How can I see my file information? I want to see what bit they were encoded at and any other information like that. In Winamp, for aac files, it does not give bitrate information.

Also, using NeroDigital aac encoder, am I right to assume that the only quality control I need to worry about is teh -q, -br, -cbr values?

If so, do you think constant gives a better quality sound, or not?

Last, how can I set EAC to automatically get freedb cd information when a disk is inserted?

Thanks again for all your help. I love EAC/RACT, especially REACT. That script is very, very cool. It's an [F10] party.

EAC -> EAC options (F9) -> general -> tick the 3rd check box "on unknown CD's" -> select first choice "automatically access online freedb database"

then make sure a valid email is listed here:
EAC -> freedb / database options (F12) -> freedb -> your email address:

that should do it.

Variable bitrate = (almost) constant quality
Constant bitrate = variable quality

The complexity of your music isn't always the same. The bassist playing a solo is a huge difference compared to the whole band playing at once. Especially loud, high-frequency material is comparably hard to encode, making higher bitrates necessary. On the other hand, a CBR algorithm wastes bits while processing the easy-to-handle parts of the music. Hence, an encoder which intelligently adjusts bitrates according to a song's complexity, is very likely to deliver qualitatively better results.

Thanks Junon and Trevor.