Digital Audio for Dummies

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.

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.

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.

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.

I strongly recommend Tidal. It streams uncompressed, and has an enormous catalog. Everytime I hear an album on a Jazz or Classical station or Pop I can find it on Tidal. Even obscure things like the complete speeches of Martin Luther King Jr. are there as a play list.

And let's not forget all the wonderful internet enabled FM radio stations from around the world. KCSM, Jazz FM 91 (toronto), etc.