[CAPT Deadpool]

Does anybody have a choice for an External optical drive? Bonus points for Blu-ray.

I have one of these, bought it in 2011, it survived Afghanistan (much dusty, low bit coin) as well as getting a little damp when I had 1" of water in my basement in 2013. I used it last year to rip all my cds to ALAC. I think this is the same model, I looks identical. Works good for with a PC.

https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Int...1537836648&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+blu+ray+drive

 

[Jheal]

Does anybody have a choice for an External optical drive? Bonus points for Blu-ray.

I use a Samsung SE-506 external blu ray reader/writer for ripping CDs into my Mac Mini. I also use it to write CDs when I want to listen to downloaded on my morning commute. I’ve also used it to rip audio from music blu rays and DVD-Audio disks as well. I’ve never written blu rays with it though.

 

[RickB]

Does anybody have a choice for an External optical drive? Bonus points for Blu-ray.

Just use the built-in drive that Apple included.

Oh, wait...

 

[artur9]

I have the LG that's recommended for UHD ripping.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Mercury-Blu-ray-Write-Solution/dp/B01IPH6170/ What do we think?

 

[yonson]

https://www.amazon.com/OWC-Mercury-Blu-ray-Write-Solution/dp/B01IPH6170/ What do we think?

I think I'd rather have that Asus @CAPT Deadpool posted for $99.99

 

[Scott Kramer]

Does anybody have a choice for an External optical drive? Bonus points for Blu-ray.

a PS4? I use (rarely) a strategic** original fat PS3 ( SACD, BLURAY, DTS MASTERAUDIO, TRUEHD, DVD, HDCD, CD, can play PS2 games natively etc. etc., still gets internet updates, can rip SACD ;D, but don't have any SACDs* -- you can even have it rip CD's to Minidisc format... weird lol! HDMI (multichannel bluray audio), ETHERNET, Wireless, Bluetooth, 2TB Harddrive, 6 USB ports, card reader (SD,CF,other), optical output... a damn crazy piece)

* well, dsotm and some demo disk
** won't sell it

 

[Derrick Swart]

Awesome post Mike, Thank You -- Cool stuff you have going on, do you need anyone to sweep floors? ;D


Here's my little diy spinning plastic / pi story.


I have this anchient *1st* Rega Planet CD player that's nostalgic for me. Bought it in college (new in '99) for some reason*, it did sound amazing at the time. Such an interesting piece looking at it now.

It uses a strange custom Burr-Brown DAC chip, made just for this player... has an odd mid centric sound and goofy oval soundstage. They did that sanding off the part number shenanigans, and so crusty check out the pic! The transport motor/mechanism started making noise and didn't want to wear it out by putting any load on it... so-->




i2s'd into it with a piZEROW (wireless)!!! Slightly tweaked piCore to use an old 16bit format. Was gonna keep this to myself, but @Baldr talked about the pi- so thought this may be a fun post.

Love that @schiit is playing with the pi and sounds like even the 4core compute module!

Final form just before buttoning up:


Also I'm WAY too lazy to actually integrate the front panel, that'd be a bit crazy anyway. It happily shows up as PLANET on any iOS device ;D



Thanks!!!

*It sounded awesome and I remember the theta progeny back then with it's weird blue led's -- way too expensive, crazy pushing it with 500 bucks on this already

I love the design of the Planet and that it is a toploader, nice you gave her a 2nd life

 

[audio philestine]

a PS4? I use (rarely) a strategic** original fat PS3 ( SACD, BLURAY, DTS MASTERAUDIO, TRUEHD, DVD, HDCD, CD, can play PS2 games natively etc. etc., still gets internet updates, can rip SACD ;D, but don't have any SACDs* -- you can even have it rip CD's to Minidisc format... weird lol! HDMI (multichannel bluray audio), ETHERNET, Wireless, Bluetooth, 2TB Harddrive, 6 USB ports, card reader (SD,CF,other), optical output... a damn crazy piece)

* well, dsotm and some demo disk
** won't sell it

Only certain models of PS4(EDIT: PS3) could play SACD. I beleive there was an SACD logo on the front of the ones that could. It is getting very difficult to find working affordable ones on eBay.

There are however, certain models of discontinued Oppo and Sony blu-ray players (and clones), some available for as little as $30 on eBay that can be made to work with a little bit of research on the intarwebs. A good starting place is
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/...ing-an-oppo-or-pioneer-yes-its-true/?page=110 . It's far from turnkey, but a motivated hobbyist should be able to figure it out.

EDIT: I meant PS3, Scott said PS4. My bad.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

Just had my first night at the Symphony. MTT was conducting Stravinsky without a baton. The opening piece, the 1947 revision of Petrushka, was tedious. In crudely attempting to tell a story, it fell victim to every crass picture-painting technique known to music, including giving a stupid solo to a bassoon or tuba in the hope that middle-aged dilettantes would find the novelty humorous. I was embarrassed on Stravinsky's behalf; I would have burned the score like Brahms or Haydn rather than let it land as a line in my oeuvre. The whole thing was insipid, childish, and dull.

I loved the violin concerto, however. The "passport chord" which begins each of the four movements was used as a deft aural signpost, and the musical flowering therefrom was fresh and held my ear. Stravinsky didn't overdo anything; the piece is the picture of subtlety, and the violinist handled it with care.

Rite of Spring is fine, and MTT really got into it, but I don't think it's as fine as the violin concerto. It could have ended ten minutes earlier.

 

[artur9]

I found these two great synopses/exegesis of Lucia di Lammermoor which we'll be seeing on Sunday
Atlanta Opera:
Royal Opera House:

The lecture in the ROH one by the professor from King's College was like catnip to me. That's about 15 minutes in. The conversation with the male stars I just skipped right over.

 

[earnmyturns]

Just had my first night at the Symphony. MTT was conducting Stravinsky without a baton. The opening piece, the 1947 revision of Petrushka, was tedious. In crudely attempting to tell a story, it fell victim to every crass picture-painting technique known to music, including giving a stupid solo to a bassoon or tuba in the hope that middle-aged dilettantes would find the novelty humorous. I was embarrassed on Stravinsky's behalf; I would have burned the score like Brahms or Haydn rather than let it land as a line in my oeuvre. The whole thing was insipid, childish, and dull.

I loved the violin concerto, however. The "passport chord" which begins each of the four movements was used as a deft aural signpost, and the musical flowering therefrom was fresh and held my ear. Stravinsky didn't overdo anything; the piece is the picture of subtlety, and the violinist handled it with care.

Rite of Spring is fine, and MTT really got into it, but I don't think it's as fine as the violin concerto. It could have ended ten minutes earlier.

I'll be there tomorrow. I listen to a lot of recorded Stravinsky, and in the end his solo piano, chamber, and concerto work is what wins my deepest esteem. We have to remember that Rite was a deliberately in-your-face ballet score, and that Stravinsky in Hollywood bent to the crasser trends of classical popularization (think Disney's "Fantasia," which debases both cartoons and music). It's interesting to compare Stravinsky with Bartók, who was also in exile in the US at that time but (at great cost) stayed truer to his vision.

 

[rkw]

The opening piece, the 1947 revision of Petrushka, was tedious. In crudely attempting to tell a story...

Well, it is telling a story — Petrushka is a ballet after all (composed for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes and performed by Nijinsky). You've expressed dislike for programmatic music in general, but I happen to like the piece.

I loved the violin concerto, however.

It is one of my favorite violin concertos, and the main draw for me to attend the concert (tomorrow). I love both Petrushka and the Rite, but I've heard both of them enough (live and recordings) that I wouldn't be going without the violin concerto also on the program.

Kopatchinskaja Is my favorite performer of the concerto. Her spontaneous, improvisatory style suits the music well.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I like the Pastoral Symphony a lot.

 

[hearditontheX]

@bosiemoncrieff Verve Coffee is a great recommendation! I picked up a couple of blends, the Streetlevel and the Sermon. The Streetlevel is excellent, nice and full-bodied. Free shipping was another plus.