I only rarely use PC's, otherwise I would have been using Exact Audio Copy long ago. It compares CD rips against a master database, and can tell you when rips are exactly correct (or at least matching hundreds of other users).
I was not aware of such a thing on Mac. I've long used iTunes for ripping. I check the "Use Error Correction" box in preferences, and rip twice, then compare the files. Faulty files that sound bad always seem to differ from one another. But for such a longish time I had not seen any errors, I had switched to just ripping once. Now I find on a lot of CD's, especially ones I got from Alan, they rip with audible skips (even with the "Use Error Correction"). The iTunes ripping is something like a "college try," if it doesn't get it after a few times it quits and just gives you some kind of guess. I've also taken to examining the CD's carefully under a strong lite first and cleaning obvious dirt with a soft cloth and RO water. But often there are scratches or defects that can't be cleaned, and often there are errors in the CD rips when there is no visible issue. I wonder if some of these discs were made not to rip correctly.
Now I've found something which also uses the same master database of user file information as Exact Audio Copy on Windows. It's the program dbPoweramp. It seems to fix many of the discs I was getting different reads from on iTunes, and certifies them as accurate. I'm using the free version today but plan to purchase the single use version for $39. It seems to try much harder than iTunes, possibly using error codes from the CD drive. It really slows down on bad discs, otherwise very fast. It rips straight to lossless FLAC, which save half the space.
I know there are many many rippers, but few it seems compare song file checksums against a master online database.
