Hi all and happy new year,

I was just wondering - I have an audio CD that comes with a DVD which contains Dolby, DTS and PCM versions of the audio CD. Would it be better to rip from the audio CD @ 44.1khz , or could I get better quality by using DVD Audio Ripper to rip the PCM version at 48khz? I'm using -V 0 --VBR-New if that matters.

Thanks!

They should both be about the same "quality."
Nowadays many CD's suffer from the effects of the loudness war. The DVD may be mastered differently and have a wider dynamic range, and it may sound better to you.

Why don't you rip both and compare them? After all, you bought it to listen to it, right?
If you can't hear the difference, then to you they are the same quality.

Ripping the DVD involves bypassing copy-protection and may or may not be legal in your country. DRM sucks.

Welcome to HA!

Actually quality evaluation of a musical piece is probably not the reason one has bought it. The constant doubt whether you acquired the perfect or best possible copy can spoil every enjoyment of music.

Personally I discovered that music tracks I recorded on a minidisc were enjoyable. Not because Minidisc deck was of exceptional quality. I already knew that nothing good can be expected from ATRAC and ended up listening to a mere test recording.

Thanks for the welcome!

The reason I came here was because I have an album by Depeche Mode called Playing The Angel and the CD, to my ears, sounds absolutely terrible, far too loud and distorted - and as suggested the PCM version on the DVD seems to have more dynamic range, there are sounds there that can't be heard with the CD because it's just too loud and the sounds have all been clipped.

I also have some re-mastered Depeche Mode albums that come with PCM versions on DVD - and although I can't really hear a difference between the CD and PCM versions, I was wondering whether, as a source, the PCM version at 48khz is technically of a higher quality than the CD at 44.1khz?

And yes, sad but true, I am starting to get obsessive about all this!

Like j7n said, it's probably not good to worry too much about it. The placebo effect may be tricking you, in other words, the higher numbers 48 vs. 44.1 make you think there is a difference at all in "quality." It's all subjective.

Keep in mind so many people have been content with CD quality for 20+ years, and new formats, higher sampling rates, etc. are being pushed by companies who need to find a reason for you to buy into their new "upgrades."

If you are interested in learning about the minute technical details, look up Nyquist theorem, sound wave theory, lossless vs. lossy formats, any the stuff that gets talked about here.

Heheh, I'm a big fan of Construction Time Again and Some Great Reward. The first time I listened to Violator was the first time I became intoxicated! LOL

Enjoy your tunes!