Thanks vintage, appreciate the quick response!
All my WMAs are in 320-kbps with VBR (variable bit rate). That means some files get ripped at rates as high as 400 kbps.
I like the idea of re-ripping a core of 1000 files and transcoding a “second tier” of 1000 to 320-MP3.
Also, did a little research last night and it looks like Virtual DJ is a software package that has native support for WMA.
I’m thinking now of getting a DDJ-SR for $300-$400 used on eBay, and Virtual DJ pro for another $300; that’s a lot less than what I was planning to spend on the new Denon MCX8000 or Pioneer XDJ, lol.
I’m still not keen on the idea of working off a laptop; it looks to me that the “old school” approach of going almost-all hardware is starting to comeback with the new generation of controllers from Denon and Pioneer, and that was the way I wanted to go. But I guess I’ll have to get used to the idea of the laptop being the “control center” after all.
It’s so frustrating. I’ve been playing WMAs on “mp3 players” and now smartphones for over 12 years no problem. The Sandisk Sansa first came out way back in 2005 and played my WMAs no problem. I just assumed WMA would be supported on the dj side as well, not just the consumer devices.