I can rip a CD onto my hard drive.

How does the information on my hard drive differ from the CD.

As this is all digital should not the hard drive contain a clone of the CD?

Does a high end CD transport extract More or better information from the CD than the ripping process.

So if I used the same DAC to convert the digital streams would I find a difference between the data on my hard drive and the data on my CD?

I sure I must as people spend thousands on high CD transports.

Can anyone please point me to articles on this subject?

I think it all depends on what file format you rip the audio to. Avoid compressing the audio (MP3, WMA) and rip to WAV. The most common WAV format contains uncompressed audio in the pulse-code modulation (PCM) format. PCM audio is the standard audio file format for CDs at 44,100 samples per second, 16 bits per sample. Since PCM uses an uncompressed, lossless storage method, which keeps all the samples of an audio track, you can use the WAV format for maximum audio quality.

For the most accurate copy try Exact Audio Copy (EAC). You'll also need to download Lame MP3 Encoder. EAC works with a technology that reads audio CDs almost perfectly.

Thank you but I understand about the ripping format.

"For the most accurate copy try Exact Audio Copy (EAC). You'll also need to download Lame MP3 Encoder." Do that.

I am asking if I get the "perfect" copy on my hard disk why do I need to spend vast amounts on CD transports; does a high end CD transport extract more/better information from the CD?

It`s down to read errors.
I use Plextor drives with Plextools software... it tells you how many read errors you get during a rip, and you`d be surprised at just how many some drives (or CDs) will produce.
When a piece of ripping software or hardware encounters read errors it will either ignore them (reproduce exactly what it reads) or replace them. If it replaces them it will do so either randomly, or quasi-intelligently by extrapolating (guessing) what should be there. Often the user will have the choice of options.
Unless you are producing technical test CDs I don`t see the point in worrying about it. Use a quality drive in a good, well setup PC using quality software and unless you`ve got ears like a bat you won`t know any difference.

"If it replaces them it will do so either randomly, or quasi-intelligently by extrapolating (guessing) what should be there. "

Understand this; similar to Digital ICE in photo scanning.

"unless you`ve got ears like a bat you won`t know any difference. "

I guess I don't have golden ears; and those I have are getting on now anyway.

However I did do some crude AB testing that led me to ask this question. I have a 10 year old medium hifi CD player feeding a high end headphone amp. I also fed the same amp with the output from my laptop containing various *.flac/320VBR Mp3 files via an new Express audio card.

Quite simply I cannot really tell the difference or should I say I cannot say which is "better". It actually started when I played a track where the mike had been placed so close to the piano that the clacking of the key mechanism could be heard. This was via the laptop. So I put the CD in the CD player and, obviously, found the same clacking. I then tried a few other CDs and can state there is no vast difference or even that one sounds better than the other; that clacking is annoying on both setups. OK there is two different transports and DACs; so any differences could be the DACs rather than the transports.

It is when that I thought would expensive gear improve my listening experience.

My last hi-fi (which died recently after many, many happy years) was a Pioneer. It cost £400 around 20 years ago! :o I couldn`t fault it regards reproduction.
I know a guy who nas a Naim hi-fi which cost him £25,000 !! Although I humour him I don`t really think it is worth £24,600 more than my Pioneer! A lot of it is pure snobbery.
Decent player, decent amp, decent speakers and a good graphic eq to set it to the room ambience and you`re as close as your gonne get in my opinion.

Oh yes, and my ears are going now too - especially since I poked out one of my eardrums (not reccommended).

"Decent player, decent amp, decent speakers and a good graphic eq to set it to the room ambience"

Got all those; player is laptop, biamped floor standing speakers/high end headphone amp, graphic eq is software on laptop.