Do CD-R's sound the same as originals

Look, it wasn't me that started the cheapshots, it was Joe (or whoever he is). Ramstl, If you hear a difference, then we agree. I am neither a manufacturer nor a leading music producer, so why does it matter to any of you what else I have to say on this? I refuse to repeat myself any longer. You all win. I am a terrible person who can't help but be wrong all the time, and all I do is "blather". I can't help myself, I'm a retarded idiot. By all means, come to your own conclusions, don't take anything I say seriously. There, are you happy now? AND HELL NO, I DON'T POST AS SOMEONE ELSE, AND IF I WERE THERE WITH YOU IN PERSON JOE, YOU'D BE TASTING YOUR OWN BLOOD RIGHT NOW FOR DISHONORING ME THAT WAY!!! I've said over and over again, how freaking much I hate all those pissant posters that don't use their own name, and come back and post as yet another anonymous numbskull. I AM NOT ONE OF THESE PEOPLE, AND YOU'RE LUCKY I'M NOT THERE WITH YOU RIGHT NOW. Damn lucky! You'd definitely be literally "incoherent" if I was. Where the hell do you get off accusing me of something like that? You're asking for it, you LOWLIFE!

Kthomas: yes, I do have several originals and their copies, but I do not know how to "extract the file". I'm not thoroughly literate with PC's, but not a dummy, either. Can you provide insight or instruction? I use a Dell, windows 98, HP burner in the CPU. I save files from CD's to the hard drive, then burn from there. Tell me what you mean, and I'll be glad to try it. My copying results do not seem consistent from one session to another, but I cannot fathom what the variable might be. I would really like to get better copies all the time (not better than the original, carl, don't go nuts on me).

Not going nuts, and it wasn't you who insulted me anyways(much, heh heh). I can help you. What software are you using? I've found a really good software for doing the read part, it's from Germany and it's called "Nero". You can download a trial version for free. But I'm still trying to figure out what the best software is, for the write process. Certainly for putting MP3's (like from Napster) on CD-R's, it's Adaptec, IMO. Anyway, what I think Kthomas means, is that of keeping the "CD image" file, and making another CD-R from it. That isn't difficult to do. Anyway, the Nero software is really awesome (provided the CD isn't copy protected, to where it reads as having over 700 megabytes of data...you have to throw tracks away to copy those)...since you cannot copy a CD a "tack at a time" with Nero. But what's awesome about it is that you can use "jitter reduction". It took around 3 hours to read my Sheffield "My Disc" test CD at 1x speed (and it's only 74 minutes long!). However, I couldn't use that image file to burn a CD, because the data amounted to a high (and in actuality impossible) 749 megabytes!! 74 minute CD-R's are 650 mB, and 80 minute ones are 700 mB. So I had to read it with a different software, and throw out the first 5 music tracks. Then I subbed in 5 Napster files for the first 5 music tracks, so the track count would be the same.

Calm down carl_eber. Your tone is not conducive to a serious discussion. I apologize if my comment on your postings was insulting to you, but in my humble view your postings in general as so incoherent that it would seem you are trolling. Also please retract your physical threats. I doubt if you saw me in person you would carry out your threats. I am a pretty big guy and not someone you'd like to get into an even fight with. Finally, if you have a clue as to what you are talking about, please explain why an exact logical replica of a CD should sound any different than the original.

Madisonears - I'll find the exact steps and software I use at home and then post them here. The software is all free, at least in trial version, and by doing so we can be sure we're comparing apples to apples. A general process I've been through several times is extracting song files to the hard drive, which can then be mixed and matched and written back to CDR's. I can extract the same file, say, 10 times using the same software and different software, and then run a compare program against any two of the resulting extracted files. The compare program doesn't know the source of the files, it just dutifully does a bit-wise comparison of the contents. I have never had any problem with getting all N copies to compare identically. Now, I admit to extrapolating from my experiments to my day-to-day copying - I don't compare the files each time I make a copy. In any case, since I typically copy whole CD's to put in a "jukebox" and since nobody but Sony utilizes the CD Text capability of CDs, I do a song-by-song extraction / copy so that I can insert title and song info. Alternatively, you can just make a straight copy of the CD in a single pass - I have never attempted to extract the whole CD image to the hard drive multiple times using different software and comparing the image, but I have little doubt that it would work as well. Another experiment worth trying (so maybe I will :-) ) would be to do the same thing using a CDR itself as the original - there has been speculation that there is something about the physical nature of a CDR vs. a CD that makes it more prone to sounding different. I can't formulate a hypothesis on why that would be, but I'd want to try it for myself first. -Kirk