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Golden Ear Digital Music Library Services

Sonic Boom

By Sonic Boom
in Music Servers

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Sonic Boom

Sonic Boom

Posted
Posted

I've been buying CDs since 1985 (that's right, that makes me an old guy). I have about 700 CDs and despite my best efforts to organize my collection, it just wasn't working anymore. I couldn't even remember what music I had in my library! As a newbie to computer audio, I didn't know where to start to get my CDs on to a hard drive and find an interface that would make my collection manageable. Enter Ari from Golden Ear Digital! www.goldeneardigital.com

 

Ari at Golden Ear Digital helped me build a kick ass system and ripped my entire CD collection in a fraction of the time that it would have taken to do it myself (I wouldn't have even attempted it). He set me up with a customized library in JRiver Media Center with amazing browsing flexibility.

 

He demoed 3 different DACs in my price range and I decided on the Sonore ex/D. I've never heard my system sound so good!

 

Ari also taught me how to further customize my JRiver library myself. He helped me build separate views for my wife and me, and has set up the JRemote app to mirror all the extremely flexible browsing views we've built together in JRMC.

 

Amazing service start to finish, highly recommended!"

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mkimsey

mkimsey

Posted
Posted

To further Sonic Boom's comments and experience with Golden Ear; I have well over 3,000 CD's including many SACD's and box sets. Most of my red-book CD's I have ripped on my own over time but I did not have the facilities to rip SACD's and my attempts at keeping box sets together were abysmal. In comes Golden Ear.... Ari took my hard drive, ripped dozens of SACD's and many multi-artist box sets for me as well as cleaning up all the odds and ends from my own ripping adventures. What I got back was the cleanest library of music I could ever have hoped for, custom ready for the new world of DSD to boot. I will be returning to him often as we work to complete the conversion of my collection over the next few months.

 

Golden Ear is highly recommended for anyone looking for this service.

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ted_b

ted_b

Posted
Posted

I'm glad to hear of good feedback for Ari's service. One note of caution; he says this in his SACD ripping service description:

"We've invested in specialized computers with SACD drives and software to extract every bit of glorious detail from your favorite SACD's."

 

There are no specialized computers that will do that, unless of course he means the first gen PS3's that I've been writing about for the last few years. Net/net, make sure your SACDs are true DSF, DFF or whole ISO's, not the redbook layer rip that was then upsampled to DSD. Please! Thanks.

 

Note: I am very pleased he uses JRiver and builds custom views for you guys. If you need more info on how to add to those yourself, or a few other JRiver tips (like mass tagging, etc) feel free to watch the tutorial JRiver screencasts I did. I highlight them in the thread here:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/j-river-tips-and-techniques-user-experiences-repository-13684/index3.html#post272960

"We're all bozos on this bus"....F.T.

 

My JRIver tutorial videos

Actual JRIver tutorial MP4 video links

My eleven yr old SACD Ripping Guide for PS3 (needs updating but still works)

 

US Technical Advisor, NativeDSD.com

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Izzy

Izzy

Posted
Posted

I would like to say something about my experience with Golden Ear Digital and it is all good. Ari is a pleasure to work with. I had him rip 1600 CDs/SACDs for use on my MacBook system. Ari recommended that I use JRiver player and that was great advice. I had a little problem when I copied the archive drive over to another drive for daily use. I am not a computer whiz by any means so Ari logged into my system and helped me fix the problem. Ari went to every length to provide the best meta data for my collection and am delighted.

Now I can actually access my cd library and I am discovering titles I didn't even remember having.

Great service and highly recommended.

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christopher3393

christopher3393

Posted
Posted
I'm glad to hear of good feedback for Ari's service. One note of caution; he says this in his SACD ripping service description:

"We've invested in specialized computers with SACD drives and software to extract every bit of glorious detail from your favorite SACD's."

 

There are no specialized computers that will do that, unless of course he means the first gen PS3's that I've been writing about for the last few years. Net/net, make sure your SACDs are true DSF, DFF or whole ISO's, not the redbook layer rip that was then upsampled to DSD. Please! Thanks.

 

Note: I am very pleased he uses JRiver and builds custom views for you guys. If you need more info on how to add to those yourself, or a few other JRiver tips (like mass tagging, etc) feel free to watch the tutorial JRiver screencasts I did. I highlight them in the thread here:

http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/j-river-tips-and-techniques-user-experiences-repository-13684/index3.html#post272960

 

Hi Ted,

 

from Golden Ear Digital's site: "SACD Digitizing Service: "Are you an SACD fan? Want to be able to play back your SACD's from your computer through your DSD capable outboard DAC for the ultimate in high fidelity sound? We know you do. That's why we offer a special SACD ripping service for our DSD enthusiast friends. Using proven techniques pioneered by Ted_B and Mr.Wicked of The Computer Audiophile Forum, we extract every bit of glorious detail from your favorite SACD's."

 

Products Services Pricing - Golden Ear Digital

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GoldenEarDigital

GoldenEarDigital

Posted
Posted

Haha, yes I am chagrined that I did not give proper credit where it was due when I put the website together originally. It has been updated.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Ted_B for president. Big thanks to you for everything you've done for this wonderful community, Ted!

 

Thanks for the kind words, Sonic Boom, mkimsy, and Izzy. I'm glad you are enjoying your music libraries in their new format.

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ted_b

ted_b

Posted
Posted

Oh stop..I was not looking for any credit, Ari (it's not my software, I just write about it)..just wanted to make sure the SACD ripping was being done right...that's all. Thx...sounds like you have a loyal following, which is all good. Congrats

"We're all bozos on this bus"....F.T.

 

My JRIver tutorial videos

Actual JRIver tutorial MP4 video links

My eleven yr old SACD Ripping Guide for PS3 (needs updating but still works)

 

US Technical Advisor, NativeDSD.com

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vortecjr

vortecjr

Posted
Posted

Team, if I may say a few words about Ari. Ari has taken the time to learn computer audio and he is in a unique position to support his customers with the technology. I have worked with him on a few SOtM and Sonore/exD projects and its been a real pleasure. I encourage any of you in the area to drop in and chat with him about your future audio project...

 

Jesus R

SONORE computer audio

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Harpy

Harpy

Posted
Posted
from Golden Ear Digital's site: "SACD Digitizing Service: "Are you an SACD fan? Want to be able to play back your SACD's from your computer through your DSD capable outboard DAC for the ultimate in high fidelity sound? We know you do. That's why we offer a special SACD ripping service for our DSD enthusiast friends. Using proven techniques pioneered by Ted_B and Mr.Wicked of The Computer Audiophile Forum, we extract every bit of glorious detail from your favorite SACD's."

 

Would this method be better than a Ps3 DSD rip? I have a Ps3, but it would need it's firmware downgraded. Plus it's a pain. I take it we would send the disks for conversion? I know it says call for details, but is there a minimum the SACD conversions? Looks like a neat service.

Dahlquist DQ-10 Speakers DQ-LP1 crossover 2 DW-1 Subs

Dynaco Mk III Mains - Rotel 991 Subs

Wyred W4S Pre Gustard X10 DAC

SOtM dx-USB-HD reclocked SOtMmBPS-d2s

Intel Thin-mini ITX

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Anserjack

Anserjack

Posted
Posted

FYI - that is about 260 linear feet of heavy plastic. In the mid-2000s Stereophile reviewers began to claim, consistently, that a CD copied to a hard drive and played back with a decent DAC sounded better than the original disc. Remember that these are the folks who said that CDs sound better if you paint the edges of the CDs with a green marker, or elevate your interconnects on little wooden trestles. But sometimes they are right.

Loading CDs into my computer at the rate of 5 per hour, a rate that I cannot sustain for more than an hour or two, my collection would have taken 1256 hours, or about 6 years of 40-hour work weeks. That does not include the “grooming” (the most critical and time-consuming step). Fortunately I met Ari Margolis http://www.goldeneardigital.com 4 years ago. He has a robot that automatically copies CDs at a reasonable price that includes grooming. Fortunately for my sanity, Ari is an excellent musician with a deep knowledge of classical and jazz, and an audiophile (hence “Golden Ear Digital”) – also with a touch of OCD, a necessary job skill for his business. Even cooler, he can copy your SACDs into DSD files (your DAC has to be able to handle DSD, or they just hiss or get downgraded to PCM). Instead of buying duplicate high resolution downloads (and hi rez does sound better – not even a whisper of a doubt), for a fraction of the cost you can play your SACDs through your DAC.

Ari is a master at JRiver, which is an amazing program that just keeps getting better. He is always available to help and several times took over my computer remotely to help with setup. More important, he patiently taught me to do much of the personalizing of the JRiver system myself. His skill at setting up the interface and taming the unreliable CD meta-tagging is based not just on programming skills, but on his knowledge as a musician. He came to my home to listen to music over beer and cheese, and help me compare DACs. We settled on the relatively inexpensive Sonore ex/D, which I would never have found without his help – it sounds better than DACs costing 2-3 times more. I would never make a significant decision about my system without his input…even though I was awarded my own “golden ears” in 1959 when I built my first tube stereo electronics and speakers from schematics and parts trips to Akihabara.

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Anserjack

Anserjack

Posted
Posted
The Sonore eXD DAC is a wonderful DAC. I did a mini-review on it a couple years ago, and it still is one of the magical DACs under $2k.

 

Thanks Ted -- I read your review. And I did misspell the DAC -- it is Sonore/exD. Not sure why they made the name so difficult, but it does sound sweet and detailed. Even plain old redbook CDs sound good.

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  • 2 weeks later...
uvrmd

uvrmd

Posted
Posted

I've been into music servers since 2008, starting with a Logitech Transporter, initially using Wi-Fi, but later connected directly to my iMac with the Halide Design S/PDIF bridge and using Amarra for playback. In 2011, I replaced the Transporter with a Meitner MA-1 and continued to use Amarra, but later switched to Audirvana. All my CDs had already been ripped to an external HD, feeding the Mac Mini, which was now serving as my music server. However, I had a large library of SACDs and DVD-As that I was not able to listen to. I contacted Ari after finding Golden Ear Digital randomly on the web. Not only did he state that he could rip these discs for me, he encouraged me to switch to JRMC. I'd already downloaded the beta version for Mac, but found it too difficult to set up, so Ari offered to convert my whole library over to JRMC, with custom playlists, in addition to ripping the SACDs and DVD-As. I couldn't be happier with the end result! JRMC is so much more flexible and stable than either Amarra and Audirvana and using the JRemote App with my iPad Mini has freed me from having to use my MacBook Air and screen sharing in order to control the Mac Mini. Thanks so much Ari for a job well done!

 

-Uday Reddy, SoundStage.com

Uday Reddy

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  • 10 months later...
vjayh

vjayh

Posted
Posted

I would highly recommend Ari if you, like I did, have a big complex library and don't have the time to get thru it. Great job of getting the details of a classical music dominated library into the library and onto a NAS which hopefully now I'll never have to do it again! Thanks Ari.

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  • 9 months later...
ajoe

ajoe

Posted
Posted

I just tried Ari's service for the first time and he exceeded my expectations in every way. A five day turnaround time from the East Coast using USPS, and the files are flawless with perfect organization and metatagging.

 

I have now had a chance to compare most of the ripped DSD files to the original disks. Comparing playback of the originals on a Sony scd-777es thru the Oppo HA-1 to the DSD files played through Audivana Plus 2.2 into the Oppo HA-1, I could detect absolutely no audible difference.

 

I give Golden Ear Digital the highest possible recommendation!

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ajoe

ajoe

Posted
Posted
I'd this like a sudo-ad thread?

 

Users, manufacturers and supporters chiming in at just the right time.... Nice team work!!

 

So...because I posted a positive reveiw of a company that gave me great service at a good price, I am a member of some grand conspiracy?

 

Nice.

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Guest

Guest

Posted
Posted
So...because I posted a positive reveiw of a company that gave me great service at a good price, I am a member of some grand conspiracy?

 

Nice.

 

Ummmmmmm

 

Hmmmmmmm

 

I'm just jealous....

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