14 DAY TRIAL // Remember the times when audio CDs were the strongest currency ever? I used to be a great collector of audio optical discs, but they proved to be less user-friendly in performance than the good-old MP3 format. Swapping discs is not exactly my piece of cake, and if you think alike, then the next device will bring the CD lover in you back to surface.
The newest device to play nice with your audio collection is called the Ripserver, an Apple-inspired network-attached storage device that hides under its nifty shell a basic 1GHz PC running a Linux-based operating system. The device can be fed with audio CDs through its slot-loading DVD drives.
Immediately after the disk has been correctly inserted into the slot-loading unit, the device starts performing a kind of magic by itself. You may go mind your own business while the built-in operating system connects to the web looking for track listings and cover art.
When the Ripserver manages to find track and album info, the unit would initiate the ripping process. Currently, the device can rip the audio into either MP3 or FLAC formats. The latter format is targeted to the audio enthusiasts that would rather get some additional storage space than wasting the quality of their tracks. The ripped files are then stored on the built-in RAID 1 array, that will protect your music collection against corruption or HDD crackdown at all costs.
The resulting files can be streamlined via the bundled DLNA-approved UPnP media server, so you would be able to enjoy your digital collection on your Xbox 360, Soundbridge and PlayStation devices. Basically, any device that can read the MP3/FLAC formats and can connect to a conventional network can interact with the Ripserver.
The ripping server is available in two flavors, that only vary in terms of available data storage. The 500 GB version can be purchased for $1185.53, while the 1 TB version can be yours for as much as $1383.45.