Ripping CDs worth it?

Personally, I’ve often noticed how high-res streaming can’t reach good CD transports with an integrated DAC.

CD transports are just simpler, it’s easier to accurately clock things in that environment.
Even at a kernel level there is enough going on that if the hardware requires bit banging you’ll get some Jitter.
It’s why the concept of re-clocking in a DAC exists at all

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Yeah I have noticed that as well. I have gotten close with my digital collection but that took a fair amount of time to optimize the PC for audio playback

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I’m kind of interested in what Schiit is doing with Unison, there is a lot you could do to make that almost jitter free.
The first thing would be to not use the USB audio layer (I’m not sure if the windows driver layer would allow this), and have a say 100ms buffer on the PIC chip, but I guess people would moan about the increased latency.

I feel like if you are only listening to music and care about quality it wouldn’t matter to me at least lol

Interesting… I would have thought you would use a dedicated Network/local player

Nope it’s a heavily customized windows PC. I do have my music on servers though

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Pretty stupid how a turntables still is able to match this kind experience. You really have to go crazy with the digital stuff to make it perfect and this completely antiquated and flawed pice of plastic can actually be as good. I just don’t get it.

I mean I’m just saying I haven’t heard a turntable setup that has been able to match my setup imo lol. Even my buddys pretty crazy vpi setup

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You really need to find something similar to this:
TW Akustik Raven AC + Sorane SA 1.2 + Kiseki Blue NS MC + NAT Tube Preamp
It just absolutely broke my mind. I was 100% convinced vinyl couldn’t match digital before using this. Yes … I guess the genre of music and recording is important…

BUT, have you heard an equally high tier of dac? I have heard some insane vinyl setups, with my friends being VPI Avenger Reference with Fatboy tonearm + Soundsmith Sussurro II + VPI Voyager for his main turntable and it was sweet, but idk (although I will say his setup is awesome for ripping vinyl to digital)

The thing with the Insane vinyl setup is that I absolutely forget time and space and get lost inside the music. Isn’t really happening with the digital stuff.
Folk Song For Rosie
Paul Motian Trio - Le Voyage - ECM Japan 1979
This record made me lose my mind. I guess it has to do with the production date and my love for Jazz.
I think there is no need to argue with modern day music.

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Awesome albums, I bet it was a real nice experience :+1:

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I cried but don’t tell anyone

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There are masters of music I listen to that are just better on Vinyl, so I’d almost always prefer a good/excellent vinyl setup for those over an equivalently expensive digital setup
For me it was always two things that prevented digital competing with good Vinyl, the overall refinement of the sound (this was mostly the harshness), and the way dynamic range was portrayed on digital, you either seemed to have the issue with early masters with tape hiss and veiled quiet sections, or you had massive amounts of compression in use to compensate.
SACD closed the gap of analog to digital for me, and higher bitrate PCM with good masters does much the same. But I have to emphasize good masters, most of the stuff remastered for CD has never really recovered from it, the compression seems to be sustained from subsequent remaster to subsequent remaster.

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Well said!
Good vinyl setups just work and make musik very enjoyable. The best source often is where you can get the best mastering of the music you love.
I actually just ordered a new SACD… because it was cheaper than the vinyl version. But my Digital setup isn’t the best.

Why not both? :beers:

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Financial well being lol

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That’s overrated

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Fair enough lol

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