CD storage system?!

greigym

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Hi guys,

Im sure you have been asked variations on this question millions of times but quite simply I have loads of CDs hanging around and I want to wack them on a system that hold them all. Apologies if im covering old ground and any advice/links to previous threads would be great!

I want a unit that sits next to and plugs directly into my amp and is relatively quick to access the cds and select/ play. The CD quality doesnt have to be anything more than cd quality.

My set up at the mo is a Yamaha DSP-A1 amp with Roth speakers. Other components are WDTV Live and 1tb drive for movies. The problem I have found with the drive/ wdtv as a storage set up is access to the movies....just a small point but takes an age to read the drive and then select the movies by scrolling around. I want to have a system that allows me easily select the CD/ track I want and off I go!! We have about 300 cds presently if that helps?!

Thanks
 
Hi - Arent they worlds apart? The price seems to huge on the last 2 suggestions...well out of budget for me. Perhaps I should have put my budget down previously...im looking up to about £500.

Ive read about the Logitech and a few people have said it has speed issues. Not wanting to complicate things and absolutely im focussed at the mo on it being just in the lounge....it would however be nice to add other rooms at a later date...not imperitive though. I like the look of the Logitech controller which in searching has led me to look at Sonos....might be an easier option!
 
>might be an easier option!<

Might be, but the Squeezebox Touch can connect to a cheap USB disk (with 300 CD, a 250Gb disk will do you) and serve 2 other players in due course. The Sonos will need a NAS or other file server to hold the music - one option to explore is if the WDTV Live can be hacked to run a UPnP/DLNA service.
 
I'd go for a second hand SB Classic or a Duet. The Touch doesn't seem to be very reliable at the moment and not all USB drives work with it.
 
As Mr Orange said, the Touch really isn't a reliable option at the moment (in my experience), unless you're prepared to run a PC or NAS based server. While waiting for the tech to hopefully stabilise & with that number of disks, an old tech solution is an option.

Sony CDP-CX455

You would have to resort to Ebay as they're discontinued but I ran a pair piggy-backed into an 800 disk jukebox without any major issues until my collection outgrew them. IIRC I sold mine for around £175 each last year.
 
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Great advice - maybe its best I go for a cheaper alternative and dont mind something second hand. The Sonos looks great but is maybe something for the future. I will go on to the classifieds to see what I can see!

Cheers
 
So am I right in saying that i will need to buy a SB classic/ Duet and an external hard drive to store the music on. I then have the long process of uploading each CD onto the HDD but once loaded; the SB will be able to access the HDD wirelessly and then output to my amp to play the CDs?

I think I have this correct?!!

Sorry for being so basic but am new to this side of things. G
 
Not correct. AFAIK with anything other than the Squeezebox Touch you need at least a proper NAS (and the Squeezebox devices are a little picky as you need to install software on the NAS) or else a computer running for them to be able to work.

300 CDs should fit losslessly on an AppleTV though if you have an iPod Touch or iPhone to control it with.
 
AFAIK?!! AppleTV? Isnt that an actual TV? Im not in the market for an actual TV though as I have a flatscreen already! Its just the CD storage/ access unit I need. Maybe I didnt explain before but the HDD would be connected to a PC. Does this help?
 

As Far As I Know

AppleTV? Isnt that an actual TV? Im not in the market for an actual TV though as I have a flatscreen already!

Nope, AppleTV is a smallish box with a hard drive inside. You can connect it to a TV or if you have an iPhone/iPod Touch you can remote control it with that without it connected to a TV.

Its just the CD storage/ access unit I need. Maybe I didnt explain before but the HDD would be connected to a PC. Does this help?

If the HDD is connected to a PC and the PC is on then Squeezebox will do you fine, no need for a NAS.
 
I have about 300 cd's sat in storage boxes and i wan't to hold them on a hard drive of some sort and play through my music system.
System arcam 7 cd player and amp, B&W floorstand speakers, Philips ipod connection to the amp with remote, ipod classic 40g holding some digital music.

I want cd quality and don't wan't to connect to my computer.

I was thinking of apple tv. I have iphone 3g iphone 4 soon and would want to use either or both of these to controll.

Any advice please.
:thumbsup:
 
As you don't want your PC you will need a NAS of some sort and for CD quality you can either rip to WAV (650-700MB per CD) or one of the lossless codecs such as FLAC (300-350MB per CD). For 300 CDs you will need at least a 1TB drive in it, but allow for a 1.5TB or 2TB drive (or RAID array) for expansion.

You could go the Squeezebox route with something like a SB classic or SB receiver but make sure you get a NAS that you can install SB Server on.

Or you could get an SB Touch and a 1.5-2TB USB drive that can plug into it. SB Server runs on the Touch itself so you don't need a NAS. You get a touchscreen display for control and display and the output (phono or digital optical) can connect direct to your amp or an external DAC and amp.

I know nothing about the Sonos route except that I couldn't afford it! :D

Edit: my maths above was totally out as pointed out later in this thread. For 300 CDs ripped to WAV allow for 200GB; 100GB for FLAC. Only out by a factor of 10 :oops:

PB
 
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Sonos is also an option, with Sonos the "server" runs on the Sonos hardware, so you have a few more options NAS-wise.

NAS (with FLAC)->Sonos Zoneplayer->Amp = your house as an iPod :)
 
Thanks for the reply:) can i use my iphone to controll the sb touch? if so is it easy to set up?
:thumbsup:

I know I can control my SB Duet (Controller + Receiver) using iPeng (I only use the early plugin version but there is also an iPod/iPhone app available). Can't say if it is OK for Touch, though. Look for it in the ITunes App Store or look for posts by coolio as it's his app.

PB
 
i know it's most probably a stupid question but here goes:blush:

what is nas?

Could someone explain the basics, please.

I've seen a sonos 5 months old in the classifieds for £450

thanks for the help:smashin:
 
Sonos is also an option, with Sonos the "server" runs on the Sonos hardware, so you have a few more options NAS-wise.

NAS (with FLAC)->Sonos Zoneplayer->Amp = your house as an iPod :)

i love my ipod, this sounds good, could you explain in plain english how the sonos works and if you can use iphone to controll:smashin:
 
i know it's most probably a stupid question but here goes:blush:

what is nas?

A NAS is a Network Attached Storage device - basically a hard drive (or drives) in a box. Their main improvement over a USB external hard drive is that they can be accessed by any device on your network not just a single PC that a USB drive is connected to. They have additional processing power so that they can run small applications such as media servers, web servers, BitTorrent downloaders etc.

So, basically, a low power PC in a small box that lives on your network.

Some of the more capable ones run PC operating systems such as a flavour of Linux which can then be accessed and modified by it's user community. I use a Buffalo Linkstation Pro which has been modifed to act as a print server (so my printer does not need a PC to be on to use), a Media Server (2 actually as I use Twonky and SB Server), and a BitTorrent downloader.

PB
 
As Mr Orange said, the Touch really isn't a reliable option at the moment (in my experience), unless you're prepared to run a PC or NAS based server.
or WHS which works just fine with the Touch
 
With Sonos youonly need the mostbasic NAS, one which allows you to create a shared directory that is accessible over the network. Western Digital My Book World area good place to start.

You then need to find your CD ripping software of choice to allow you to copy your CDs to the NAS and hopefully tage them correctly/download albumart at the same time.

With the Sonos you need the zone player to be wired to your network (at least one Sonos unit has to be wired, the remainder can be wireless), ensure your iPhone/Touch is set upto use your wifi network, then register the controller/s to the Sonos unit (simple wizard-based process). Then simply "point" the unit at the NAS share (via the iPhone/Touch app or free desktop software) to get access to your ripped CDs.

You will also be able to access internet radio, Last.FM and Deezer (these last 2 require you to set up accounts at each website) and Napster if you are happy to pay £5 per month for a subscription to their streaming service.
 
As you don't want your PC you will need a NAS of some sort and for CD quality you can either rip to WAV (650-700MB per CD) or one of the lossless codecs such as FLAC (300-350MB per CD). For 300 CDs you will need at least a 1TB drive in it, but allow for a 1.5TB or 2TB drive (or RAID array) for expansion.

I think your maths is way off there, for 300 cds in WAV format you only need 200GB, so allowing for future CD's, even if you double your collection 500GB is fine. If using compressed formats such as FLAC it's just over 100GBs of storage required so a 320GB would be fine.

No need for anything close to 1TB let alone 1.5-2TB.

Hard disks can always bee upgraded later.
 
Thanks guys, i thought 1tb seemed a bit over kill, ive got a 500g hd sat doing nothing.

Could someone make this easy for me, please!

what sonos unit do i need (only in one room for now)?
what software for ripping the cds?
which hard drive or can i use any?

sorry for all the dumb questions!:blush:

ok ive just rung simply sonos, they have advised i need a ZP90 £279 Bridge £79 Buffalo 500g nas drive £129 Total £482 does this sound good on price or could i save a few quid in the classifieds.

It's this option or the wife is going on about a solid oak cabinet, you can guess which one i want to go for:thumbsup:
 
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