Someone reviewed v on Jul 5, 2022

Pros: 555

Cons: 555

Bottom Line: 555

breebree reviewed v1.0.32 on Mar 14, 2018

Pros: works fast for me
is updated
VBR works as its supposed to

Cons: for what i need , none
interface is clean but some think dated , but if it works why do you have to make it bling filled to say its new? it works and is easily understandable that is what counts.

Bottom Line: got out my cd disks and converted. did them all in good time. added a few this Christmas and again it just worked , put them where i told it, as i wanted the layout for title/artist/ect.. this one works fine

BANDIT- reviewed v1.0.28 on Feb 24, 2017

Hats Off to Devs & Contributors Alike. Afraid the Flintstones
Nicked my A/v Converters years Ago... & WTF is a CD Ripper..??
Maybe A Big "Comeback" is Happening.. Can't wait for Win95... Yup. Win1895.

Absurd & 1*

carlvui reviewed v1.0.21a on Oct 2, 2013

Works fine without incidents, won't appear in the Windows control panel, add remove section and uninstall is only possible through its own uninstaller.
I would suggest using a third party uninstaller. I am not going to remove it, though

kerimachin reviewed v1.0.21a on Jul 22, 2013

great program. could use a solid update though.

DrTeeth reviewed v1.0.21a on Jul 20, 2013

Does what it says on the tin. I just wish the interface was more coventional.

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.19 on May 12, 2011

1019 is performing better than 1018 to be sure, with no crashes when dragging and dropping to the joblist, but 1016 is still working faster and it seems better.

But it does appear 1019 is getting back on track.

Historically, I'm one of this apps biggest fans - it just veered off course a bit over time is all. Until and unless this app gets to be as good as 1016, I can't grade it higher.

anomoly reviewed v1.0.19 on May 12, 2011

I've always loved this program but the last two times I grabbed the zip version from the site, the plugins folder is renamed differently from the last version I grabbed. Doesn't matter really because it still works.

pjafrombbay reviewed v1.0.19 on May 11, 2011

DudeBoyz I have had no problems running fre:ac on my AMD + Windows 7 Home Premium x64 based PC. It is IMHO one of the best CD rippers available. The fact that it is free is just a bonus.

I have just up-graded to this latest version but not tried it yet. That said, I have no reason to believe it will cause any problems.

I hardly ever give software products a 5* rating but this one deserves it.

Regards,
Peter

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.18 on Apr 10, 2011

1.0.16 is the last version that I have had success with. Both 1.0.17 and now 1.0.18 I have had problems with, so I will stick with 1.0.16 and probably go no further for the foreseeable future.

I liked it better when the product was called Bonk Encoder anyway, and 1.0.16 was, I believe, the last version still named Bonk Encoder.

Not sure where this product is going, but it seems to be leaving me, and stability, behind. :)

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.14 on Oct 29, 2009

This version is much more stable than 1013, though it does still have bugs, even a glaring one in the interface involving the Total Time computation.

That said, many of the MP3 files that used to make BonkEnc choke and crash do not do this with 1014. Perhaps they updated the Decoder to a newer version or something that fixed that. Regardless, it looks like it does a better job than before with those troubled MP3 headers.

It's not keyboard friendly in the main "Job List" interface, and that's a pain. I don't like how it forces a pop-up "Info Box" when you move the cursor over an entry in that list - it's distracting and should be allowed to be toggled off.

A more detailed Change Log would be welcome as well.

Converting of some actual MP3's seems agonizingly slow, but I can't pin down what that's all about yet. I'll need to do more testing.

Still, it is a step up over 1013 and the interface feels fast like it used to be in 1012. I hope the positive trend continues.

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.13 on Jul 29, 2009

I'm not having good results with the altered codebase on Intel dual core machines. It's taking longer to encode / convert in some cases and there are crashes that were simply not there in 1.0.12

On a general note, the MP3 Decoder can be a bit iffy. I understand that they will be switching to a more robust decoder that can handle MP3 files that have non-standard headers, are in bad shape from "Trim and Cutter" operations and the like. I hope that works out well.

XeNdO reviewed v1.0.13 on Jul 25, 2009

this is a sweet proggie. works as described with nice options - easy for noobs but, good tweakability for pwr users. clean install and sleek interface. luv it.
thanx 2 the devs.

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.12 on Jun 23, 2009

Still the very best at what it does, at least for me.

Only weak point I have found is that the converter sometimes chokes on MP3 files that may not be fully in compliance with the spec. It's not very forgiving with those so when it does gack on those, I convert them to WAV with Music Match then encode those to MP3 with the built-in Lame encoder.

I have heard that the next phase of the development will introduce a more forgiving MP3 reader, so I'll be looking forward to that.

1012 feels nimble and stable and is a breeze to use. Please keep up the good work.

tylerhw reviewed v1.0.12 on May 18, 2009

Fast, easy to use, powerful, free, and most importantly... Open Source. The best for converting and ripping to your favorite audio format whatever it may be. The quick setting changing is great for using a different format on the fly. 5/5.

Kudos to PortableApps.com for making a portable version as well.

spacemarine reviewed v1.0.12 on May 18, 2009

Still the best ripper for people who
do not want to go on a configuration spree as is
required with ExactAudioCopy (EAC).

Fabulous program!

DKDude reviewed v1.0.10 on Dec 24, 2008

GREAT program, works really well, LOVE it.

But, it would be nice if there was a "normalizer" in the program, it's the only thing I miss.

So far I'm using MP3Gain, for normalizing.
http://fileforum.betanew...il/MP3Gain/1015687834/1

Thanks for a really great tool.

spacemarine reviewed v1.0.10 on Dec 24, 2008

It has replaced CDex for me and I'm not
looking back. Nice, clean interface, no bloat,
does exactly what it is designed for.

Much easier to use than EAC (Exact Audio Copy),
where setting the right options is a real hassle.
Not so with this little gem: It's very easy to
set up correctly.

5/5, best ripper out there IMHO

madmike reviewed v1.0.10 on Dec 24, 2008

In a word, Brilliant

anomoly reviewed v1.0.10 on Dec 23, 2008

All that & you don't even mention the zip version?
wtf?

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.10 on Dec 23, 2008

This is absolutely fantastic!

The "Total Length Of All Tracks" addition is awesome. You don't have to use CALC anymore to make sure that all the small files you are wanting to combine do not total more than 74 minutes (so I can listen to stuff in the car)

And, the "Encode To Single File" checkbox on the main page is totally convenient and a big time saver (no more menu searches to confirm the status of that setting).

You buy an Audiobook and want to rip the CD to MP3? Well, what do you do when there are 99 tracks per CD (very common with audiobooks). A 20 disk book can end up being 2000 files.

Just click that "Encode To Single File" option and each disk ends up ripping to a single file, which might be CD01.mp3, for instance.

Just answer when prompted and type in the name for each set of files and you are good to go.

Say you used a splitter program to cut one of the Audible books you purchased into manageable chunks. Maybe you end up with 20 files.

For Audiobooks and most spoken word recordings, 32 kbps, 22.05 kHz, 16 Bit, Mono works very well for me. So, I have 20 files and I want to convert / re-encode them to the above specs. I just uncheck the "Encode To Single File" option and start the process.

Two very, very useful additions to an already awesome application.

Thank you Mr. Kausch for making this already great program even better. All this and it's absolutely free.

dbpoweramp is so far in the rear-view mirror that it ain't even funny. Bonk Encoder is best of breed and you never have to fork out a single penny.

Outstanding!

darthbeads reviewed v1.0.10 on Dec 23, 2008

It's virtually impossible to speak with enough superlatives about how freaking awesome this program is.

Hands-down the best audio-ripper and MP3 encoder there is.

boaz reviewed v1.0.9 on Sep 16, 2008

Bonk Encoder is also an Open Source program. It works well, and they update it periodically. I have been using it for a while now, and it has not failed me yet.

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.9 on Sep 16, 2008

I'm not sure why the dialog interface was reworked the way it was - I mean, there are a lot of areas of redundancy in existence throughout the interface. I guess I would have expected a more comprehensive overhaul if one was going to be made.

I'm still using v1.0.7 on my main ripping machine, because to me, it's already awesome and incredibly capable, and I'm used to the v3.97 encoder results and am pretty much happy with things just the way they are in 1.0.7

Anyway, that said, the upgrade to Lame v3.98.1 is probably something that most users will appreciate. They upped it to 3.98 in 1.08, and it's good to see them keeping up. And of course, bug fixes are always welcome.

I just ripped a few audiobook CD's in 1.0.9 and it seems to work as smooth as ever. Did a fresh install to test the settings and found the controls, so the UI change is not very drastic.

I'm rambling. I just noticed that.

Bottom line - this is a fantastic application and I think anybody who chose to use it would be satisfied. It's a ripper and converter, and the Encode to single file feature is still as useful as it was when it was first introduced, especially when ripping audiobook CD's that have like 99 tracks. It's a huge time-saver.

There was AudioGrabber and then EAC (Exact Audio Copy) and now there's Bonk Encoder. Don't spend a dime on dbPowerAmp - that's old news and a bad value. Bonk is free and the source code available to whomever wishes to work with it.

It just doesn't get much better than this.

belthurgp reviewed v1.0.9 on Sep 16, 2008

Nice features and good effort. I will try this on my next rip.

Wish it can encode to WMA Lossless

etmare reviewed v1.0.8 on Jul 28, 2008

I agree with other reviews, the best CD Ripper I ever seen and still free! No doubts, 5 stars!

darthbeads reviewed v1.0.8 on Jul 28, 2008

In my experience, the best CD Ripper and MP3 encoder GUI, free or otherwise, that I have found.

zqch reviewed v1.0.7 on May 17, 2008

I have written a report on this program
Please look at
http://zlgr.multiply.com/reviews/item/58
but also there 59 and 60 on the above adress , involve with the codecs

etmare reviewed v1.0.7 Beta 2 on Mar 17, 2008

Finally reliable CD-grabber! I love this software - very thanx to author - full stars!

bufftbone reviewed v1.0.6 on Feb 22, 2008

Oh my god Becky, look at her butt....
The first song I ripped! :)

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.6 on Jan 22, 2008

Gets better and better all of the time.

I'm specifically glad to see a user requested fix included. Notice that the position of the dialogs for General Settings and Configure Selected Encoder are now governed by the position of the main application window.

Previously, you might move the main appication window to another location on the screen, say to the far right, and the dialogs for General Settings and Configure Selected Encoder would still be on the far left of the screen.

When you use high resolutions such as 1600x1200 or 1920x1200, having to drag the mouse all the way over to the left part of the screen every time you want to make a quick change, it could be a bit of an inconvenience. Now, problem solved.

No need to pay for dbPowerAmp or any other ripper / converter when you can get BonkEnc for free.

g2racer reviewed v1.0.5 on Dec 4, 2007

Rip using EAC to FLAC, then convert from FLAC to MP3 using BonkEnc. There are tons of rippers/converters out there, but this little app just plain works for me.

And| reviewed v1.0.5 on Nov 6, 2007

Just got this.

I have been looking for an alternative to Free CD-DA extractor for quite some time, since it is not updated, and I am too cheap to pay for the full version.

This is everything i need. Ripping my music cds, converting wma's and such.

Great!

Faulkner63 reviewed v1.0.3 on Jul 7, 2007

I came close to giving this great little program a 5 - it works as advertised, it's fast and is quite simple even for newbs (for whom I downloaded it for and schooled in its use) - if the author opts to throw in a couple of enhancements in later version that are alluded to in his forum - it'll be a 5 soon.

IrfCore reviewed v1.0.3 on Jun 21, 2007

Seems like the majority of the bugs present in 1.0.2 are fixed, working perfect for me!

Has everything I need.

Very good LAME mp3 support.

BonkEnc export LAME's own API, most other (if not all ) builds of LAME only export the BladeEnc API

True mp3 files :)

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0.2 on Apr 18, 2007

This is a very, very good app.

The more I use it though, I am finding some bugs, and recent emails to the author about these bugs have not yet been responded to.

So, I do have a few concerns, but still, I heartily support the app and praise the work.

Mb2208 reviewed v1.0.1 on Apr 2, 2007

Always used EACD, but some recent CDs I bought didn't work very well with it.
So I just tried this - and it did a great job !
This is a worthy successor, try it !

christoofar reviewed v1.0 on Feb 22, 2007

just stumbled across this app in here.!
Great stuff, many thanks to the author providing it for us

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0 on Feb 21, 2007

WOOHOO!!!!!!

I'm so glad this thing is out. What an AWESOME effort.

Handles my low KBPS files now no problem at all, which earlier releases didn't. I use 32kbps for spoken audio and usually convert from Stereo to Mono.

I really appreciate the flexibility with tags. You can specify 1.x, 2.x, or none at all if you want, which works great for file folder based MP3 players that don't even process tags.

For CD ripping, it can create playlists, cue sheets, the works.

Built in Lame 3.97 with tons of options. I have no trouble getting my audiobook files to go:

32 kbps, 22kHz, 16 bit Mono

a great space saving compromise. Some apps force you to 11kHz if you go down to 32 kbps, not this app.

The ability to encodee all of your converted files to a single file is also great for audiobook folks.

You can rip an audiobook CD and it may have 99 tracks. In one step you can generate a single "Disk One" file. No need to use an MP3 Joiner app any more. And if you don't have bookmarking or adjustable search lengths in your player, you could choose to simply leave them as 99 separate files if you want.

The fact that all of this is free is amazing.

With all the crap going on with dbPowerAmp and their increased cost and denial of the free lifetime upgrade stuff, it is awesome to have a FREE alternative that is as capable and functional and stable as just about any of us need.

Major thanks for the outstanding effort and for keeping it free for the community. Well done indeed.

DudeBoyz reviewed v1.0 RC 2 on Feb 6, 2007

This is pretty promising, and open source.

Great replacement for dbPowerAmp and other pay converters.

The author is a friendly, responsive person and if he keeps attached to the project, this app could really come into its own.

Uses the latest Lame 3.97 final and it has some great configuration options.

I hope word spreads because I think this is a very deserving program.

hurt reviewed vCVS snapshot 20060329 on Apr 18, 2006

uh yep, brough said it best already ;)

BroughApps reviewed v1.0 Beta 2 on Dec 8, 2004

it works. thats all i need. i've been looking for a free one for quite a while. its perfect. thankyou