Originally posted by yeah[..]
You don't really need a big HD for lossless files. All you need is a CD/DVD burner.
But DVD is better. The very first FLAC I ever downloaded - sounded excellent, 5/5 stars. Might be big files but if you want ultra-good quality then lossless is the boat to be on. MP3s can sound pretty good but only at 192Kbps or better, you ain't gonna get great quality from 128Kbps - you'll notice like a tinny noise and hum on some songs.
But because most of us don't really care about huge, huge brilliant quality we ain't complaining - I'd take an MP3 over lossless for convenience but take a FLAC over MP3 for quality. As yeah has pointed out get a DVD burner - all bog-standard PCs come with them or get your own for less than $70.
I rip my CDs at 160Kbps now with the extra quality. You really do notice...and they're easily playable in iTunes or Windows Media Player (11 is the best) and WinAmp if you find the right plugin. And for the record I only have 80GB hard drive available to me, hopefully I can get half a Terabyte (500GB) soon.
