What are you guys encoding with?

[hollandbk]

Hey guys , I'm trying to enter the lovely world of computer audio, I'm getting to rip my collection to my hard drive but I wanted to know what good programs were out there and what is a good file format to use. I'm looking for something that will remain as close to the original source file as possible in terms of fidelity, also I do most of my listening through amplified head phones if that makes any difference, thanks in advance.

 

[Napalm Frog]

Exact Audio Copy, in FLAC format. I end up using WMA-lossless, though, because it's supported by my Zune in contrast to FLAC not being so.

 

[Daishiknyte]

FLAC is one of the major players in lossless. Not all portable units support it though. Personally, I recommend leaving the copy on your computer as FLAC and converting as needed to put music on a portable (WMA-lossless or ALAC (Apple's lossless))