That speed change. It's why I think it is good to cold boot from time to time. I have no technical explanation for this. Except I could regain ripping speed by cold-booting. I used Superdrive as well. My rips using XLD start slow on each track, usually 1X,2X. Then they speed up to 2X, 4X, etc. For me, 8X isn't bad.
I use AIFF as well. Disk space is cheap and it's compatible with both iTunes and other software that isn't compatible with ALAC. (FLAC is my first choice but it's not compatible with Apple.)
I have no experience with dbPoweramp so I can't advise.
There's a nifty piece of software, Tag Editor, you will probably find handy at some point. http://www.amvidia.com/tag-editor
I use Google Images to find the album art that iTunes can't.
Finally, echoing what someone else wrote, when I'm ripping I'm listening. I set a goal of 5-10 CDs at a time and have a nice listening session while I'm at it. My guess is that there's plenty of hidden treasures in your library that your ripping project will help you rediscover.
I use AIFF as well. Disk space is cheap and it's compatible with both iTunes and other software that isn't compatible with ALAC. (FLAC is my first choice but it's not compatible with Apple.)
I have no experience with dbPoweramp so I can't advise.
There's a nifty piece of software, Tag Editor, you will probably find handy at some point. http://www.amvidia.com/tag-editor
I use Google Images to find the album art that iTunes can't.
Finally, echoing what someone else wrote, when I'm ripping I'm listening. I set a goal of 5-10 CDs at a time and have a nice listening session while I'm at it. My guess is that there's plenty of hidden treasures in your library that your ripping project will help you rediscover.