I would use dbpoweramp to rip your albums as iTunes does not do error correction. You will get the best possible rips with dbpoweramp. I would rip to flac or alac, you can then convert them with the batch converter to any format like mp3 or aac. A good book with information on this is called The complete guide to hi end audio by Robert Hartley.
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I would not want to read “A Complete Guide” to anything to be able to enjoy it…
I think we should make it clear that the choice of lossless file format has zero effect on sound quality. It has minor effect on storage, but since storage is free, who cares (2 cents per album)? And yeah, if you use a format like WAV that doesn’t include metadata, it’s like ripping off the covers on your books, makes things awkward so don’t do that.
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I re-ripped my entire library into FLAC when I migrated to Roon. Library was all ALAC prior.
I admit, this was unnecessary but I wanted to use transcoding software that I trusted a little more than iTunes. Again, I realize this is all in my head so don’t judge the migration to FLAC but feel free to judge my decision making processes.
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I used to have everything in either AIFF or ALAC, and I would imagine that Roon can work very well with either, but I have run into a few situations where ALAC wasn’t fully supported by a given streaming DAC IF you’re NOT using Roon and AIFF file are just really, really big; so, since you’re starting from scratch more or less anyway, I would suggest adopting FLAC as your standard. If you use a Mac, there’s a very good program called XLD that can batch convert all of your AIFF and ALAC files to FLAC if you want to cut over before you start ripping new CD’s, IMHO.
I’m on Mac and use FLAC. Been moving away from iTunes for 4 years now no issues. Get CrossOver so you can use EAC on your Mac or just create a Bootcamp with Windows. XLD works great too but I like the logging of EAC better. Use Kid3 for easy metadata and VOX for quick playing off your networked drive.
ALAC and FLAC are just envelopes for the actual data. Both decompress losslessly to the identical PCM data. So saying that one sounds different than the other is just confirmation bias. Some of that confirmation bias is about Apple, but strangely, the same people with said bias often have none for AIFF as a format, which Apple created back in the late 80s as the first (uncompressed) PCM file format (Microsoft’s WAV came a little later).
Whether ALAC or FLAC is right for your primary music storage vehicle depends on your needs. Many of us began and continue to use iTunes for a primary music organization system well before we got into Roon. And iTunes can import and play high resolution ALAC content from places like HDTracks. But ALAC files can be problematic in some circumstances. If you serve music through a DLNA server like Plex, sometimes the endpoint won’t recognize the ALAC file in question due to DLNA’s eccentricities. This is the case for me between Plex and my Oppo 205. FLAC doesn’t have this problem.
If you didn’t ever use iTunes, then it’s more likely you’re doing FLAC, WAV and/or AIFF for your high resolution content. FLAC can also handle multichannel recordings (like DSD). While technically multichannel ALAC is possible, I’ve never seen it implemented or any content made available so that’s moot.
One thing about Apple…in Apple’s High Sierra and the upcoming Mojave macos versions, both know what a FLAC file is and even play it in the Finder. But iTunes still won’t import it despite being able to handle ALAC, AAC, MP3 and WAV. Maybe someday…
Roon doesn’t really care and plays just about anything thrown at it including DSD. Roon is very useful for those of us with significant ALAC libraries who want to use HQPlayer. HQPlayer doesn’t understand ALAC which means you either had to manually convert the music (and I’m not doing that for a 30K+ song library) or use another Applescript-based tool that was written to feed HQPlayer. Roon makes it seemless and that’s great.
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ALAC was better digested in the Spark SW that I used more before I switched to Roon. FLAC in Spark took long ‚thinking time‘ when jumping positions within tracks (sometimes 3-5s when jumping forward 2 min. in a track) and also when skipping from track to track in Spark. But nothing like this in Roon. Both formats behave equally swift. Spark is the player and control SW of Devialet‘s Phantoms. According to what I read at some point ALAC supposedly has a better data reference management than FLAC. But maybe this had been written by an Apple fan. But there can be perfomance differences depending on the chosen SW and maybe also depending on the used OS, but no SQ difference. So, I recommend to check the choice of file format with all possible Player SW one thinks to use.
I’m about to begin re-ripping my CD collection to lossless for hopefully the last time. I was planning on FLAC but now I’m wondering if I should go with ALAC. Reason being is that although I use Roon for most listening, I do sometimes want to yell at my HomePod and have it play from my iTunes library.
I’m sure I don’t have the ear for worrying about differences in sound, but otherwise all things being equal wouldn’t ALAC provide more options? In other words, what would this amateur be missing by using ALAC instead of FLAC?
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There is no difference between ALAC and FLAC in the data they store once it’s decompressed. The only difference could be that if you used iTunes to rip, the rip might not be bit-perfect. Using something like dbPowerAmp means you get the best possible rip, the format you store the data in doesn’t matter. ALAC makes total sense for your use case.
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Easy enough to convert. dBPoweramp included a batch converter, point it to the root directory, tell it to put the result in a different root directory, and go to sleep.
So once you have lossless, none of this is of significance.
Most of my library is ALAC. I do have some purchased FLAC titles, notably Kind of Blue from HDTracks and Tea for the Tiller Man come to mind.
Both sound good with slight differences in the cymbal sound noted. Nothing objectionable, just slightly different as different ears mastered the two records.
I’d recommend taking a step back and looking at the rest of your environment and use cases. If you take some music with you on iPhone or iPad, it is still easiest to put ALAC tracks on them. Apple is slowly integrating FLAC into these products. I believe the converters are there but iTunes is still not keen on including FLAC tracks. I keep my FLAC titles in a separate HD tree inside Music.
If you want to play tracks via iTunes on your Mac or using the Music app on your iOS devices, you need to rip them to ALAC. This really shouldn’t cause any problems as Roon does just fine with ALAC. If, down the road, Apple adds support for FLAC or you find you don’t care about iTunes or the Music app on your iOS devices, you can use dBpoweramp to convert all your ALAC tracks to FLAC. Of course, that will cause Roon to think they are all new tracks and albums. So be aware of that. FLAC is the most universal format moving forward.
Which is why I rip all new CDs to FLAC and have converted most of my older dBpoweramp ALAC rips to FLAC. I am in the process of re-ripping the ALAC tracks ripped using iTunes using dBpoweramp to make sure they are accurate.
I have done extensive testing on ripping programs and agree with others that dbPoweramp and EAC are the best for error control. However, dbPoweramp provides more flexibility. I use the multi-rip function and rip in both WAV (more about that later) and mp3 (@320 mps) simultaneously. I use the WAV files in my home audio system for highest quality. The mp3 files are convenient where storage is more of a premium in my phone, car, and portable devices where I am not doing critical listening. From my experience, dbPoweramp attaches all metadata to the WAV files; I see no difference in the WAV metadata compared to flac and mp3.
In my extensive listening tests, WAV files sound better than lossless compressed files, both flac and alac. As download speeds have increased, this has allowed music sites like HDtracks to offer files in WAV format. The demand is there for better sound quality by their customers. Some people can hear the difference and some can’t, but the difference should be easily audible on a high quality system. For instance, I like the convenience and some of the features of ROON and integration with Tidal, but for playback it tends to obscure the advantage of WAV versus flac. I find that jRiver easily offers higher quality playback of my ripped files, especially compared to Tidal flac files played over ROON.
Why shouldn’t it be audible — or at least measurable — on cheap systems if there’s a difference? 
Before I finally got rid of my jRiver installation I did extensive listening “tests” too and couldn’t make out a difference for unaltered playback - but of course this could be attributed to my limited hearing. 
What you say is that Roon has somehow issues with WAV playback. How so? I think comparing local WAV rips to TIDAL streams doesn’t give enough clues because there are too many variables involved.
I have used iTunes for ripping to ALAC and organising folders and have been very happy; no issues found with any rips thus far; obviously, I have not listened to all 3075 albums though. I dont think I would get much value from moving away from Itunes to dbpoweramp for mac at this point. I have always had ‘use error correction’ checked in iTunes, but have no idea what it actually does.
I rarely buy physical discs now, choosing to buy and download from Qobuz instead.
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First, any ALAC or FLAC track can be converted to WAV and vice versa. So, if you have a slower internet connection, there is no “need” to download huge WAV files.
Second, I too have done extensive testing on a quality 2 channel system and hear no difference between WAV, FLAC, and ALAC. As I have stated previously:
If you are playing a track directly from the server to the DAC, there is at least some room to argue that the decompression process would make some difference in sound quality. There is little support for the idea that ALAC files would sound different than compressed FLAC files since both would require decompressing.
However, if you are using a Roon Core and a Roon Endpoint, there is nothing to support the idea that FLAC, ALAC, WAV, or AIFF files, compressed or not, will sound any different. Why? Because the files that need decompressing are all decompressed BEFORE they are sent to the endpoint so the endpoint is going to receive the same exact data regardless of file format used. There is no technical reason for there to be a sound difference.
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I have several CDs that dBpoweramp, EAC, and XLD cannot rip due to errors. Yet, iTunes happily rips them and reports no errors. That is with “Use error correction” turned on. Some tracks on these CDs have audible problems during playback. Using a program that uses the AccurateRip database gives you confidence you are getting a bit perfect rip of a CD. iTunes cannot do this. Some CDs are so bad that even iTunes won’t rip them.
If I have a CD with minor rip errors that I want to put in my Roon database anyway, I use iTunes to rip it.
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I have almost 3000 albums ripped or purchased (had tracks) on my Mac mini. Don’t ever use iTunes for ripping or reading your music. I have always used either MAX or XLD to rip the tracks using the AIFF format. This has worked well for a dozen years using all the different Mac software, music servers, and now Roon using a ps audio dac/bridge
Roon is on my MacBook Air; all my ripping is done on that onto a WD drive that I use as a NAS; I originally used iTunes, so I ripped exclusively in ALAC for the vast majority of my tunes. And I’ve never had a problem.
Also, I purchased dbPoweramp because I was using it quite a lot and it was doing a pretty good job. I recommend it as well. Although I did have several CDs that either weren’t on latter’s database at all, or weren’t brilliantly covered by it, it was fairly easy to customise those particular rips.
Since you can always batch-convert ALAC<>FLAC for as many times as you like without losing anything, I think that doesn’t make sense. Decide on one lossless format and stick to that. If you ever happen to need the other format, just batch convert. Will save you TONS of hard disk space… (~40%)