Hello,

I've searched online and I'm a little confused by the different ripping options in EAC. I normally have EAC set up to do an extraction using the Secure mode setting (under Drive Options), and then clicking the MP3 button on the main screen to extract and compress to FLAC.

Recently I have been hearing reports that "Test and Copy" is the best way to make perfect copies for archival storage and was wondering if anyone can explain exactly what the differences are between just hitting the mp3 button (secure) and doing a test and copy under the action menu (while leaving my drive settings the same)

I've already ripped dozens on albums using the secure mode and single mp3 button and am wondering if I could have achieved better results by using T&C instead.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide on this subject.

-Paul

this has been asked and answered many times already.
Test and Copy better than Secure in EAC?, Andre suggested it
Different schools of thought regarding EAC, Secure vs Test & Copy Burst.

test and copy does exactly what it says. it first tests the track by ripping it without writing a file and then rips it again where this second rip is written to a file.

whether this is worthwhile to you depends on the state of the disc being ripped combined with your drive and its capabilities. using test and copy doesn't "make" perfect copies. it's just a way to verify that you can get the same result twice in a row. you should also be aware that getting the same result twice in a row is no guarantee that your rip was accurate.

...and there's nothing that says you can't use test & copy in secure mode. why does this question always get posed as an either/or situation?

EAC's UI isn't exactly completely intuitive and easily confuses new users.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, it just seems that there are so many differing opinions leading to confusion and doubt. This will help.

you have to go in and manually change the extraction method, yet all the items in the action menu remain unchanged.