Auralic has released fresh firmware for several of its products, which makes it possible to rip (and play) CDs via a connected USB CD player.
Although we live in the era of streaming and digital music files, there is of course still that collection of CDs in the house. Sometimes there are unique copies that cannot be found with any music service. Or maybe you just want to enjoy a ‘physical’ medium with your lovely music once in a while.
The new firmware update (V7) from Auralic makes it possible for Aries G-series, Aries Femto & LE, Altair G-series, Altair and Polaris to play and rip CDs. For this you need to insert an external optical drive. According to the manufacturer, everything that works on a Windows or Mac also works on the Auralic-device. So chances are high that you have some drive laying around somewhere.
Furthermore, Auralic recommends a USB player with its own external power supply. And also to invest in a good and preferably linear power supply for that device.
Accurate
Once you have updated to the new V7 firmware and a USB player connected to your Auralic, you can have some fun. First of all, you can just play CDs. But ripping is also an option. So you can finally add that ‘dusty’ CD collection to the music library on, for example, a NAS. Ripping is done as accurately as possible, the manufacturer promises. Each sector is double-read and compared. If there is a difference, 8 new reading actions are performed at a lower speed. Then the most accurate version is calculated and saved. (So, it works just like EAC: exact audio copy).
