Best Way To Archive Vinyl On My PC

DacMagic
If the acronym HRT made you think of Hormone Replacement Therapy, let us to introduce you to High Resolution Technologies, a USB DAC specialist.

The Music Streamer II, available through audiofreaks.co.uk, is its most affordable model, yet it's good enough to make the average laptop sound like proper hi-fi.

Take a look at the input end of the device and there are two clues as to what makes the HRT special.

The first is that there are lights labelled with frequencies from 32k to 96k, indicating that unlike some rivals, the Music Streamer II can handle 24-bit files at 96kHz through USB

The second is the text saying 'asynchronous USB', which shows that it takes charge of clock duties when connected to your computer.

Simply plug your computer into the USB connection on one end, connect your hi-fi using the analogue outputs on the other, and the small but solid HRT handles the digital-to-analogue conversion.

And it does so in serious style. Playing The Far Road from The Road soundtrack, the sound is precise and fluid.

The leading edges of notes are terrifically well-defined, but they degrade with organic subtlety and realism. Detail and dynamics are exceptional, revealing every nuance in the haunting recording.

It's simply a perfectly balanced, bold and beautiful delivery, and for a DAC costing just £150, that's an incredible feat.

Sure, if you've got multiple sources that need converting, something like the Cambridge Audio DacMagic might serve you better, but if you're after a USB-only DAC, this is a great buy.

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After reading all the flames getting slung about, let me clarify my original post. I do have a lot of vinyl (~5,000 LPs), and somehow, I'd like to put them in a digital format so they're easier to ______. I love my vinyl, my TT rig isn't the best, but it damn near kills me to go digital - I'm an analog kind of guy. I'll retain vinyl of my favorites, but most will get converted.

I realize that the PC is full of nasties, but it's great for storage. I just need to find a good way of going from vinyl to digital, while introducing the fewest amount of digital nastiness.

Licoricepizza, before starting upon your task you should do a quick estimate of how many years it will take you to complete it. Let's say it takes you 5 years to finish. Do you think Korg will still be making or supporting a DSD recorder five years from now? Will there be DSD decoders five years from now? My point is that archiving vinyl is a very time consuming task and you should be wary about boxing yourself into dedicated hardware/software formats.

Benchmark, Metric Halo and Apogee all make PCM based A/D converters with either USB or Firewire interfaces built in for computer connectivity. Lynx makes a number of PCI or PCe cards for connecting an outboard A/D or D/A to a computer.

Believe me, I have thought about how long this will take me. I dread it. The only upside that I see is listening to ton of good vinyl that I haven't heard in a while.

Right now, all of my LPs are sitting in custom-made shelves. The last time I moved, I had 29 boxes of LPs that were moved with me. What a pain. All that said, I would rather listen to a record than anything else. There is no comparison.

The technology seems to keep evolving, so I certainly don't want to jump on the digital bandwagon, only to find that I can't listen to my music anymore. Computers are going from PCI to PCI-E, MP3 has evolved into M4A, etc. It goes on, and on.

It took years to build a good stereo, and more years (a lifetime) to collect all those records. I certainly don't want to part with them lightly.

Onhwy61 is correct, there are numerous ways to get the data onto your PC or your Mac and most will be enjoyable. We should however all check back in 5 years and I believe most manufacturers still in business will have adopted, embraced and furthered the DSD format. The beauty of recording in DSD is that you are not limited to DSD or PCM. You could archive in 5.6mhz DSD (double the resolution of SACD) and output to any PCM format you choose, optimizing playback through your current digital player of choice. Most of the solutions out there as mentioned in Onhwy61's post require you to make a sample rate commitment up front be it 24/96, 16/44.1 or 24/192. There simply isn't a more affordable way to archive at the highest quality available.

As far as Korg and whether they will be making DSD recorders 5 years from now.....well, they have been in business since 1963, have been making DSD recorders since 2006 and when you look at what about $1500 gets you, it is really an amazing bargain. I have no affiliation to Korg other than as a consumer but as a method to record your music from an analog signal digitally, there is simply no better $1500 solution available. I am however always open to new ideas and equipment. Something may come out next week that addresses everything for less and since I am always glad to try something new. I would urge you to call your local Korg dealer and see if they have a MR2000 in stock available for demo to try it. Good luck all.