> I still manage my own ~500 file mp3 collection

Huh?

Just checked my 'collection':

     Total Files Listed:
           17250 File(s) 232,520,192,270 bytes
            6431 Dir(s)  1,053,563,486,208 bytes free

Not audiophile scale, for sure - but only 500 looks quite low. No wonder iTunes can manage it snorts.