Restoring Scratched Audio CDs: What the new heise+ guide promises

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents Restoring Scratched Audio CDs: What the new heise+ guide promises.

You know the feeling: The favorite CD from the 90s, a carefully compiled silver disc, forgotten in the car at some point, ended up on the floor, stacked on the shelf — and when you try to load it, the player stutters, skips, gives up. It would be a shame about the music.

When ripping, many reach for Exact Audio Copy (EAC), software that proceeds particularly accurately. EAC reads sectors multiple times, compares the results, and corrects errors — and often extracts from slightly damaged CDs everything that error correction can give.

But what if the CD is really extremely scratched? Then even the most accurate tool reaches its limits at some point. Exactly for such cases, heise+ has now published a new guide: "Audio Restorer: How to rescue music from severely damaged audio CDs." The article positions itself as a rescue anchor when standard ripping fails — that is, exactly when you don't want to give up on the CD, but EAC isn't getting you anywhere either.

What the heise+ guide covers

According to the title and teaser, the article is aimed at everyone whose audio CDs are so severely damaged that normal or particularly careful ripping no longer works. As a reference, Exact Audio Copy is explicitly named — software that is valued in the scene for its accurate approach. The article promises to show ways that go beyond the capabilities of EAC.

Exact Audio Copy as a starting point — and its limits

Anyone who deals with CD ripping quickly lands at EAC. In "Secure Mode," the software reads each sector multiple times and compares the results — this allows read errors to be detected and partially corrected via the CD's error correction. For minor scratches, this often works reliably. But for deep, radial scratches or dirt that disrupts the laser beam too much, even EAC hits physical limits. This is exactly where the heise+ article comes in.

What you get — and what you don't

The full guide is behind the heise+ paywall. Exactly which tools and methods are presented in it is not revealed in detail in the public preview. What's clear: The article sees itself as a supplement to EAC, not a replacement. Anyone already working with EAC and still not getting anywhere is supposed to find the next steps here. Anyone who isn't ripping at all is probably better served by EAC itself — the new guide assumes that.

Bottom line: If you have a scratched CD that EAC can no longer handle, the heise+ article is worth a look. However, exactly what's in it, you'll have to read for yourself behind the paywall.