newby11

Count me in the minority: ownership is the only way to go. In my case, I've actually had Amazon erase an ebook off my iPad and had Sony CDs put a virus on my PC when I ripped 'em (yes, I OWNED those CDs). Ergo, I simply don't hold the music and tech folks in such high esteem as CA denizens apparently do. Moreover, why is paying forever for the privilege of renting music that the industry decides you can/cannot hear at its whim considered a desirable or even benign development? My 40-something mind just can't understand--or accept--that concept. I want all the convenience of music-as-universal-data-files, but I want to own my music and know that it is mine--even if in storage bins in the basement. It's the same reason I refuse to pay Sirius every month to listen to the radio in my car--instead, I loaded up my 160GB iPod Classic, connected it via USB invisibly in the storage bin between the front seat, and never looked back. Think about it: Can you pass on your cloud music subscription "collection" to your kids?

Aha, now I think I see the answer. To recap: I've personally had Amzn reach into my iPad and erase a book I bought as well as been a victim of that music industry virus when I tried ripping CDs years ago. I thus refuse to rely on downloaded files for my music collection. If I understand correctly, I CAN safely buy DSD downloads and then save a copy on a Bluray-R (much higher capacity) or DVD-R [or is it DVD only?], using something like JRiver, on my PC. Is that correct? If so, then I'm ready to try hirez PCM and DSD downloads, skipping unrippable (except with the PS3 rigamarole) SACD discs. If I'm wrong here, please enlighten me. Thanks.

Just to be clear: What about blank Bluray discs: Can I burn, say, 24/192 PCM onto blank Blurays (thus getting around DVD limit of 24/96)? Back to DSD downloads: Are you saying that I CAN make physical copies onto Bluray/DVD? Do you mean by "DSF files...require file-based playback" that I wouldn't be able to use front ends like JRiver, etc. or attach metadata/artwork as the main drawback? Sorry if these are obvious questions but I'm unclear on these points. Thanks.

Thanks, ted_b. So...I can't rip SACD discs from my computer nor can I buy DSD downloads and write them to a DVD-R in native format. I guess I'll have to try to sniff out a PS3 and give it a whirl.

I really appreciate the heads-up Fitzcaraldo215. I'm just flabbergasted at Sony for making this impossible--heck, I can rip my Blu-rays with a simple ripping program on my PC--and the computer community hasn't cared enough to come up with a hack to defeat the DRM. Maybe I'm being naive but here's another question: Is it possible to burn downloaded SACD files (or highres PCM for that matter) onto DVD-Rs? Thanks.

Folks, sorry if this is repetitive but I'm a middle-aged non-computerphile audiophile. There's 83 pages of dense computer stuff here and I'd like to just cut to the chase. I refuse to be bamboozled again with downloads--I still remember when the labels inserted a virus back circa 2000 to keep us from ripping CDs. Now they want us to pay them to RENT SACD files (no, you do not actually own them) and/or pay them FOREVER to stream. I will buy SACD discs, but only if I can rip them for convenience. Query: How can I simply rip the SACDs I buy for my own personal use? (C'mon, who's gonna illicitly trade files in the GBs anyway?!) Is going through all that hassle with used PS3's the only way to get there?! It all seems way too involved for me. After all, you can't rip Blu-rays, even just to backup what you own...except that you can (wink, wink), and quite easily. Please help an old fart like me figure this out: I just want to buy SACDs and rip them in native format (no PCM conversion), as I refuse to "buy" downloads. And the music companies wonder why people ignore their formats....

Thanks Mark for the Naim report. If my questions seem scattershot, such is the landscape for us newbies trying to craft new systems from scratch nowadays. I first need to figure out architecture and then settle on specific components. The old-fashioned source>preamp>amp>HT passthrough to pre/pro isn't the only game in town any longer for combo music/HT solutions, and the mags aren't entirely helpful from my perspective. Hence, step #1: My sense is that computer-based music is now ready for audiophile-approved prime time. Thus my base assumption is that an ethernet-attached hard drive would serve as source for the system--both for the main system in the basement and throughout the house.I'm concentrating only on the main system for now. I am music-first and budget constrained, so I'm asking what is the most cost-effective way to plan the main music+HT system. For example: Is the preamp function of,say, a W4S dac/pre really good enough to let the highly lauded $900 Odyssey stereo amp shine through...as opposed to, say, a Naim Nait integrated into a MF asynch V-Dac? The underlying question being whether an affordable dac/pre+amp architecture is as good as a good integrated+dac. Reviews seem to ignore the preamp functionality in dac reviews. Bel Canto and NAD have rolled out integrated amp+dac in one box solutions--are they worthy audiophile-caliber music solutions stacked up against the above architectures? OTOH, I read in TAS where the 2-ch preamp capabilities of a Marantz pre/pro and the Parasound P-7 analog multich pre were highly lauded. I was asking if there are any reports from the field using these alternative architectures. I'm hoping to get some guidance on smart architecture planning, then focus on best bang-for-buck components. Thanks.

I'm building new house and will install new music+HT system from scratch. Since I’m music-first, I’m having trouble with system architecture. Source will be NAS/computer via Ethernet for music; surround for HT. I think my speakers will likely be Triton 2's, so subs are built-in and don't need monster amps. Here's key question: What's the best digital music/surround, audiophile-grade system architecture for the least bucks? The choices are listed below, with only one specific example for each. Please comment on best architecture and specific ideas for best gear for the money. I'm looking at: 1) Integrated w/HT passthrough (Naim) +dac (DacMagic Plus)+ HT receiver (NAD, for center and surround channels) vs. 2) Combo DAC/Pre w/HT passthrough (DacMag Plus?; Wyred4Sound?)+ Odyssey stereo amp + HT receiver vs. 3) HT Prepro w/Ethernet input (Marantz?) + multich amp (NAD)vs. 4) NAD combo digital pre/dac/amp box w/HDMI output + HT receiver vs. 5) Parasound P-7 analog multich pre + Oppo 95 player + multich amp (NAD)

Ok, I went to the link at Apple Knowledge Base you listed above. Then I followed the directions. The result I keep getting is simply the computer copying the severely shrunken collection to a new folder on my PC (i.e., 4GB instead of 60GB! When I get to step #6, I click New Folder and make a new folder called "New iPod". Everything tracks the directions until step 10. I get a dialog box not mentioned in the directons: "Would you like to move and rename the files in your new iTunes Media folder to match the 'Keep iTunes Media folder organized' preference?" I tried clicking Yes, then click "OK" to consolidate the files. (I also later tried clicking No, then consolidating the files, with the same result.) In step 11, I'm not clear on which folder I'm supposed to delete to the recycle bin. Again, my 60GB worth of files shows up when I highlight Libraries>Music>iTunes>iTunes Media>Music folder. That's where (I think) my music is. I'm still confused. Any help would be appreciated.

I've been on the road the last few days; thanks for the help. OK, I see the 80GB of data in the "Music" folder on my HD, under "iTunes Media". I held down the Shift key when opening iTunes and the dialog box popped up as predicted. It says I need to choose a library. I navigate to the "iTunes Media" folder, click open, and then it takes me one level deeper to the "Music" folder. I think click open...and it keeps taking me deeper into the folder structure but iTunes doesn't actually do anything. I get to a list of folders showing all my albums individually as folders. I'm a newbie here so I'm clearly missing some sort of command to tell iTunes to actually grab the library. Thanks.

Appreciate the reply. But help me out here, folks. The above link says I'd need to pay $28 to restore my PC iTunes from my iPod's HD even though I just shelled out $$$ on a backup drive in the first place. To be clear, my backup drive did in fact copy everything--I even restored my Favorites in Internet Explorer, so everything was copied. It's just iTunes that suddenly doesn't find my (music) files. Is it really the case that I won't be able to restore my music from my backup drive without paying for some sort of 3rd party program? Is there a freeware utility that does the job? Or is there some sort of simple iTunes command I'm missing that can retrieve my music? Yes, I'm a computerphobic newbie....

I dutifully backed up my Dell PC hard drive with a ClickFree automatic backup portable drive. I then had to wipe my Dell's drive and start over. After reloading my programs, specifically the latest iTunes 10.5, I connected my ClickFree to restore all my data. Here's the problem: iTunes now says I only have a few gigs of songs when the truth is that I had nearly 80 gigs of songs. Not only is music missing but all my playlists, etc. are missing. (Everything else on the ClickFree transferred fine.) My iPod Classic, thankfully, has all my music intact. My question: How can I transfer my iPod collection back to my computer HD when I sync, rather than have my computer overwrite the iPod's HD with the shrunken collection now on the PC HD? I trust you understand how infuriating it would be if I have to re-rip all that music..... Thanks for the help!