Sure there is. Just eliminate the "locate-the-jewel-case-remove, carry-and-insert-into-player-and-subsequently-reverse-process" part every time using a server based solution.
Follow the many articles by Kal Rubinson in Stereophile as to how he does it. BTW,
he likes the 205 and uses it to determine whether or not to rip content for long term enjoyment.
I’d appreciate it if you would share a link to the articles by Kal Rubinson that explain his approach to server-based options. I’m always trying to learn.
How much time and technical skill is required to copy multi-channel Blu-ray, Ultra HD Blu-ray, and multi-channel SACDs to a server-based solution (e.g., NAS drive), and manually edit the tags (metadata) for classical recordings (i.e., composer, composition, conductor, orchestra, soloists, etc), and concatenate multiple movements of a classical composition? In my experience there are no standards for the metadata for classical music, and this poses a significant challenge for cataloging, and establishing a “relational-database type” search capability. (For example, I have a hi-res FLAC download of Beethoven Symphony 9 that was delivered with the soprano as the “artist” (vs. the composer), and this recording would require manual editing in order to be searchable.)
I agree that “server based” music can, in some cases, be more convenient. I use a very simple form. I have a number of 24bit/192kHz FLAC files that were downloaded from HDTracks. They reside on a USB drive in a simple hierarchical folder structure, and the multiple movements of a symphony are inherently organized within a folder (i.e., no extra effort on my part). I plug the USB drive into the front panel of my Oppo, and then access these downloaded files easily via the Oppo’s remote. Perhaps not the most elegant solution, but it works reliably, and is faster and more convenient than retrieving discs. (I’ve experimented with DLNA networking, but found it to be unreliable.) However, all of my HDTracks downloads are 2 channel only, and audio only (i.e., no video) – so while these downloads can have excellent audio quality, they don’t provide the same experience as multi-channel Blu-ray concert videos (or Blu-ray opera or ballet).
Because I typically listen to an entire symphony or opera at a time, retrieving and loading a disc is not an inconvenience to me. (Presumably swapping discs would be inconvenient if you listen to one short pop song at a time.) Moreover, one of the benefits of Pure Audio Blu-ray is the vast storage capacity. The entire Wagner “Der Ring des Nibelungen” (4 related operas) fits on 1 Pure Audio Blu-ray disc (at higher than CD bit rate), vs. 14 CDs. That’s 15 hours of what is basically one enormous opera, in better-than-CD quality, without having to get up to change discs.
When I want the convenience of network-based music (e.g., in order to explore music that is new to me), I use Spotify Premium or Youtube. I believe that if we arrive at a point where a streaming service provides his-res multi-channel audio, and hi-res video, of all genre, with convenient access, and flawless reliability, the need for personal “ownership” of music (whether discs or network based) will diminish. In my assessment, we’re not there yet.
Everyone’s needs are different. As I said earlier, my needs are different than the majority of people, and the UDP-205 has been a good solution for me.
