AVA Media rip n play

[pete.g]

Hi guys

I am interested in purchasing an AVA Media rip n play to store my cd collection and serve my NaimUniti. I presume they are compatible - maybe someone can correct me on this. I have gone down the NAS route before with the Synology DS 211J but after I eventually got it working and transferred my music files ( not really tech savvy ) the motherboard failed. I always intended getting a Unitiserve but at over 2K it is just too rich for me. Has anyone tried the "rip n play" ? It looks like a well built piece of kit and may last a decent time but haven't seen any reviews yet.

Cheers

 

[John Duncan]

I've seen one in the flesh and it's certainly beautifully built (bit like current Audiolab kit), and fills a gap for those who think the Unitiserve's a great idea but stupidly priced (eg me).

Of course, some will argue that this is stupidly priced as well and that you can do the same thing with your existing PC (or Mac Mini, say), which is pretty much true, but if you want to separate concerns and want it in a nice box, there isn't much around like it.

I'll try and blag one and let you know :-D

 

[Frank Harvey]

I'm going for one myself. I loved the build quality of the unit and its flexibility, and althou I have a NAS drive, I hate the hassle of ripping to my laptop and then transferring to the drive. This is going to be extremely simple, and may mean that I can do away with my laptop altogether. I'll hopefully be getting it soon, and we'll also be using one in store instead of a WD NAS we currently use.

 

[pete.g]

thanks for the response guys

I've gone ahead and ordered it so should have it up and running by the weekend. Hopefully it performs as i hope and i can eliminate my laptop from the equation when streaming. I understand that there are cheaper solutions out there for streaming but as i was possibly thinking of adding a UnitiServe at some stage, this could be a bargain. I'll post my first impressions when i get it set up.

thanks again.

 

[pete.g]

Well my Rip n Play arrived yesterday and I can quite honestly say I'm amazed. It just does exactly what it's supposed to do ( which in my experience is not allways the case) It was connecteted to the server and powered up in 2 minutes and took 4 minutes to rip my first cd inc artwork. So within 10 minutes max I was streaming to my Uniti working seamlessly with the N-stream app on the iPad/phone. I understand it's an expensive piece of kit and those more tech savvy can find a cheaper route but I'm more than willing to recommend it. Cue many days of ripping!

 

[CnoEvil]

Well my Rip n Play arrived yesterday and I can quite honestly say I'm amazed. It just does exactly what it's supposed to do ( which in my experience is not allways the case) It was connecteted to the server and powered up in 2 minutes and took 4 minutes to rip my first cd inc artwork. So within 10 minutes max I was streaming to my Uniti working seamlessly with the N-stream app on the iPad/phone. I understand it's an expensive piece of kit and those more tech savvy can find a cheaper route but I'm more than willing to recommend it. Cue many days of ripping!

This is the very reason I like my RipNas....great job!

Cno

 

[John Duncan]

@pete.g - is it possible to copy already-ripped stuff onto it? I don't fancy ripping the ~100GB of music I already have again...

 

[Andrew Everard]

@pete.g - is it possible to copy already-ripped stuff onto it? I don't fancy ripping the ~100GB of music I already have again...

"The folders made available on the RIP-N-PLAY root are all READ-ONLY, apart from any folder found under the FILES folder.

While you can transfer from any folder found on the RIP-N-PLAY, you can only transfer to folders found within the FILES folder.

Below is an example of transfering an mp3 file to the RIP-N-PLAY using a Windows 7 PC:

- Click on the Windows Start Button and in the search field type ripnplay and then Enter

- A new Explorer window will open, showing the contents of the RIP-N-PLAY.

- Navigate to the Files Folder as all other folders in the root of the RIP-N-Play are Read-only

- Navigate to the folder where you would like to transfer the files to. In our case filesmusicmp3

- Open the local location where you would like to transfer the files from

- Using drag and drop or copy and paste, copy the files from the local location to the RIP-N-PLAY selected folder"

 

[John Duncan]

OK, but does it then scan and assimilate those tracks into what I presume is an internal metadata DB? Have you got one Andrew?

 

[Andrew Everard]

OK, but does it then scan and assimilate those tracks into what I presume is an internal metadata DB? Have you got one Andrew?

No, not yet – the nice PR person

has offered one for Gramophone, but have been too busy to arrange to have it delivered/pick it up yet. Must get round to it next week...

 

[Frank Harvey]

I've been filling our demo one up for the last few days - as already mentioned, very simple and super fast to set up and start using. Now where did I put that credit card....

 

[pete.g]

Just to update. Apart from streaming to the Uniti I can now access the Rip n Play library from anywhere on my iPad/phone using the subsonic app. Also extremely easy to set up. I'm playing music on another system through Airport Express via AirPlay. I love it when these things just work

 

[Jacko]

I am intrigued by this - anyone else seen/heard/bought it ? Very interested in any additional feedback.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Only a matter of time before one makes it into my system - I have a few other priorities at the moment through.

 

[Jacko]

OK, but does it then scan and assimilate those tracks into what I presume is an internal metadata DB? Have you got one Andrew?

No, not yet – the nice PR person

has offered one for Gramophone, but have been too busy to arrange to have it delivered/pick it up yet. Must get round to it next week...

Andrew - did you ever get to play with one of these ? Anyone else ?

 

[Jacko]

Any more input on this ? thanks

 

[Dan.m]

Can you store photo's and documents (e.g. word, publisher, powerpoint) on this device? Is it possible to connect an external hardrive in order to back up files?

 

[Andrew Everard]

Andrew - did you ever get to play with one of these ? Anyone else ?

Just got my hands on a Zara Premium, which is the next model up from the RnP, and so far it seems a breeze to set up. Running it via Remote Desktop Connection from a MacBook Pro, easy to copy stuff up to it, Naim streamers see it just fine and play from it no probs.

 

[Frank Harvey]

Is it possible to connect an external hardrive in order to back up files?

Yes, there is a USB output.

 

[Jacko]

Thanks for the additional input - am hoping to see/hear/play with one of these at a certain company's Open Day this Saturday in the Coventry area..

 

[Excitable Boy]

Happy Days ! Having considered the streaming route for some time, I finally took the plunge and bought an AVA Rip-n-Play a couple of weeks ago.

What a great piece of kit. Literally 15 minutes after unboxing it, I was listening to the wonderful FNDMTL through my system from the AVA via my Squeezebox. The sound is excellent – full and clear with an improved soundstage. It’s a significant step up from the SQ of my Audiolab 8200CD which is saying quite a lot in my book.

As well as the brilliant sound, the whole thing is so easy to use. You simply insert the cd into the AVA and it rips automatically. I’ve ripped over 1,000 so far and it’s only not been able to rip 3 that are not on its database and 2 because of the quality of the cd. It also copies the artwork, and found the correct cover for all but 4 cds thus far. I control what’s playing via my IPad.

All in all, a tremendous step up for my system in terms of sound, and convenience. Highly recommended.