In article , Gordon MacPherson
wrote:
Hi,

I do find playing my CDs inhibited by the labour of getting them out of
a cupboard etc etc and am starting to think about storage, either on
the computer or on an external device such as the JB7.

Must admit that I'm not personally exhausted by looking though my CDs and
choosing one to play. :-) However...

I would be grateful for advice:

1.. Does such storage result in significant loss of audio quality?

Depends entirely on the file format of the 'ripped' copy. If you copy as
LPCM with a decent reading system the data will be bit-identical. So if
using the same DAC with a decent system it should be indistinguishable.
(Note use of "should", though. :-) )

2.. I have ripped CDs for my MP3 player using the built-in Windows
program but are there better rippers available?

No idea about "better" as I don't use Windows at all so have no comparison.
Can only say that on both RISCOS and Linux I can make LPCM copies of a CD
that are bit-identical to the source. Easy enough, and Linux gives you a
range of zero-cost systems to try out.


3.. Are there alternatives to the JB7 that have advantages? 4.. Any other
advice/comments?

If your main interest is lack of fuss or bother than something like the
'JB7' may suit you. You will need to check if it stores as LPCM or
something else as I can't remember. A computer+NAS will give you more
storage and more flexibility but may mean more experimenting or higher
cost.

FWIW Although I just play CDs ye olde fashioned way I also use a Shuttle
computer with its fan disconnected and with a Solid State HD as both an
iPlayer and a machine to store various types of non-CD soundfile. Then play
these via a Cambridge Audio DACMagic. I currently use Linux (Ubuntu 9.04)
for this. Works nicely. if willing to experiment with that kind of thing
I'd suggest you try using Linux Mint as a dual boot on your computer if it
has a decent soundcard. I have no idea if this will suit you, but
experimenting should be easy enough. If not, then you may be best to go for
a packaged solution like the Brennan.

Slainte,

Jim

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