Hi I did an extensive search on the subject with various topics but haven't found a definitive answer; My question is what software to use with Plextor CD-Writer for ripping cds (EAC or Plextools) and for burning (???). My preference is quality (douhhhh)

Thanks.

plextools has not so many options as eac but it has better c2 accurancy. it is said that it works with plextools nealy 100% perfect. so on a cd that heavily scratched plextools might produce better results. but i would use eac anyway without any c2 stuff enabled. that works for most of my cds. with the scratched ones you have to experiment a bit (edit: but that doesn't mean that eac can't correct light to mid-heavy scracthed cds. only the really bad ones might not work)

Plextools are also very fast...
For some reason, I ripped the same song with EAC (with correct offsets)
and afterwards with Plextools (gaplessly with both rippers) and they gave
me different filesizes... EAC's "wav compare" gave me a "the second track
(the one ripped with Plextools) is x seconds longer"...
Weird...

The burning program shouldn't make a difference in quality.
And the ripping program will make a difference if the CD "has errors". I'd choose Plextools over EAC because it's much faster and as accurate as EAC.

EAC worked perfectly on my old Plextor 40TSi. It could rip badly scratched discs at high speeds. I never got an audible artifact on 600+ cds (unless EAC told me it got a sync error). Too bad I have to give it back when I quit my job.

EAC is however useless on my current Plextor IDE burner (something 24/40X) unless the cd is brand new. It rips way too slow and sometimes freezes the computer. Plextools however, works perfectly when configured properly - otherwise it is just as useless:

- max ripping speed: 8X (I rip a lot of library cds and they all have heavy labels on them - makes the drive spin up and down constantly)
- recover best bytes / least errors
- 99 retries
- allow spin down
- maximum errors: 100