File format, software and settings?

Software: Db Poweramp or Exact Audio Copy (EAC)Save as a .wav file or second choice save as a .FLAC file.

For management of those files I prefer Media Center 17 (with Jplay memory player add-on) and as a second place I would go with Media Monkey or Foobar 2000. All of these will work with Windows based PCs. I don't do iTunes.

Waste of time. Stick with the cd's themselves for play back, or get one on Sony's 300 disc players. As for 'future proof', it will never happen. It is just a marketing tool. Who knows what the future will bring.

Waste of time.

Speaking of time, I'm temporarily back to a CDP, while my DAC is being serviced, and I'd forgotten what a PITA it can be: searching for discs, changing discs, etc., with the work increasing proportionally if you are the type who likes to bounce around between cuts/discs. I'm guessing that for many people, the ripping time would mostly be made up in by the time saved in listening sessions.

Lots of good advice around here, and also at computeraudiophile.com. For MAC, PureMusic is a good value playback augment to iTunes.

Good luck,

John

Mike, definitely not a waste of time. I cut my 2000 CD collection over about 3 months using DB Poweramp which I bought for @$35, but also tried EAC. Both work well, but I find DB saved me time using my Window 7/Quad Core machine in the long run. I used the lossless MPEG4, but FLAC or WAV work too. I find it easier to modify the tags as MPEG4's for me personally and I feed 4 Squeezebox Touchs feeding external DAC's in each room in my house wirelessly. Not optimum in some peoples opinions, but it works for us.

I find it works very well for my wife/I and I no longer use my CDP at all, since I can reference any album/track anytime using a remote, which has gotten us to listen to many tracks I had forgotten over the years. It also makes everything much easier for my wife, who's not really into get CD's out of jewel cases all the time. I can also synch all 4 SB's if we're entertaining so every room plays the same tracks.

Many people on here like Apple stuff too. I don't think there's so much a right/wrong as what works for you in your situation. I use a pair of 2TB Western Digital Caviar drives so I have 2 copies of my library just in case fungu happens since it took me a while to convert redbook CDs to files. I cut about 100-200 a night whilst listening at night until I got it done. I find I now play in random track mode most of the time, although I still pull up albums in my dedicated audio room when I'm audiophiling(is that a thing?) late at night.

Good luck and happy listening....

Rootman

"Waste of time"

Right - walk over to your bud's house with your CD colleciton for a little ripping session right?

OK, how 'bout putting all those CD's in a big box in your car and find one while you're driving along, then taking it out of the case, inserting one, while putting the other back in it's case- no distraction right?

Well, OK, maybe you just take that whole CD collection on the plane with you when you'd like to enjoy your collection away from home. Hmmm, nothing like some overweight baggae.

Waste of time. Right.