Vorbis: suitable for listening copies. Choose appropriate quality settings (LAME: --preset insane for 320 kbps VBR or --preset 128 for lower bitrates; for AAC, CBR/VBR options depending on encoder).

Example FLAC encoder command EAC may call:

flac.exe -8 --totally-silent --replay-gain --keep-foreign-metadata "%source%" -o "%dest%" 

(adjust to your FLAC binary path and preferred options)

Troubleshooting common problems

• Read errors persist or ripping fails:
  • Try another drive (some drives handle damaged discs better).
  • Clean the disc and try again.
  • Use burst mode to extract then compare — sometimes different modes succeed where secure fails.
• AccurateRip mismatches:
  • A mismatch could indicate a bad disc, different pressing/master, or incorrect drive offset setting. Check offsets and test with another known-good disc.
• Missing metadata:
  • Configure EAC to use an external metadata source (MusicBrainz through plugins) or manually edit tags after ripping.

Best practices for long-term archiving

• Always keep the EAC log file and the CUE sheet with the audio files — they are the provenance for the rip.
• Prefer lossless formats (FLAC) for archival. Store occasional checksums (MD5/SHA256) for files and archive them in multiple locations.
• Use AccurateRip results as a quick integrity check, but retain original logs for discs not in the database.
• Maintain a drive inventory; some drives are known to be better for secure ripping — test new drives before trusting them for large archival jobs.

Advanced tips

• Drive offsets: if you plan to rip often and share rips, publish your drive offset with your logs so others can reproduce bit-identical rips.
• Disabled drive cache in Windows when using secure mode to prevent caching interference. EAC normally handles caching detection, but verify in drive properties if you encounter anomalies.
• Re-rip suspicious tracks with different drives to cross-check damaged or borderline discs.
• For copy-protected discs or heavily damaged media, specialized hardware or professional services may be necessary.

Conclusion

Exact Audio Copy remains the gold standard for anyone who values accurate, verifiable CD rips. Its combination of secure read modes, detailed logging, and integration with encoders and verification databases like AccurateRip makes it ideal for archival work and audiophile libraries. With proper drive selection, configuration, and attention to logs and cuesheets, you can create lossless, trustworthy digital archives that will stand the test of time.