As far as customer service goes, for me this was a big issue for new electronics. I read that Novatron was faster in responding than Brennan, but that could be anecdotal. Novatron is made in Korea, Brennan in the UK. I actually like the idea of supporting private innovating entrepreneurs like Brennan, but when it comes to service, I think the bigger company delivers. B3 lets you compress these WAV files into FLAC files. FLAC files are about 60% of the size but there is no loss of information so the process is reversible. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Compression. And Lossless refers to the fact that there is no loss of information.

The biggest difference is the hardisk memory capacity. The x-14 can take up to 8 TB, whereas the Brennan only about 1-2 TB max. And the cheaper models of the latter only use SD memory cards, which to me seems like a rip-off. Yes you have to buy the disc or sshd on the x-14 separately and install it yourself, but its very easy, and the company will walk you through it. To me it was worth it. And the price is cheap for 1-2 TB. And if you want to increase later, you can import the pre-existing DB. You cant do that with the Brennan. This has the advantage that you can then rip CDs without an internet connection. The offline database also contains a copy of an older database known as Freedb so you might find it can identify a CD that is not in Musicbrainz. This only shows if there is a USB memory device - like a USB hard disk plugged in. Starts the USB MenuThere isn't any documentation for Bluetooth Out yet but you should be able to work it out. You can drive it from the front panel or the original web UI (Cog then Bluetooth). It is possible to load B3 with a copy of the CD database. This is called an offline database - as opposed to online for the internet database. The new BBC HLS system will give you access to higher quality music. I understand they use 320k AAC. Loads the offline CD database (mydb) from the USB memory - you can get this file from a link on www.brennan.co.uk - its more than 1Gb

This function writes all the music in a specific playlist to the USB memory. The music on the target device will be organised into artist and album folders. B3 can also play through wireless Sonos speakers in different rooms - up to 32 speakers simultaneously. The offline database has two disadvantages. It does not have any album art and it does not know about recent CDs. Get the latest software from www.brennan.co.uk. You can find the date of your current software in Stats. Bluetooth In - play music from your mobile phone or tablet through B3 - nothing to do on B3 just connect on your phone/tablet and play.

Sonos

CDs also do not contain any cover or album art. But the Musicbrainz database has links to where B3 can find suitable images. CD players have several layers of error detection and correction. You will sometimes hear the B3 slow down if it has difficulty reading a CD. It appears that the x-14 may transmit a more reliable wifi signal to be used wirelessly with another receiver connected to another analogue or digital amplifier, but I haven't tried it yet. You can do wired connection pre-amp outputs using analogue or digital on both, which is great for interconnecting with existing audio stereo/amplifier systems and multiple surround speakers with more power. Both don't recommend using wireless speakers, but it might be more possible with the x-14? B2 gets a few minor tweaks to the Queue function. B3 gets the Queue function and now has Bluetooth Out.