To those with Digital Libraries - Some Questions...

I started ripping CD’s in the early 2000’s. As I purchased more I ripped them. I stored them on my PC and on my NAS. 

Then streaming started getting better. I added a MacBook to my main system to stream... but was so inferior as not to be a source I would use. Around 2017 I bought a Aurlic Aries 2... a big improvement, although it still did not compete with vinyl... stored my CDs on it’s internal memory from NAS.

I finally bought switched to  Aurrender about a year later (2018?)... I think I started with an N10 and that was it. No longer did stored files have any advantage over streaming... so I upgraded to the Aurrender W20SE in my main system and a Aurrender N100 in my headphone system. Got rid of my CDs and keep stored but do not use my ripped files on my streamers and NAS.

I first got involved with digital audio and video files professionally in the early 90's but my primary source of digital music was CD based until the Covid lockdown when I purchased a Brennan B2 and ripped my entire catalog. I subsequently started downloading files from Qobuz but I still purchase CDs from Discogs (used) and Amazon (new), depending on availably of the versions I want and the cost (it makes little sense to me that I can have a new CD delivered for less than the cost of an equivalent download but sometimes it is). I've recently upgraded my digital player to an Eversolo T8. Before copying my files to an internal drive in the T8 I cleaned up the metadata with Mp3TAG so that I could sort consistently across the library. I now use XLD to rip files from CDs and then clean up the metadata in Mp3TAG before copying them over to the T8 drive. When I purchases files from Qobuz I download three versions of the files: FLAC for the T8; ALAC for my Apple devices and WAV as a backup incase I need to convert to some other format in the future.  I also maintain a backup of all files on a Western Digital desktop drive.

I started to build my local collection around 20 some odd years ago.  I transferred several hundred LPs and open reels to digital over the course of several years and also ripped many CDs.  I've bought only a few downloads, mostly off of Bandcamp which is a great source for Indy and less common stuff (Tuba Skinny anyone?). The local stuff is kept on my Qnap NAS. I use Wiim and Raspberry Pi streamers for playback.  I also use Qobuz.for streaming.  My biggest recommendation is to carefully check the album and song tags as you create the digital files. That's the key to having good access to a large collection (my local library is around 65,000. tracks.). Going back to fix bad tags after the fact is a real headache.  I also keep 2 offline backups on external hard drives. 

I move around a lot so file portability is king for me.  Make sure the format you use to rip discs will work for every player you might use.  Reformatting them can be a pain.  I use sd cards in my cars.  The cars can be really picky about the format.  I spent a solid week camped out at the computer ripping my discs.  Just sleeping and putting discs in and out pretty much.  lol  I only have about 700 discs.

Anybody got an interesting story about ripping all those discs?

Ripping takes time.  You get to physically own each CD you rip. 
 

Streaming is fast and easy once it’s set up initially.  You get to own a library but not the recordings.