Most of the comments about the Brennan device in this thread have been lukewarm at best. My assessment, having owned one for a week and spent a fair amount of time putting it through its paces, is rather more positive.
Let's get the bad news out of the way first. There have been complaints on other forums about quality issues, and the first JB7 I received had a faulty optical drive. But the people at Brennan were helpful and efficient, and within 4 days I had a replacement machine that works fine.
The second bit of bad news, though it is not really Brennan's fault, is that the MP3 metadata standard is a mess, and is very ill-suited to the needs of people like me who mainly listen to classical music. I expected (1) that the CDDB database included with the Brennan would be hit-and-miss at best, and (2) that I would have to do a lot of manual editing of album and track titles, and experience has fully borne out these expectations. So, while loading CDs into the Brennan is even easier than ripping CDs on a computer, expect do do a bit of work to be able to use the search functions to the full and to see what you want to see on the display. The Brennan does, however, make things rather more straightforward than, say, managing the database in Windows Media Player; it is just a matter of retrieving a simple text file from the player, editing it in Notepad or whatever, and loading it back in the player. This is the only function for which the Brennan needs a computer.
While I am talking about the downside, I ought also to say that I have reservations about Brennan's main selling point, that the device somehow enables you to stop using your CD collection. Frankly, I don't think so. CDs come with information you may want to refer to. Moreover, the primary use of the device for me is the same as that of the MP3 CDs I use in my car - a sequence of albums I can play, jukebox-style, while I am doing other things and don't wish to be managing the music. There are some CDs I shall definitely not want to put in a sequence of that kind. My instinct at the moment is to be a little careful about what I load, and to keep the metadata problem under control as I go along.
The good news is that the sound quality from the Brennan is, to my ears, entirely acceptable. My main audio system comprises a Roksan Kandy CD player, classic Quad (34/606) amplification, Rogers-built LS3/5A speakers and an REL subwoofer. Despite the age of some of the components, this setup always draws favourable comment from visitors, so it is a fairly stern comparison for the Brennan. Played through the system, the Brennan does not fully match what the Roksan player can do (and I would not expect this), but I can happily listen to it for hours without fatigue.
The Brennan is also a very usable device. The controls and menu system are well laid out, and the manual is clear and helpful. The lack of some of the features of other digital music devices (e.g. media streaming over a network) is a positive advantage from my point of view; I am fully computer literate, but I like to keep computing out of my living room.
All in all, I think that the Brennan is a good option for someone who wants the accessibility of digital music in a living room environment and/or as part of an audio setup, but who does not want the different ergonomics and greater complexity of computer-based music. At something over £400 for a 320GB model, it is also reasonable value, certainly when compared with the cost of other components of my audio system.
I hope that this is helpful.
David
Let's get the bad news out of the way first. There have been complaints on other forums about quality issues, and the first JB7 I received had a faulty optical drive. But the people at Brennan were helpful and efficient, and within 4 days I had a replacement machine that works fine.
The second bit of bad news, though it is not really Brennan's fault, is that the MP3 metadata standard is a mess, and is very ill-suited to the needs of people like me who mainly listen to classical music. I expected (1) that the CDDB database included with the Brennan would be hit-and-miss at best, and (2) that I would have to do a lot of manual editing of album and track titles, and experience has fully borne out these expectations. So, while loading CDs into the Brennan is even easier than ripping CDs on a computer, expect do do a bit of work to be able to use the search functions to the full and to see what you want to see on the display. The Brennan does, however, make things rather more straightforward than, say, managing the database in Windows Media Player; it is just a matter of retrieving a simple text file from the player, editing it in Notepad or whatever, and loading it back in the player. This is the only function for which the Brennan needs a computer.
While I am talking about the downside, I ought also to say that I have reservations about Brennan's main selling point, that the device somehow enables you to stop using your CD collection. Frankly, I don't think so. CDs come with information you may want to refer to. Moreover, the primary use of the device for me is the same as that of the MP3 CDs I use in my car - a sequence of albums I can play, jukebox-style, while I am doing other things and don't wish to be managing the music. There are some CDs I shall definitely not want to put in a sequence of that kind. My instinct at the moment is to be a little careful about what I load, and to keep the metadata problem under control as I go along.
The good news is that the sound quality from the Brennan is, to my ears, entirely acceptable. My main audio system comprises a Roksan Kandy CD player, classic Quad (34/606) amplification, Rogers-built LS3/5A speakers and an REL subwoofer. Despite the age of some of the components, this setup always draws favourable comment from visitors, so it is a fairly stern comparison for the Brennan. Played through the system, the Brennan does not fully match what the Roksan player can do (and I would not expect this), but I can happily listen to it for hours without fatigue.
The Brennan is also a very usable device. The controls and menu system are well laid out, and the manual is clear and helpful. The lack of some of the features of other digital music devices (e.g. media streaming over a network) is a positive advantage from my point of view; I am fully computer literate, but I like to keep computing out of my living room.
All in all, I think that the Brennan is a good option for someone who wants the accessibility of digital music in a living room environment and/or as part of an audio setup, but who does not want the different ergonomics and greater complexity of computer-based music. At something over £400 for a 320GB model, it is also reasonable value, certainly when compared with the cost of other components of my audio system.
I hope that this is helpful.
David
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