[SkiFastBadly]

About a year ago I started looking for a storage device for my CDs. I have
about a thousand, and I became fed up with the whole sort, store, break the
case, drop the CD, put them away, lost CD thing. I figured that there MUST
be some device that would allow me to rip CDs in full (non loss) format.
Basically, all I wanted was an iPod with massive storage to avoid
compression. No dice. It was pointed out to me (on this forum, actually)
that I could brew my own with a PC. So I did. I thought I'd share the
experience for those who might be looking for a solution.

Hardwa HP Pavilion Media PC. I bought this model because it had 750gB
of hard disc, a digital out, 24bit sound card, and wireless. I also put in
an internal Terabyte hard disc. In addition, I picked up an external
Terabyte drive for backup. I don't need a monitor because I have it hooked
up to my TV via HDMI. Total cost, including backup, about $1300

I wanted the digital out because (not to start a holy war about digital vs.
analog) I wanted to leverage my external adcom DAC.

Softwa Vista, Windows Media Player. I took the easy way out.

Configuration: It took me a bit to figure out how to configure the sound
card. I wanted to see if I could preserve the HDCD properties of my few
HDCD albums. That is, would the DAC recognize HDCD off the hard disc? Once
I got the card configured for 44.1 and 24 bit, it worked perfectly.

I ripped all of my CDs in WAV format over the course of several days. Now
they're all put away and I have instant access to anything I own that I wish
to hear.

Observations:
I was hoping to experience no loss in audio quality. My current CD player
is a standard, consumer grade Sony. When, a few years back, I bypassed the
Sony's internal DAC, I noticed an improved sound. Results? Strangely, it
seems to sound better. This is based on limited, unscientific a/b listening
with my wife, and actual 'wow I never heard that before' instances. Case in
point, the audience on Loudon Wainwright's "Career Moves" sounds much more
present. Why's it sound better? No idea. Placebo? Is pulling music off a
hard drive somehow more reliable, smooth, something, than through an optical
reader?

I'm not super thrilled with Windows Media Player. As a player, it works ok.
But it has a couple of flukes. When I rip CDS that aren't in the freedb
database, it doesn't, of course, have an cover art. I've resolved this by
either scanning the CD covers or pulling art off the internet. However, it
sometimes flips back to no art or pulls art in from other covers for these
CDs. Not sure what I'm doing wrong here, but it can be frustrating.

I'm not an audio engineer, or a music professional of any sort. I'm just a
guy who wants to feel he is listening to a reasonable reproduction of the
artist's intention, in a much more convenient fashion.

If this is at all useful to you, good.

If not, let the flames begin.

[Clyde Slick]

On 24 Noi, 13:56, "SkiFastBadly"
wrote:
About a year ago I started looking for a storage device for my CDs. *I have
about a thousand, and I became fed up with the whole sort, store, break the
case, drop the CD, put them away, lost CD thing. * I figured that there MUST
be some device that would allow me to rip CDs in full (non loss) format.
Basically, all I wanted was an iPod with massive storage to avoid
compression. *No dice. *It was pointed out to me (on this forum, actually)
that I could brew my own with a PC. *So I did. *I thought I'd share the
experience for those who might be looking for a solution.

Hardwa * *HP Pavilion Media PC. *I bought this model because it had 750gB
of hard disc, a digital out, 24bit sound card, and wireless. *I also put in
an internal Terabyte hard disc. *In addition, I picked up an external
Terabyte drive for backup. *I don't need a monitor because I have it hooked
up to my TV via HDMI. *Total cost, including backup, about $1300

I wanted the digital out because (not to start a holy war about digital vs.
analog) I wanted to leverage my external adcom DAC.

Softwa *Vista, Windows Media Player. *I took the easy way out.

Configuration: *It took me a bit to figure out how to configure the sound
card. *I wanted to see if I could preserve the HDCD properties of my few
HDCD albums. *That is, would the DAC recognize HDCD off the hard disc? Once
I got the card configured for 44.1 and 24 bit, it worked perfectly.

I ripped all of my CDs in WAV format over the course of several days. *Now
they're all put away and I have instant access to anything I own that I wish
to hear.

Observations:
I was hoping to experience no loss in audio quality. *My current CD player
is a standard, consumer grade Sony. When, a few years back, I bypassed the
Sony's internal DAC, I noticed an improved sound. *Results? *Strangely, it
seems to sound better. *This is based on limited, unscientific a/b listening
with my wife, and actual 'wow I never heard that before' instances. *Case in
point, the audience on Loudon Wainwright's "Career Moves" sounds much more
present. *Why's it sound better? *No idea. *Placebo? *Is pulling music off a
hard drive somehow more reliable, smooth, something, than through an optical
reader?

I'm not super thrilled with Windows Media Player. *As a player, it works ok.
But it has a couple of flukes. *When I rip CDS that aren't in the freedb
database, it doesn't, of course, have an cover art. *I've resolved this by
either scanning the CD covers or pulling art off the internet. *However, it
sometimes flips back to no art or pulls art in from other covers for these
CDs. *Not sure what I'm doing wrong here, but it can be frustrating.

I'm not an audio engineer, or a music professional of any sort. *I'm just a
guy who wants to feel he is listening to a reasonable reproduction of the
artist's intention, in a much more convenient fashion.

If this is at all useful to you, good.

If not, let the flames begin.

try winamp plqyer instead of WMP
www.winamp.com
it is free!

It sounds a lot better
I do the same thing, but to save space I rip as FLAC
(Free Lossless Audio Compression)

play digital out via winamp player, straight to my DAC
DAC came with software control
DAC connected to PC by USB (that's why the software control is
necessary)
there may be better ways than USB, like firewire, but the DAC (Pacific
Valve tubed) I wanted used USB
It sounds great, much better than using a cd player (Jolida tubed)


so, try winamp, maybe foobar, but I lke winamp controls and interface
better.

Alos, try EAC, Exact Audio Copy, for ripping
www.exactaudiocopy.de