OK, that is the difference.
If you select menu 'Tools > Rip audio CD' then the data is lost.
But if you right-click the CD node > Rip audio CD... then the data is preserved.
So I re-opened https://www.ventismedia.com/mantis/view.php?id=15680 to fix this.
EDIT: Will be fixed in 2197
Edition of Properties before ripping CD [#15680]
Moderator: Gurus