 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
216.129.31.125
In Reply to: RE: CD's in a new fangled portable universe... posted by Huh? on February 12, 2010 at 05:10:46
I rip everything to computer this days. I rip to FLAC but convert a copy of what I want on my portable to MP3, either 256 or 320kbps.A portable CDP is a clumsy, limited alternative to a portable flash or harddisk player, IMO.
___
My Stereo Configuration
Feanor's Classical Music Survey, 250 Compositions
Edits: 02/12/10 02/12/10 02/12/10Follow Ups:
I do something similar but I don't make the mp3 copy because
my portable player (Cowon iaudio 7) plays FLACs.
Great sounding player and one less conversion to get music on the move.
Cheers
welly
It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As pretty as an Airport' appear.
So, everytime I want to pluck a recording off my (extensive) library shelf, I need to rip it first? I don't think so. I've read where folks have moved, entirely, their CD collection to hard disk. Exactly what kind of mindset it would take to move 10,000 CDs this way, I don't even want to consider.
The point of my OP question is limited to: How does one get the best portable CD playback these days? That is, to actually play the CDs themselves -- but, thank you for the recommendation!
you can pay agencies to burn all your CD's to your computer for you, I'm told.
...I'm looking to burn CDs to digital files. I never said that what I am looking to do. Seriously, I already have the music in the format I want, and was simply looking for some knowledgeable opinions about whether there might be a high quality option remaining in the marketplace for CDs.
Thank you for bringing up that option, though.
No need to rip 10,000 CD; when would you get to listen to so many anyway?
Rip just your favorites. In fact you can do that while you listen to them on your computer.
___
My Stereo Configuration
Feanor's Classical Music Survey, 250 Compositions
...me to have favorites. It completely removes the spontaneity of choice off the shelf. I'm forced to create a sub-domain of digital files. I'll say two things at this point:
(1) First, I do have an MP3 player that I use for the gym. Just Rock music, since I can't handle the radio fare they play. It's fine, but it's not audiophile (nor should it be).
(2) Now that I've taken a beating here (:-) about being some kind of Luddite just because I'd like to find a high-quality new device for playing music off my library shelf, I've checked out FLAC players (thanks to welly for the Cowon iaudio recommendation...looks very nice).
Clearly, FLAC is a good looking option for BULIDING an inventory of high-quality audio files. It is the building that I was hoping to avoid. Sorry, dudes, it remains a mindless activity, especially when I've already got the music in a format I am happy with.
That said, since what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, thanks to friend and foe for the FLAC Attack -- it gives me something to think about.
The fact of the matter as you are finding out is that cds are dying. You think you have it rough now. Wait a few years when there will be no portable cd players made.
Ripping now, as tedious as it is, will be doing you a favor long term. The spinning disk's days are numbered especially in audiophile circles. Seriously, try buying a dac these days without a usb input. Heck, Ayre has a dac that ONLY has a usb input!
It completely removes the spontaneity of choice off the shelf. I'm forced to create a sub-domain of digital files.
I see what you mean. But let me add a few things. Lets just say you took the time or spent the money and suddenly had all your cds on hard drives. You think you have spontaneity now with your cds??? Wait till you get them all on a hard drive. You have a whole new world in front of you with playlists that can be randomized, and players that can randomly pick songs or disks for you. And even for a manual selection, to have it all at your fingertips is a lot more convenient than sorting through 10,000 cds on shelves.
And 10,000 cds is just crazy. You talk about ripping restricting you to favorites and talk about the time it takes to rip (yes, it does take time but money is not an issue here so let some company do the lifting), but how the hell can you possibly listen to 10,000 cds?? By shear time limitations you have to end up with favorites or just songs that you never get to hear. At least with a hardrive based system you could have the computer stumble on those songs you never knew you had because you never played them...
...about book lovers -- their excesses and eccentricities. Most of the observations can apply to rabid collectors of LP's and CD's, each of whom has their routines and reasons to assemble this much inventory. Personally, my objectives during the past 25 years (this is mostly Classical music, BTW) were (and continue to be):
(1) Comparative listening (conductors, interpretation etc.)
(2) Reference Library (I can read about it, and then almost always listen to it on the spot)
(3) Spontaneity (I can go into "random access mode" and simply discover anew items I might have forgotten about)
(4) "Locking into a format" -- I decided a long time ago that the format for my lifetime was CD. Vinyl was too high maintenance, and the majority of past/new music was being issued on the CD format. So, some of this is driven by the past -- sure, starting fresh, maybe it's all digital files.
Something that hasn't been brought up in this thread is the COST of the new digital formats for everyone. Assuming we're talking about a LEGAL construction of a FLAC inventory (or whatever other digital file format), one has to BUY or OWN the source CD to convert, or buy new commercial recordings in FLAC outright. The move to FLAC isn't FREE. For those who already legally own the music on CD/LP, there is this "pre-supposition" of already having an inventory to rip. Since the core purpose of a music library is the library itself, and the portability of that library is secondary, I think you can see where the complexity would lie for folks in my position.
So, I've already made a "lifetime investment" to build the music library. I'm healthy and relatively young, and I've also pretty much stopped purchasing additional inventory. Just as I reach the place where I'd like to ensure that I retain flexibility to bring music with me, the portable player market dries up!:-) But, this thread has provided me with room-to-run to leverage what I've got -- except for the price of the player, the rest is basically free for me to play with.
"And 10,000 cds is just crazy." I remember -- like it's YESTERDAY, purchasing my first CD around 1986, and laughing out loud at the folks who made claims of owning "25 Beethoven 9ths". It's a matter of preference, I suppose, but that isn't crazy to me anymore -- actually, it's on way someone experiences and learns the possibilities inherent in great musical compositions, and the musical form itself.
is that his definition of the word "portable" is probably not the same as most people. I base that on his owning a headphone amp and associating that with portability: far from my definition. Who would walk around with a headphone amp or hook up a headphone amp to a car stereo? And if you were traveling, who would want to lug around more than a few CDs?
With 10,000 CDs though, "favorites" has surely been replaced by "quantity".
You shove a digital transfer solution in the path of my straightforward question and then brand me as "clueless", confuse my headphone and amp setup as somehow being intertwined with my portable player question and then assume the library of music I live with and love cannot, possibly, be that of a discriminating listener.
It's not about how many can be carried or played using the portable player, it's about being able to simply grab a few items of choice at my discretion. I understand the reason for your inserting your points of view, however.
You don't want any conversion to "digital files", yet you're interested in FLAC. Huh? FLAC is a digital file! And so is Apple Lossless. And so is .wav and .aif and...
Just so you know, .wav and .aif are each PCM plus a header. That's it. The only reason a conventional CD player can't read .wav or .aif files is because of the header.
Why not get a portable CD player with a line out jack (you can get an ESP model -- 30/45 second buffer -- for <$30 at Wal-Mart) and have someone like Ric Shultz (tweakaudio.com) modify the analog section for you?
I only came to considering FLAC as part of this thread (hadn't really considered it before I took some heat here). I'm not a big fan of attempting to turn a $30 player into a superstar. I was searching for something of high-quality "as is". As the result of this thread, I've already ripped a FLAC here at home, and been pointed to some very fine players. I still feel that the portable hardware and effort to rip the FLAC files limits the simplicity of "grab and go" on any CD I choose off the shelf (and, quite simply, duplicates the CD itself). And, it appears to take more than 1 minute to rip a FLAC in ultra-high quality.
I'm sure that all of this won't matter once I've got 50 to 100 full CDs worth of digital files sitting on my PC and FLAC player. I'm not sure that this will represent anything resembling "my favorites", but it will have to do. It does, indeed, appear that I will have a portable audiophile quality music source as the result -- certainly one of the key objectives here. Many Thanks.
You really don't have a clue.
...with nearly 10,000 CDs, you'd sit there like a chimp for who knows how many hours just burning - replacing in the tray - burning? That is a totally mind-numbing prospect. Assuming 1 minute per CD, that's 167 hours of pure ripping time. Now, I don't know what kind of burger joint you work at, but at my billing rate that's over $40,000 worth of my time.
I could probably buy a pretty good portable CD player if one existed (i.e., to the point of my OP). And, yes...I'd like fries with that, pal.
As was said above, there are companies that can do it for you. It takes a few weeks, but you don't have to do it yourself.
...my music to digital files. I never said I was interested.
This one has a 45-sec buffer for anti-skip mode and special bass boost circuit. It's not too expensive, either.
Best regards,
John Elison
My 60GB Gen5 iPod w/Video has a better d/a converter and analog section than just about any portable CD player you're likely to find. And since I use Apple Lossless (with options in iTunes for .wav and .aif, as well), quality from the source is equal to the CD.
Want more space? There's a 250GB drive out there that's available for this model and its 30GB and 80GB cousins.
Seriously, you can put a drive of that capacity in an iPod? I had never even contemplated such a hack. Now we're talking! Where can I find more info? TIA
( see notice below )
This will fit perfectly inside the Gen5/Gen5.5 iPod w/video 60GB/80GB models. If you have a 30GB version of the Gen5/Gen5.5, then you need to purchase a different back (the 240GB drive, like the 60GB and 80GB drives, is slightly thicker than the 30GB drive).
Notice: they are now saying it will only work in the Gen5.5 model. That's not what I recall the original release stating. I'm sure a call will clarify the issue. Even if that is the case, I'm sure you can get a Gen5.5, which still has the best iPod sound quality along with the Gen5 (same audio parts), on ebay, etc for very little $ now that everyone wants an iPod Touch (I have a Gen1 Touch 16GB and a Gen3 Touch 32GB).
nt
Post a Followup:
| FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
