I am preparing for a future in assisted living, where I will not have access to my beloved audiophile gear, and extensive library of LP’s, CD’s and cassettes. I am starting by ripping my favorite CD’s, using a Windows 10 computer (yes, it has a CDRW). Windows Media Player on that machine has a good ripper function, and the results are excellent using the MP3, 320 Kbps option (best quality).
To store the ripped files, I just purchased a Win 11 laptop, with a 500 GB drive to play them with quality headphones. If that drive ultimately proves to be inadequate in size, additional SSD enclosures will be able to easily fill the gap.
An additional note about Win 11 audio resolution limitations, which can be easily overcome with the outstanding Cubilux CB5 USB sound card : offering DAC rates up to 192 KHz, 32bit resolution with extremely low distortion. I purchased it on Amazon for about $30, and the sound quality of this little gem is remarkable.
The thought of giving up my music hobby, as my living arrangements evolve with time, was unthinkable, so I have worked out a reasonable solution that might be helpful to some of you who are facing a similar situation. Happy listening!