Long ago, i used CDex to convert my cds to mp3s, but the sound quality was significantly inferior, so I swiched to FreeRip, and i was ripping contently until several problems with FreeRip switched me back to CDex.

There is still a question of knowing how to maximize the audio quality while minimizing filesize like FreeRip does.. I know it's possible with CDex, i just need a bit of help to know how. When i select normal quality, the filesize is the same as it was for FreeRip, yet the audio quality was significantly inferior. When i selected high quality for the conversion, i achieved near cd quality, but the filesize was gigantic. I know what ABR/CBR/VBR is, still doesn't help.

Thx

-R-E

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....t=ST&f=15&t=203

...thx, yet i've already read this.

Your observations on sound quality seem very unlikely to me, and I'm sure a lot of people here would agree with me.

If you have any data to specifically back up your claims, I suggest you provide them, according to Rule #8 of the Hydrogenaudio Terms of Service. Thank you.

to clarify: CDex et all are, at the encoding part, just FRONTENDS for the eactual encoders, like eg. Lame etc. so the sound quality is not set by CDex, but by it's used encoder and it's settings (assuming secure extraction has taken place beforehand).

what is your actuall problem here?

the problem is that (you're right, when using the LAME mp3 encoder v.1.32, e.3.90) whenever i encode, it just seems quieter, more fuzzy, less accurate, etc. I have reviewed what dreamliner suggested once more and it has helped me a little with the quality issues, but i'm still having an issue with the volume. The encoded files are much quieter than the cd volume, a problem i've never encountered when using FreeRip('s encoder, whichever that is).

and kjoonlee: please don't rip on me because i'm having a problem with a program and would like help. if you'd like me to supply 'data' to prove to you that i have a problem, tell me where to find it, and i'll happily supply it.

to digga: before i knew much about encoding mp3s, the LAME encoder seemed to complex for me to use, but now that i feel i can significantly use CDex, i'd like to know how, and do it effectively. so, it wasn't Lame that was neccessarily inferior, just my knowledge of how to use it.

any solutions on the quietness issue?

-r.e.

look here.

your 'quiteness-issue' is prob. due to some simple user-fault, as it is not possible to lower the volume when encoding in a 'normal' way.
some things I could think of:
1. you use different players/settings for playing wave and mp3.
2. you selected some kind normalisation settings in CDex.
3. you use lame's internal --scale option (?).

btw, you might want to fully read the faq, tos etc.

edit: typo

thx for #8

all of the comparators compare wav files, not mp3s.

this is too much work to figure out a problem. i'm sorry, but apparently this message board's definition of an 'audiophile' does not apply to me. i'll just happily move on and forget about the wonders of Lame which seem to elude me, and of which nobody seems to want to help me with. I find it rediculous when i'm asked tp 'prove' that there is a problem with my encoder.

-r.e.

We will miss you.

'There's a lot in the "tone" of how you do something. Whether we accept unsubstantiated claims is not up for debate - we do not. But the manner in which you coax these people into doing things the right way is very important.

We've got to allow people who don't know any better (and sometimes even those of us who do!) to make unsubstantiated claims at first, so that other members can point out that they're unsubstantiated, and suggest a fair way of testing them. This doesn't mean we accept unsubstantiated claims as truth, but it does mean that people sometimes need to be allowed to post them as a starting point for discussion and investigation. "I think X" is an unsubstantiated claim, but it's OK if it leads on to "How can I test if it's true?" '

http://www.hydrogenaudio.org/forums/index....showtopic=11442

r.e.

Have you tried this CDex guide? It helps you to get the most out of the program. Try to follow it very closely. If you follow that guide, and still have problems with the volume then it's probably all in your head or like Digga said:

Good luck!

yes, the tone, the way you communicate with others is very important indeed IMO. nobody is trieng to push you in a direction you do not want to go though. if you don't like the 'rules' around here, it's up for a basic disgussion I guess, but the rules won't change easily (here), it's you who have to change if you want to participate here.
this is not intended to put you on a lower level, it's intended to keep the board with it's relativly high standard alive.

btw, if you keep in mind that your first post was pretty unclear (at least IMHO), and you nevertheless got some helping answers, there's no need to be angry or anything.

so, if you want to stay, and learn that there are things you might not be aware of... welcome.
if you dont:

What are you using to play back your files? If winamp, be aware that the eq is set differently for cd vs. mp3. This could alter your perception.

[observer-mode]When others are trying to correct your misconceptions of encoders and frontends, it would do you well to listen to them before jumping to the conclusion that they are ripping into you.[/observer-mode]

CDex is NOT an mp3 encoder; it is a CD-ripper which subsequently executes LAME to encode the rips into mp3.

Correct me if this has been updated, but all along, 'Normal quality' in CDex != -preset standard. This may explain the apparent suboptimal quality, but of course, TOS #8 has to be applied first.

Edit: shoot, this is already quite an old thread. I apologise to the thread-resurrection-intolerant.