[hedmaster]

Hi all. I am interested in maybe making some substantial investments into my music collection.

I have a computer as source.

As I see it, there are several choices:
1. Buy CDs, SACDs, DVDAs, maybe LPs.
Pros-music is in hand, can make backups.
Cons-music is in hand-takes up a lot of room, can be hard to organize initially, won't get the resolution that I can from HD.
If this isn't true, please let me know, I'm not trying to set anyone off or anything.
It is hard to find music on DVDAs now, SACDs aren't as common as CDs.
Do I need a high-end Cd player to get better sound, even if I'm using a DAC?
2. Buy my music from a place like HD Music.
Pros-Easy to store.
Categorize any way you like in minutes.
No bulk
Very high resolution.
No need to purchase high-end SACD, DVDA player.
No scratches, losses, or borrowing to friends, only to never see it again.
Cons-no physical music - for some a con.
Hard drive would have to be backed up, in case of a problem.
Anything else?

I haven't seen any threads like this, so I thought I would start one.

Any input, corrections, tips, advice is appreciated.

Thanks,
Matt

 

[El_Doug]

youve listed the bulk of pros/cons - really, only you can answer for yourself which you would rather invest in


that being said, LP's are a very different animal, and worthwhile to explore - provided you will have sufficient long-term interest

 

[AdamWysokinski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedmaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif As I see it, there are several choices: 1. Buy CDs, SACDs, DVDAs, maybe LPs. 2. Buy my music from a place like HD Music.

For me there is no either-or option. Music that I really like is available only on CDs (BTW, download music is very limited both in terms of available genres and artists), but I prefer computer as a source. So, I buy CDs and rip them to my HD.

 

[Ssnake51]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AdamWysokinski /img/forum/go_quote.gif For me there is no either-or option. Music that I really like is available only on CDs (BTW, download music is very limited both in terms of available genres and artists), but I prefer computer as a source. So, I buy CDs and rip them to my HD.

Same here. And if you don't want to make room to store the cd's, you can always sell them after ripping. Of course, then you want to make sure you have a good backup system in place.

 

[hedmaster]

How much SQ difference is there with a higher end cd player, than my cd rom drive out to my Keces 131 MKII DAC?

 

[BigTony]

Rip CD's to FLAC/Lossless on your HDD and enjoy.

 

[HeatFan12]

As others have stated, I also buy CDs and rip them to lossless. I personally rip to WAV then burn a CD of said WAV on a Taiyo Yuden disc. I then encode to FLAC/WavPack/ALAC etc....When I'm finished, delete WAV...This way, I have a copy of the original CD and a lossless copy on my hard drive. If you don't want a copy of the original CD, just rip to FLAC etc...

You mentioned HD music...I also use HD Tracks for high-rez music downloads, however, the selections are limited, unlike CDs that are readily available with all genres of music.


Quote:

-Buy my music from a place like HD Music. Categorize any way you like in minutes.

You can organize and categorize your ripped CD collection just as easy as HD purchased music.



Here is a shot of my CD ripped library in lossless


Winamp

Foobar

At the moment I have 841 albums that are readily available to play with the click of a mouse....With the prices of hard drives these days, it's hard to pass up and have your collection all in one place.

....

 

[cafe zeenuts]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedmaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif How much SQ difference is there with a higher end cd player, than my cd rom drive out to my Keces 131 MKII DAC?

CD ROM drive on a computer as transport system should be for ripping "only" not for playback... The whole point of using computer as transport is to eliminate the need for CD playback.

As for the SQ difference on a high end cdplayer compare to your cd rom -> Keces 131 MKII DAC. Comparing just the DAC section, the high end cd player already won, it will have greater detail and resolution. Lets not get into CD transport part of things.......

 

[hedmaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cafe zeenuts /img/forum/go_quote.gif CD ROM drive on a computer as transport system should be for ripping "only" not for playback... The whole point of using computer as transport is to eliminate the need for CD playback. As for the SQ difference on a high end cdplayer compare to your cd rom -> Keces 131 MKII DAC. Comparing just the DAC section, the high end cd player already won, it will have greater detail and resolution. Lets not get into CD transport part of things.......

OK, thanks cafe zeenuts, that makes perfect sense.

 

[hedmaster]

HeatFan12,

Wow, now that's what I'm talking about! That's a lifetime collection, I imagine.
Unfortunately for my wife and myself, when cds came about, we both sold or gave away our record collections. It has only been in the last year or so that I have been able to enjoy music again, so I am beginning my collection anew.

Can you help me understand how much of a difference in sound quality you find between the regular cds and your def downloads?

Thanks for your help,
Matt

 

[HeatFan12]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedmaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif HeatFan12, Wow, now that's what I'm talking about! That's a lifetime collection, I imagine. Unfortunately for my wife and myself, when cds came about, we both sold or gave away our record collections. It has only been in the last year or so that I have been able to enjoy music again, so I am beginning my collection anew. Can you help me understand how much of a difference in sound quality you find between the regular cds and your def downloads? Thanks for your help, Matt

Hi Matt

Thanks very much.

Yes, I have been collecting them for a while. In the mid 1990s, I went through some rough times and I had about 200 CDs that I had to sell to make ends meet. I went to a local CD shop that purchased used CDs and turned them all in. I wrote down all the titles I turned in and vowed to purchase them new again at a later time when everything was better. It took me two years but I accomplished that goal.

In reference to high-rez downloads, they sound fantastic. The problem for me are the selections, or lack thereof. A lot of the selections are for classical music, unfortunately, I don't listen to classical. There are offers every now and then about different high-rez free downloads which include some jazz, world, new age etc....Wifey likes some new age and jazz every now and then so I'll check those out along with downloading some on HDT for her. For rock, my favorite is The Kinks- One For The Road (Live), sounds spectacular.
The difference in quality is not day and night. I have the redbook of One For The Road too and it also sounds great, just the hi-rez is more "involved". It's all about the original master and what is done with it in the end.

For me, my library is ripped from redbook, so it will remain 16/44.1...The hi-rez is just a plus not a substitute...

 

[Ham Sandwich]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hedmaster /img/forum/go_quote.gif OK, thanks cafe zeenuts, that makes perfect sense.

Playing a CD through a computer is not likely doing what people expect. It's not the same as a home CD player. It's more similar to doing a burst mode rip of the CD and playing the ripped file.

Many CD-ROM drives do have a DAC and an analog output (it's a 4 pin cable that connects to the sound card). The problem is that the analog outs are almost never connected to anything. So the DAC on the CD-ROM drive itself is irrelevant since it is almost never actually used.

Audio from the CD-ROM drive is now done over the IDE/SATA cable. The CD is read as data and transferred as data over the IDE/SATA cable like any other data. The audio is read off the CD as a burst mode rip (minimal or no error correction). The audio data is then sent to your DAC (in your case a Keces).

Given that, it is better to rip the CD yourself and then play the ripped files rather than play the CD directly. In most cases with a reasonably clean CD a burst mode rip will be equal to an error corrected rip. But if there are scratches or dirt or just errors in the CD you'll get a bad rip that can cause audible clicks or pops.

 

[spookygonk]

My 16 year old Marantz CD63 finally died in its sleep last night (just won't power on and I don't know whether its worth trying to fix) so that means I now don't have a dedicated player for my CDs. I guess it's time to finish ripping my music to FLAC and stick them all on a HDD.

 

[hedmaster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spookygonk /img/forum/go_quote.gif My 16 year old Marantz CD63 finally died in its sleep last night (just won't power on and I don't know whether its worth trying to fix) so that means I now don't have a dedicated player for my CDs. I guess it's time to finish ripping my music to FLAC and stick them all on a HDD.

That's too bad. May she rest in peace

. Yeah, it is really kool this day and age that we can rip and store our music in such a great way, and so cheap too!

I am definitely going to rip as much as I can, which still leaves me the option to download any hi-res files I want.
I am also doing some research into the vinyl option. I'm just in the preliminary stages yet, but am quite interested, as it seems the SQ is in another league than redbook CDs.

Take care,
Matt

 

[scootermafia]

The idea of getting some more LPs for my collection made me sad after I looked towards my DAC8 and Diverter.