Please, I need your help to rip my CD's

Hi David - I run this sort of setup. I manage my music using iTunes and my iTunes library sits on a headless Mac mini so i can sync iPods / Phones etc. To operate it you can just screen share from another mac in the household but after initial set up there isn't that much to do.

To serve to the Qute, you'll need a UPnP server that will work with your iTunes library. After a lot of playing about with different ones, i settled on Majestic - this (and another one called Playback) works perfectly reading your iTunes library and serving up the music and artwork to the streamer (and nStream).

All my files are ripped in AIFF using XLD. I just prefer this ripper to the iTunes one. When i want to rip a disc i log into the Mini from one of my other Macs to screen share, close the UPnP server, start iTunes and XLD, rip my disc(s) and then close iTunes and XLD and re-start the UPnP server.

James

Hi David

I am following the same path as James.

Best regards, FT

I just add that on the Apple store you can buy an application called Bitperfect that, for something like €4, will make your iTunes/Playback server output bit perfect to your system.

Max

[Hello Max - that is the case if you are using S/PDIF as I do - if you use UPnP it makes no difference, because you don't use iTunes for playback - the UQ does it]. 

Hi David

The way I use a Mac Mini is to install XLD to do your ripping and set it so that it puts the rips into iTunes. I rip to ALAC to save space. Rather than a NAS connect an external disc to the Mac Mini to hold all you music. I have a 2TB Seagate disc with over 4,000 albums on it (back it up please). My  Mac Mini has on-board SSD rather than a Hard Disk and runs quickly and soothly. 

I connect my Mac Mini to a UQ (or mostly a Naim DAC) with a Supernova 6 optical cable. I use iTunes with BitPerfect, as Max recommends to play through the UQ. I use the free Remote app on my iPad to control everything (and VNC to save me ever needing to plug a keyboard and screen in). 

This way I don't need a NAS or UPnP to play the music, but there is absolutely no reason why you could not use those things as James suggests. 

I do that as well, but I use a Vortexbox - you just connect the UQ and Vortexbox to the same switch - stick a CD in the VB and it rips it. Then you use nStream to play the music through your UQ - no Mac (and definitely no PC) required. 

Rips are rips - the Vortexbox uses CD Paranoia and if you look under the bonet then XLD uses the Mac version of CD Paranoia. 

Don't worry too much about ripping if you rip to FLAC or ALAC or AIFF then you can always go from one to the other should you ever need to. iTunes also rips well enough if you have error correction ticked, it just doesn't boast about it like XLD (though XLD does lots of extra checks so I'd recommend it wholeheartedly). 

All the best, Guy 

I don't want to hijack the thread, but seeing as this will attract the Mac Mini / itunes / bitperfect guru's....

I run a c.2007 MacMini with bitperfect into a Rega DAC using a 1.0m Chord Optichord and have had some fantastic results....

However with regards to the Apple remote on my ipad, sometimes it isn't that responsive and can be slow to find my music server and slow to search for tracks/change track and sometimes even play and stop.

My router, ipad and mac mini are all in the same room at this point. Is there anything software / settings wise that could be causing these slow response spells (sometimes it works perfectly!)

"My thinking.

A stand alone Mac Mini (with possibly a Synology NAS attached) that I could access through a wired or wireless network.

Problem:

How do I actually do it. Do I use iTunes or something else.The Mac Mini could be hidden from sight, so how do I operate it without keyboard, monitor or mouse attached."

You will need a keyboard and mouse and use your telly as a screen to initially set up your mini. Set up screen sharing on the mini,then your done and start using it headlessly. Screen share through your macbook pro,use apple remote on iPad or iPhone to control what you want to play.

Of course you'll need to connect the mac mini to your amp,best done through a dac.

I use iTunes for ripping alac on my macbook pro and file transfer to the mini. I find iTunes fine for ripping good condition cd's (although will try XLD as Guido suggests). Once all your rips are on your mini you can transfer subsequent rips from mcp to mini via airdrop in finder. 

This keeps everything simple and if you want to use a stereo in another part of your home buy an airport express and that will show up on your remote,you can use as many of these as you like!

I am not to computer savvy,but with invaluable help on this forum found it simple to set up and use.

Mac minis with 500 gb storage is perfectly adequate for my needs at the moment. I have 750 cds ripped which takes up less than 250gbs.

When I can afford UniQ or other Naim streamers or dacs I might do so. I started with mcp to Beresford dac (cheap,but a good start) since then bought a mac mini and M2tech Young which I find every bit as good as my,now sold CD5X/flatcap2X!

Hope this helps a bit or maybe Ive just made things worse?

Ah, so. I thought that Playback worked along with iTunes. Thanks for the information.

M.