RipNas completes the picture

With interest in digital streaming gathering pace in this pivotal year for the audio industry, some excellent IT products aimed specifically at music lovers are coming on line. RipNAS is such a product which works seamlessly with LINN's superb digital streaming products to give the convenience of the digital domain with the quality associated with real hi fi.

Back in the 1970's Ivor Tiefenbrun of LINN taught us that the source of the audio signal was the most important element of the audio chain - what was lost from the record groove at the outset could not be reclaimed further down the equipment chain. In the digital age everything has changed and nothing has changed in that it's still important to achieve an accurate RIP of your original CD and RipNAS does just that as well as being easy to use.

This NAS (Network Attached Storage) device operates almost silently and is stylish enough to sit alongside your Hi Fi equipment rather than an IT rack under the stairs or in the garage. It's also pre-configured with software for quality ripping and streaming - it really is ready to go straight out of the box.

Storage space begins at 1TB giving a capacity of around 2800 CD's in audiophile FLAC format. Larger drives are available or you can add to your original box as your music collection grows.

To see, hear and learn more about RipNAS or digital streaming contact nathan@numberoneaudio, call into our showroom in Leamingtom Spa or call 01926 429136.

The Revolution WILL be televised.

In the audiophile's halcyon days of the early eighties there was no serious rival to vinyl. It was (and still is) a total work of art. For your hard earned, not only did you get your favourite music via a beautifully tactile and sonically superior medium, there was the artwork, lyrics and sleeve notes to peruse as you chilled.

CD was a little slow to take off, but as the sound got better and people prefered the convenience of the new format, sales boomed at the expense of vinyl. Soon we were flicking through racks of small jewel cases rather than 12" LP's. And now the days of CD dominance are numbered. Have you been into HMV recently? Sure you can find most of what you want in London's Oxford Street, but in my local branches in Coventry and Leamington Spa you don't get much more than the Pop forty and Classic FM's smooth hits. Most of Solihull is given over to DVD with just a small section for CD's stacked end on, so you can't see the artwork anyway without pulling it out of the pile.

Apple led the digital revolution in music, but they prized quantity over quality. However you can't argue with their commercial success and they do appreciate the "visual" element of listening to music with a great artwork and cover flow system.

At Number One Audio we've noticed a growing interest in quality digital music sales and enquiries in recent months. In the hearts and minds of some there will always be place for CD players as there is with vinyl - in fact vinyl is enjoying a resurgence. But digital reproduction from hard disks and/or streaming will be the dominant medium of the future.

But a new piece in the digital jigsaw is bound to accelerate the take up of digital players in the coming months. Last week Linn released Cara, a new software update for their superb range of Digital Streaming players. Combine this with Kinsky Desktop and you have an interface to your music collection which is a real pleasure to use. You can flick through your album collection quickly as you recognise the artwork with good resolution and size. Combine this with "Songbook" on and iTouch or iPhone and get a similar experience in the palm of your hand.

What goes around comes around. To experience the new generation of high quality audio and find out how it can make you life better contact nathan@numberoneaudio.co.uk or call 01926 429136.