Brennan B3 (2TB Black) Hifi - Hard disk CD ripper & recorder, storage and player with Bluetooth, Internet Radio, Stereo Power amplifier, NAS, Wav, Lossless (FLAC) and MP3.

I've been looking for a solution for integrating my old CD collection into my Sonos system. I'd got my vinyl turning again, with a line-in connection, but really wanted to be able to play the 300 or so CD's I have on shelves, which were just gaining dust. After some research, this looked like the best solution. I'd ripped the majority of my collection already onto a NAS, but that means being by a computer, with little to no ability to effect handheld control elsewhere through the house.The attractive things about this box werea) its provision of an app - which although I see others being critical of, works just fine for me. It's basic , but clear and quick.b) the ability to set up and switch between Sonos speakers easily - so no extra wires (my wife loves that) required to play CD's anywhere in the house (including the mobile speakers)c) the *truly* rapid ripping and logging of discs using the MusicBrainz DB. It's literally stick the disk in, press a button twice, and 60-90 seconds later you are done.The instructions are basic - but contrary to what others have reported, when I switched it on, it found my network quickly, got set up, and that was it.Setup is either through the rotary knob and front buttons, with a small (but clear) OLED screen - or using the mobile app - or a browser set to the IP no. allotted to the B3 (it advertises that on the front screen. Again, it's pretty intuitive, and I have not had the need to look up the support forums as yet.You can connect speakers directly to the box if want a single playing system - but I was predominantly looking for something I could integrate into my house system, and this does so easily.The added bonuses area) internet radio. I had that facility via the amp/tuner on my home theater, but it was limited to that room. Now I can play from thousands of radio channels, again anywhere throughout the house.b) bluetooth - so if I do have something I want to play on my phone, I can do so over directly connected speakers At the end of the day, it's not cheap - but it's HIGHLY functional, and has given me back a lot of music that I just wasn't listening to, anymore. It's the same experience as finding my vinyl again, and I am having a lot of fun with it...

When a friend of mine told me about the Brennan B3, it sounded like the perfect solution for ripping, storing and listing my 2000 CD collection. And it would have been if the device worked consistently.Setting up the unit is fairly straightforward as is ripping and storing the CDs although the device often mistitles CDs making them difficult to find. They can be manually relabelled when mistakes are discovered but this is complicated and time consuming.The biggest problem is maintaining connection between the two apps--phone and Web UI, which control browsing and play function on the device. The apps connect to the device via WiFi and if the IP addresses on the apps and device do not match, the connection is lost. This disconnection happens regularly for reasons unknown. I've learned to reconnect the device to the app fairly quickly but it's an annoying and time consuming process when all I want to do is listen to music.The bigger problem, which is happening more frequently, is that the connection will be interrupted and the device will not respond to either app even though the IP addresses on apps and device match. After a period of time, the connection is re-established--also for reasons unknown.Tech support for the Brennan is through a forum and answers to problems are usually swift but the company tech support tends to be defensive and quick to blame the problem on factors not related to the device : poor Wifi or a malfunctioning phone or something else that deflects the problem away from their product. When they offer advice, its often tech speak beyond my comprehension. The only real success I've had with getting usable advice on the forum is when a Brennan owner who has had a similar problem contributes their solution.I would not buy this unit again and cannot recommend it. My plan is to download all the music on the device to a hard drive and try to use it on another device that will deliver consistently because this quite expensive unit does not. Yes, it looks good on paper but...buyer beware.