I have decided that the future is Vinyl.
However, I have a reasonable CD collection which I still want to listen to.
I have not taken much interest in this digital shit and I know fuck all about it. But I know what I need.
What I need is a CD ripper and storage combo (2-3 TB) with possibly the ability to stream and download files onto.
Narelle wants rid of the CDs but whatever we get needs to be as simple as possible to operate.
What’s available and how much do I need to spend ?
Based on Fedora Linux VortexBox is a free quick-install ISO that turns your computer into an easy-to-use music server/jukebox/player. Once VortexBox has been loaded on a PC, it will automatically rip CDs to FLAC and MP3 files, ID3 tag the files , and download the cover art. Vortexbox will then serve the files to network media players such as Logitech Squeezebox, Sonos, or Linn. You can also play files directly to a USB attached DAC.
You buy dB power amp and rip all the CDS onto drive in FLAC.
Then you message Chris (Vacdac) tell him what you want to do. He will explain your options.
Once you decide what you need follow all of his instructions and you will have a solution that works and is reliable.
In fact forgot the first paragraph and just send him a PM.
Have a read about Vortexboxes or Liv Zen boxes. You put your CD into the tray, it goes into the machine (which you have linked to the internet) and 5-8 minutes later it is ripped (usually as a FLAC), tagged (metadata with things like title, author, genre, year of issue) and artwork. The Vortexbox acts as a ripper and server so if you get a fanless unit it can simply play through the USB output into a USB DAC. You can also have it set up to play from TIDAL, Spotify and grab internet radio. The vortexbox store is here. Mine set me back £300 new and has be flawless for 6 years (barring the odd reboot in place of enema). You can also copy to the HDD of the Vortexbox as it will appear on the control panel of your PC as a network drive. It is a true UPnP device and backs up to USB HDD automatically. If I can get it working and maintain it without breaking sweat for all this time, I’m sure you will find it easy.
Any one of a number of devices can be used to control it (PC, tablet, smartphone) and there are loads of apps that can be used to control it.
Welcome to the 21st century. CDs are just storage for the media you care about… Mine are all in the loft.
I’ve got an Innuos Zenith.
It’s embarrassing, I’ve been so time-limited recently that I’ve only got as far as ripping one single cd.
Admittedly, that was as easy as putting the disc in the slot and pressing go, it did the rest and sounds fine.
Phone/iPad controlling it.
The cd collection IS in the loft and likely to stay there, but I really should unbox them post house-move and start some cataloging…
Personally I think the last thing you want is too high a level of automation for the initial ripping process. If you rip on a laptop or whatever form factor PC using DBpoweramp it’s easier to get all the metadata right at the first stab. With a large digital collection, lousy metadata sucks big time.
