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Digital Audio for Dummies

As I have stated before, I'm a bit of an audio dinosaur.  I love simple.  I love reliable.  I love a high performance/price ratio.  So no surprise I'm still happily spinning discs.  Give me a nice CD player direct to an integrated and I'm good to go.

But it is 2018.  Reading on this forum about the demise of Oppo was a bit of a wake up call. Also the Lyngdorf 2170 has inspired me.  An elegant all in one box product that is ready to connect with many of the digital options now available.  So I'd like to get educated on what's out there and what you suggest.  Basically I would want to know about ripping all my CD's--exactly how that is done.  Dedicated audio computer?  How big of a hard drive/other considerations?  Wired vs. wireless.  And then what streaming services are out there?  Cost, quality, ease of use?

PLEASE keep things simple and don't assume the reader knows, for example, what Roon is.  I've seen it mentioned, but would want to know exactly what this does, how it functions, etc.

THANKS!
corelli
adg101
1,063 posts
 
The Bluesound Vault 2 seems to be what is being recommend by many if you want to rip or download to. I haven’t pulled the trigger yet myself but this is what I’m leaning towards.
goheelz's avatar
goheelz
297 posts
 
I've had good success with the Sony HAP-Z1ES. It combines DSD-capable streamer/DAC in one box, and the iPad/iPhone (or Android) app is great. Rip all of your CDs to the Sony via your computer and home network (Sony instructions explain how to do this). The Sony has a large and expandable hard drive, so you don't need to have another computer junking up your listening room. Spotify is built into the current Sony firmware, and the firmware gets periodic updates. Currently, the Sony does not support Tidal, however.
rhljazz
1,255 posts
 
I have the Bluesound Vault 2 and I really like it. It has a slot load cd drive to copy your cd’s to the internal hard drive.  It takes about 8 minutes to copy each cd.  So it takes a bit of time to copy an entire collection. Since I’m retired I didn’t mind.

Storage capacity is 2TB.  I put in approximately 700 cd’s which consumed a measly 300 MB so that leaves a daunting 1700 MB remaining.  The case is small, approximately 8X8X4 inches so it consumes a very small amount of space.

The Vault stores the album cover artwork, lists by artist, album, and songs.  It does not categorize such as jazz, rock, contemporary, etc.

Control is through a device like an iPad or iPhone and I use both.  The one downside I found is that an Ethernet connection is required near your equipment which is no problem in my newer summer house which has many.  An older home may require some wiring added.

The Vault also has a digital out if you wish to use an external dac.  There is also an optical input which you can use to connect a digital tv audio to play through your stereo system.

Pricing is around $1200.00.  There are plenty of pricier exotic options out there but this one serves my needs just fine.
jond's avatar
jond
5,841 posts
 
There are lots of streaming devices that are easy to use and fairly affordable Blue Sound has been mentioned the Auralic Aries and Aries Mini are another. On the subject of ripping, I guess I don't see the need to spend extra on a device that also rips. For me $35.99 spent on dbPoweramp and my laptops disc drive did the trick. Since you presumably only will rip once I don't personally see the point in putting extra money into a ripper. Unless of course you don't have an optical drive on your computer. Just my opinion of course.
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