hey everybody! been lurking here for a few weeks trying to learn from the pros before ripping my large collection (@ 5000 cds)...many thanks for all the great posts here...best forum ive found so far!

i figure an average of 5 songs per cd that i care enough about to archive, so my collection will eventually contain @ 25,000 songs. i've started ripping in WMA lossless and the file sizes are averaging @ 22-30 mb, so i guess im going to need (2) 500 gig external hard drives to archive my collection. i do most of my listening on a mid to high quality car audio system and a reasonably high quality home system and occasionally need to tap into dj type setups at parties.

i just got my first portable dmp (creative zen 60g) and im wondering what is the easiest way to reduce the file sizes in bulk when syncing to the player???

also for all you audiophiles, is there an audible difference between WMA VBR and lossless on mid to high end systems? would love to hear your thoughts. thanks in advance for your help!

MM

ps..sorry for the duplicate post...wasnt sure where to post this...thx Moderation: that does not excuse cross-posting. Pick a forum and let the mods move it if necessary. Duplicate deleted.

When you say WMA VBR, are you referring to WMA Standard or WMA Pro. They are significantly different.

http://www.mediajukebox.com/

im using wma standard...ive never used pro...what are the pros and cons of the pro version?

The pro version has much higher audio quality but very limited support, and almost no support on portable devices at the moment.

is this the best way to reduce the file sizes in bulk for the player while leaving files on the hard drive intact?? cant find any info on the mj website...guess i need to downlaod and try it...any other recommendations here?