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Want to rip my CD collection to a NAS and play through Sonos Connect. Need advice

Hi all,

I have around 1500 CDs that I want to rip to a server, so I can stream to my Sonos Connect, which is connected to my Music-Hall CD / DAC then to my Music-Hall integrated amp. The Sonos Connect has RCA jacks and ethernet interfaces,and coax out to the CD / DAC.

I work from home when I’m not travelling, and use my work laptop as my personal PC, so I don’t currently have a standalone PC. My work laptop has a small HDD so I can’t rip my CDs to it. So I would like some advice on how to proceed. Do I get a purpose-made NAS? Does the NAS have CD drive? Or do I get a PC with a CD drive and set it up as a NAS?

I would really like to have my server be small, so I can place it on the bookshelf where my other components are, and connect it directly via ethernet to the CD / DAC if that would be possible, but then it seems that to be so small would preclude a built-in CD drive.

Or maybe a PC set up as a NAS in my office (separate room) and connected wirelessly or via cat5 under the floor to the Sonos?


******  edit:  I just took a look at my wife's PC and she has four USB ports so maybe I use my USB CD drive and then get a 2TB USB external HDD and rip wav files rightto the drive?    Then make that drive accessible from Sonos over the home wifi (or via cat5)?



Sorry for these elementary questions, but I think this forum isa good place to get this advice.

Thanks in advance,

Eric Zwicky
Richmond VA


ezwicky

Showing 1 response by audioengr

audioengr
3,282 posts
 

You can get a PC laptop for around $600 with 1Tbyte drive in it from Costco.

You can rip of your files to FLAC or wav to this disk, using dbpoweramp.

You can run the Connect to a Synchro-Mesh reclocker to reduce the jitter to 7psec. Here are the before and after jitter plots:

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=154310.0

The Synchro-Mesh connects to your DAC with a second cable.

I highly recommend using good BNC cables like Empirical Audio Standard BNC for $275.

You will have a world-class digital source for around $1900 for Sonos Connect, Synchro-Mesh, BNC cable and Laptop.

This will outperform ANY transport or server you can buy. It will also give you another personal computer to use for other things.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

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