johnmcelfresh - sorry I have to disagree with you re iTunes etc.

Have you ever loaded the subsequent ripped file into a decent program such as Adobe Audition and seen how horribly compressed the waveform becomes?

Over compression = tiring and dull to listen to.

I always rip using Adobe Audition - into a 32 bit waveform. Subsequent work on the waveform can then take place at 32 bits, then downsampling to 16 bit when saving for playback.

Meridian G98AH '200' series * Yamaha DSP-Z9 * Pioneer 435XDE * Monitor Audio GR20, GRC, GRFX * B&W PV1 * skyHD * ISOL-8 mini sub 2