It is definitely the secure copy mode that is slowing things down. I tried normal mode for one CD and it peaked at 37.3x whereas it never gets above 3x with secure mode. *sigh* I understand that secure mode would be a bit slower, but I find that amount of difference rather surprising. I looked through some threads here and did not find my drive listed anywhere (fast or slow).
Your drive may have a read cache for CD reading operations. (This feature is separate from the cache used for writing CDs or for reading/writing DVDs.
You might also look at the log files produced by MC's secure ripping. If the 2 passes produce results that don't match, MC will do more reads to get a consensus result. The log file will note areas where extra reads were required.
I also mentioned the possibility that Windows had changed the transfer mode from DMA to programmed I/O. Look in Device Manager to see what mode is being used.
JRiver may have to do extra work to flush the cache before the second read and that may slow down the operation.
I picked a DVD drive that did not have a CD read cache. Samsung SH- 222 and 223 series drives have worked well for me as has an earlier model. Under $ 20 at newegg.com.
If you are going to be re-ripping a lot of CDs and really want to minimize the time spent, you might consider buying dBpoweramp. It has a database of checksum-like information for CD tracks (AccurateRip). It can do one pass at burst speed and check the result against its database. If the results match, no second pass is needed. If no information for the CD is present for a CD, dBpoweramp uses multiple passes as MC does.
> I would prefer the added security of a second pass to eliminate errors
> and would happily make some time allowances for such,
> but something more seems to be going on here with MC 17.
I've ripped nearly 3000 CDs by now on 4 different PCs with 5 different drives. I've done comparisons of MC, EAC and dBpoweramp. The secure ripping featuires in them work. One pass ripping can be faster if the checksum data is in the database. For 2 pass secure ripping, they are about the same speed.
> Could you recommend any sites that offer these higher resolution downloads? Just in case it's pertinent, I will say that I live in Canada.
HDTracks.com
Linn.com
eClassical.com
Ask on Computeraudiophile.com for more info.
> I am an audiophile and have a fairly high-end system. She has served me well for years but it is time to update.
> I am also quite familiar with technology. It's the marrying of the two that is currently giving me fits!
> Well, that and determining a system configuration that will do what I want it to do.
Computer audio is more about learning new things than about buying stuff.
I've been an audiophile since the mid-late 60s and a scientist turned computer programmer since ~68.
> From the sounds of it, it was very lucky that I did not decide to do this even two years ago
> as I would have been destined for extreme frustration.
I started on computer audio about 6+ years ago when hard drives got big enough and cheap enough to hold my music in Flac format. It wasn't any harder then. In some ways, it was easier since there were fewer people giving bad advice.
> I have been fiddling around a bit and also trying out your suggestions.
Keep fiddling. You can learn from suggestions even when they don't solve the current problem.
Bill
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