[PPPPPP]

I wish to transfer all my CD's on to a device that is easy to access via a monitor - the quality must be as good as the CD.

Any suggestions?

[Suggers]

Sounds like you're describing a computer to me !!

[PPPPPP]

Originally Posted by Suggers

Sounds like you're describing a computer to me !!

On the face of it, yes sure.

But are CD's copied to computer the same quality when played back? My experience is that they are not - perhaps I have copied them wrongly?

[Hal_loe]

Originally Posted by PPPPPP

On the face of it, yes sure.

But are CD's copied to computer the same quality when played back? My experience is that they are not - perhaps I have copied them wrongly?

If they are as a WAV file then they are original quality.

If they are mp3, wma, etc then they have been compressed.

[Suggers]

Hal loe beat me to it - dead right - stereo wav files use approx 10mb per min.

[PPPPPP]

Originally Posted by Suggers

Hal loe beat me to it - dead right - stereo wav files use approx 10mb per min.

Thanks both of you. Juts checked and yes my files are wma.
Daft question but how do I copy as WAV file?

[happyhomer]

There should be an option in your ripping software to enable you to choose which file format to use. I use Creative Mediasource, and this option is found under Tools-Settings-Recording tab, then select Recording Format, then select WAV stereo. Most packages should have a similar setting, though Windows Media Player does not; the closest you will get is WMA Lossless, which isn't really lossless.
Because of the large file sizes involved you may wish to consider getting a large external hard disk to store your music on. The beauty of that option is that if you have to re-format, or just upgrade your PC, you don't need to re-rip your music collection

[Hal_loe]

I use the Freeware CD'n'Go suite, Google for it, just extract the wav files you can disable all the encoding options. There are other freeware programs as well.

74mins of CD wav files are 650MB.

Quite small in modern terms with 8.6GB for a dual layer DVD.

[PPPPPP]

Originally Posted by Hal_loe

I use the Freeware CD'n'Go suite, Google for it, just extract the wav files you can disable all the encoding options. There are other freeware programs as well.

74mins of CD wav files are 650MB.

Quite small in modern terms with 8.6GB for a dual layer DVD.

just managed to rip with windows media player version 11 - it's 600mb per CD - sounds almost like the CD. I do like the idea of putting all the music on a seperate hard drive .

[Suggers]

Originally Posted by PPPPPP

managed to rip with windows media player version 11 - it's 600mb per CD - sounds almost like the CD.

Unfotunately, through a decent system it will still sound pants.....

[PPPPPP]

Originally Posted by Suggers

Unfotunately, through a decent system it will still sound pants.....

Agreed - but this medium is for background music and the quality is most acceptable for that purpose.


Just saw this on the Maplins catalogue - could do the job well.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Search.aspx?...86GG&DOY=15m11

[happyhomer]

Looks good, but doesn't support WMA, only MP3 & WAV, so you'll need to get some software that will rip to WAV (see above posts). You'll then get around 500 albums on it. If you're not happy, Maplin have a very good returns policy too.

[Gavtech]

Originally Posted by PPPPPP

Agreed - but this medium is for background music and the quality is most acceptable for that purpose.

So you've backed off from your original specification : The quality must be as good as CD?

[miceri]

It seems like you are missing the point here.

As stated above, there are many methods to rip 1:1 sound source copies to a HDD.

However, to 'reproduce' that sound to CDP quality via a PC takes a little more thinking. You would need a quality soundcard (NOT Creative)

Take a look in this forum for that (mp3, iPod & Other Digital Music): http://www.avforums.com/forums/portable-music-mp3/

Decent PC speakers are also required, setting the correct codecs etc...


However, if you can connect to more recent AV Amps (With Network connections) then the future will begin to look rosier. I am sure manufacturers will want to capture this market also, External HDD to AV Amp playing *.wav files via decent processing / amplification / speakers...

[PPPPPP]

Originally Posted by Gavtech

So you've backed off from your original specification : The quality must be as good as CD?

well spotted

What I had previously was mediocre sound because of the manner in which it had been recorded. I therefore sought to find something that was like the CD.

What I have now is much closer to the CD, and so I am happy. However, if I can find a medium that is exactly like CD reproduction I would be even happier

[Gavtech]

Originally Posted by PPPPPP

What I have now is much closer to the CD, and so I am happy. However, if I can find a medium that is exactly like CD reproduction I would be even happier

It seems the device you selected would therefore be suitable...
That will deal with '.wav' files which are CD quality.

[john key]

Have you considered a CD recorder with a hard drive? Yamaha make a range which gets good write-ups, the CDR-HD1500 seems to be the top of this range, it apparently has a 250gig hard drive which they claim to be good for 400 CDs, and has an RS232c interface for linking to a PC. What Hi-Fi tested one of the range and raved about it. It also has an option, according to the revue, where you can burn a CD from the hard drive or as a direct copy with a better quality than the original. Something to do with burning deeper pits.

Something else to consider about the external hard drive if you decide to go down the PC route. My son had 22,000 music tracks and quite a few video downloads which he'd put on an external hard drive. When some b*****d toe-rags broke in the other day and nicked his PC, they missed the external hard drive, so at least he's still got all that stuff when he gets the PC replaced. The things you've got to think about these days.