2. digital
  3. 1297919193

Does this device exist?

I’m looking for a convenient way to get the music from my CDs (a couple thousand) into digital form. In my mind’s eye, I see a one-box device – I pop in a CD, it quickly and accurately rips the disc, with the option of choosing various formats, compressed or high-quality lossless. It stores the resulting files on an internal hard drive, or it allows storage on external drives, and easy external backup, too. It has a navigation interface as familiar and easy to use as iTunes (heck, it can be iTunes). It has a good digital output (preferably AES/EBU, but if that’s not available, then SPDIF or USB), so that I can use the DAC I already own. It is completely quiet during music playback – no fan noise, no strange mechanical or digital noises. It’s simple to use. It doesn’t result in a mess of wires and boxes all over the place. It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. It just has to provide copious storage and a clean, audiophile-quality output to the DAC – and just for a single system, no whole-house server needed.

Any nominations? Thanks.
jhold
4est
507 posts
 
I did my initial conversion in the background while surfing the net and reading this forum. It was mostly painless and easy. Two stacks and just pop them in and it does its thing. Now that it is done, I listen to more music than I ever did. More varied to, as it is all at your fingertips. Spin vinyl, your bet! Spin CDs, never again if I can help it...
cmalak
681 posts
 
Yes...check out music servers from Olive (look at the 04HD) and Sooloos.
ckoffend
684 posts
 
A computer and exteranl hard drive. About $500 spent and your done. Can you hear the computer? Not if it is in the next room and just the cables for the monitor and keyboard are in the listening room. Heck, you can even put the computer inside a box or cabinet and keep it silent.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 
You are describing a Qsonix or a Sooloos. The problem is that you are stuck with that software ripping/playback and that hardware.

The Qsonix did a good job fortunately, so I recommend it:

http://www.qsonix.com

Steve N.
Empirical Audio
nikturner920
144 posts
 
Yes and No. There are tons of options that do what you want, but there is not one that is IT. There are trade offs on all the solutions.

You are looking for Qsonix, Sooloos, Olive, or mac mini (check out mach2music).

The biggest problem is ripping the cds. A couple thousand cds at 6min a cd = 200hr if you rip constantly

This is honestly holding me back a little bit on the whole server idea and I don't really want to add another source. If I'm going server I want to go all the way.

The only thing I have seen to help with ripping are the service offered with the high dollar servers (think olive and Sooloos offer it) or buying a robo ripper and then trying to sell it used when I'm done.

Take a look at the ripstation 7601xdp
Rips to various formats and also does look ups for filenames. Windows only but not hard to borrow a PC just to run your rips and then move to another system.
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