Going to rip 2000 cds. Which software?

Bob - 
I'm a contemporary age-wise.  The way I got unconfused about setting up a digital library was to just jump in and try it.  I tend to take a pretty basic and pragmatic approach to most things audio - which is to say, I don't obsess about audio quality differences that others talk about if I can't hear 'em (e.g., WAV vs ALAC).  AND I tend to prefer lower cost solutions that provide 90% of a benefit rather than way more costly alternatives that will realize the last 10% or so.  I'm probably not your poster child for "audiophilia" as defined by some.  Consider my comments representing the "low tech" end of an implementation continuum. 

I use a MacBook Air and iTunes to rip CDs in ALAC to a pair of Western Digital 2TB Hard Drives (one is back up to the other).  iTunes gets criticized mainly (I think) due to association with lossy, compressed, and crappy sounding MP-3 files (I CAN hear that difference, by the way!)  But it doesn't have to be that way.  There are preference options to ensure good quality rips.  iTunes is very fast at ripping CDs (even w/quality parameters max'd out in preferences) and I like the way it handles meta data.  It works consistently.  No glitches or mysterious software issues on my MBA.

I use BitPerfect v3.0.1 for playback.  I have a double headed USB cable (one leg for power; one leg for signal) that I connect to a Gungnir DAC via V-Link 192 with a Stereovox SPDIF cable.  The Gungnir feeds into my integrated amp or pre-amp depending on what equipment I'm running.

I'm sure my relatively low cost/low tech approach can be criticized as "non-optimal".  All I can say is, it works reliably and things sound very good.  I guess it's jitter reduction, but to my ear the sound from ripped CDs vs actual playback in a CDP seems smoother and more relaxed (and I don't mean due to changes in frequency response).  Good luck in your research and final decision.  

Give Neal Van Berg @ Sound Science a call.  He sets up his MusicVault servers to be pretty much plug'n'play and can recommend the version that's most appropriate for your needs.  He'll even long on to your machine to help you through any problems you might have.  Best of all, since his server is a PC optimized for ripping, storage, and playback, it can be upgraded as the PC audio paradigm matures. 

Thank for your replies.

The Music Vault and the Naim server are both way out of my budget.  They are, however cool as hell and would be nice to have. 

Ghosthouse:  I ripped a couple of cds using ALAC and it took almost 15 minutes to rip each cd.  If that's normal, it's too long.  The number of hours I would spend just ripping approaches 500!  I'm guessing I've got my settings wrong. 

Hello Jzzmusician,
updating my earlier advice to confirm that ghosthouse’s advice was very good. iTunes is an excellent all in one music library manager. It’s free, simple, and easily controlled by remote. Bitperfect, as an addon to Itunes, is an excellent way to improve sound quality. Amazing bargain too.

When ripping, there are a lot of variables. Damaged or dirty CDs will take much longer because the software attempts to reread the disc. Start with a cold reboot of your machine/cd drive and only run iTunes while ripping.

You don’t say what kind/age machine your using so I am assuming it is less than five years old. Is the drive internal?

Ripping a libary takes a lot of time even on the fastest machines. Your libary will also require some thought on HD storage as it grows.

Keep us posted.

Hello jzzmusician.  Gosh, have to say I'm very surprised to hear 15 minutes to rip a CD.  That has not been my experience using the latest version of iTunes (v12.3.2.35) or even previous versions.  Recent CDs I imported to my iTunes library took at most a minute or two.  Certainly under 5 min.  I am no IT guru so we will quickly reach the limit of what I can tell you.  Checking iTunes' General Preferences Tab and then Import Settings, I see that I have "Apples Lossless Encoder" selected along with "Use Error Correction When Reading Audio CDs".  The import settings are all "automatic" for ALAC (but can be customized for WAV, AIFF, etc.).  Is it possible your CDs are dirty or damaged (pls. don't take offense)...triggering a lot of error correction?  Lots of CD treatment products available if needed; low budge option: eye glass cleaning spray and microfibre cloths.  Because of storing my iTunes library on an external drive, I do have to hold down the option button when clicking on the iTunes icon.  This generates a pop up window asking me to choose the iTunes library...from there I choose the .itl iTunes library file on the external drive as shown in Finder.  

dbtom2 - appreciate your follow up comments.  I often feel like the poor country cousin on A'gon.  Nice to read supporting comments.  Good points too about shutting down any non-essential programs and doing a re-boot prior to importing CDs.  

As a follow up to my own initial comments...those were intended as a simple way for jzzmusician to get started.  Figure out how to do the basics then worry about new hardware and/or software that might well give better sound but will likely mean more $ and greater complication.  Only he/she can decide if the benefit is worth the extra effort.

Ciao.