iTunes "Error Correction" when importing CDs - Drawbacks?

[m021478]

Are there any drawbacks to enabling iTunes' option to "Use error correction when reading Audio CDs" in the import settings (other than ripping will simply take longer)?

What I would really like to know is whether or not enabling this feature will in any way adversely affect the quality of CD rips I get?

Thanks!

[Lunchbox16]

If anything it will make the rips better. Of course you'll get even better rips with EAC (PC) or XLD (Mac), but to avoid diginoise or any other problems it's probably a good idea to have the error correction turned on.

[Teej guy]

It will only make the rips better. The CD Audio format relies on error correction for playback.

If you really want good rips, as Lunchbox16 said, get XLD here: http://tmkk.hp.infoseek.co.jp/xld/index_e.html

[DaftUnion]

Or you could use Max http://sbooth.org/Max/ which is similiar to XLD and uses CD Paranoia for error correction which is way better than iTunes (this is only a big deal if you have heavily scratched CD's.)

Max does pretty much the same thing as XLD, but in my personal opinion has a better looking/designed interface, is easier to use with less technical options such as pregaps and supports 20 different encoding options.

If you decide to use iTunes instead, just leave error correction on all the time. It won't really affect your speed most of the time, and the times it does is probably where it is needed b/c your CD probably isn't in the best shape when is slows down.