Modern lossy manual setup

Set up CW-Opus 1.6.1.0 in Exact Audio Copy.

Manual Opus setup using CW protective cVBR at 256 kbit/s and maximum encoder complexity.

Download & install Use the automatic installer

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Get CW-Opus 1.6.1.0

Choose the Windows architecture that matches your system.

64-bit Windows

x64 build

Recommended for normal modern Windows installations.

Download x64 ZIP

32-bit Windows

x86 build

Use this only when you need the 32-bit Windows build.

Download x86 ZIP

Step by step

Manual installation

The example uses EAC's conventional Encoders directory. Use your actual installation path if it differs.

Extract the download

Open the downloaded archive and locate the files for CW-Opus.

Place the encoder in EAC's Encoders folder

Extract cw-opus.exe to EAC's Encoders folder. The archive also carries the runtime files required by this build.

Example executable pathC:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Encoders\cw-opus.exe

Open EAC's external compression settings

Open EAC → Compression Options → External Compression. Enable the external program, select User Defined Encoder, set the extension to .opus, and browse to cw-opus.exe.

Example configuration

What the CW-Opus settings look like in EAC

This is a static example using the usual EAC installation path.

Compression options

Use external program for compression

Parameter passing scheme : Use file extension : Program, including path, used for compression

Additional command-line options : Bit rate :

Delete WAV after compression Use CRC check Add ID3 tag Check for external programs return code

High quality Low quality

Example path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Exact Audio Copy\Encoders\cw-opus.exe.

Enter the verified command line

-cvbr -b 256000 --complexity 10 --title "%title%" --artist "%artist%" --albumartist "%albumartist%" --album "%albumtitle%" --genre "%genre%" --date "%year%" --track "%tracknr%/%numtracks%" %source% -o %dest%

With CW-Opus, -cvbr plus an explicit -b value selects the project's protective cVBR mode. 44.1 kHz CD audio is resampled automatically to 48 kHz.

Open the compact EAC reference →

Test one track

Confirm that the resulting .opus file plays correctly and contains OpusTags metadata.

Troubleshooting

Common CW-Opus setup issues

Output is not created

Check the -o %dest% portion and the executable path.

Concerned about 44.1 kHz input

Do not resample in EAC. CW-Opus handles CD-rate input automatically.

Encoder path is rejected

Browse to the executable again from EAC instead of typing an assumed path. The example path may differ from your installation.

Prefer automatic installation?

The EAC Codecs installer places the selected components in the detected EAC encoder directory automatically.

Download EAC Codecs →

Continue through the manual library.

Set up another codec or return to the compact settings reference.

Browse manual codecs Open EAC guides