Which NAS should I choose?

Preston8452

Member
Jan 5, 2022
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Hi guys,


It's just sorta a general wondering, so recently I've been thinking about purchasing a NAS for audio storage and stuff, I used to just simply store music with USB, but I read some articles about NAS, it seems to me that most audiophiles possess one to cooperate with their Hi-Fi gear at home, so maybe it does help further improve the sound quality(?


As you all may know, there are several brands of NAS out there, which one is the best fit for me as a NAS newbie haha? Synology and QNAP are quite popular I suppose, but what about others, what's the difference?


If you can also kindly share what's your system(like what device you use to connect to NAS) with me, that'd certainly be a great reference to me then.


Best,
 

Kal Rubinson

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May 4, 2010
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It's just sorta a general wondering, so recently I've been thinking about purchasing a NAS for audio storage and stuff, I used to just simply store music with USB, but I read some articles about NAS, it seems to me that most audiophiles possess one to cooperate with their Hi-Fi gear at home, so maybe it does help further improve the sound quality(?
I have a couple of NAS boxes but their usefulness and value have nothing to do with sound quality, one way or the other.
As you all may know, there are several brands of NAS out there, which one is the best fit for me as a NAS newbie haha? Synology and QNAP are quite popular I suppose, but what about others, what's the difference?
I have only QNAPs so I cannot make a differential analysis. The important issues are capacity, a good user interface, support, a capable CPU and reliability.
If you can also kindly share what's your system(like what device you use to connect to NAS) with me, that'd certainly be a great reference to me then.
I doubt it. The NAS connects with anything on the LAN that you want to connect to it. IMHO, it's an appliance, not an audio component.
 
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Brucemck2

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May 10, 2010
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I doubt it. The NAS connects with anything on the LAN that you want to connect to it. IMHO, it's an appliance, not an audio component.
Spot on.

I have had great luck with Synology DS1512+
 

J007B

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Jul 25, 2020
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While I agree with everything already said, I will add some things to think about before you buy. What are the capabilities of your Dac, transport? DSD files are huge compared to CD files. My NAS is a 12TB WD MyCloud in a raid configuration leaving me with 6TB of storage. I love the SQ of DSD and have about 150 albums in DSD worth thousands of dollars that I wouldn’t want to lose if a drive goes bad. A DSD 128 album runs 3-4GB as an example. I also copy every purchase to a portable HD that is only used as a backup. I think the future of music will be higher res files as the technology gets better and associated costs continue to come down.
 
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Kal Rubinson

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Yes. Capacity is dependent on library size and content but NAS boxes are available in many sizes and HDDs/SDDs come in a wide range of capacities, too. I started with 5-drive boxes, now use 8-drive boxes and I am contemplating going bigger as my collection expands. OTOH, I am heavy into high-resolution multichannel and have individual tracks of 10GB or more!

When choosing capacity, think of the future.
 
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Alrainbow

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Dec 11, 2013
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I’m a fan of synology but the cracked ones I think are best
I use a good power main board
and sata card
I also use a 4 port network card
this allows for complete control of ports
I use a ultra high quality switch mode psu as well.
not hard to setup one once you get passed the usb stick setup
as for sound it’s linux so if you use a player on it
you now have the linux sound streaming to your devices
i tried windows as a nas while it works it’s difficult to program

I use a port that is directly attached to my internet router then another port is on a lan port to my audio router
I use a network isolation transformer from nas to audio lan
a SS drive for cache
I’ve tried SS drives for Roon core it’s ok but has the linux sound

if you plan to buy a nas get a better psu for it. Nothing nuts as linux seems less effected by power
 

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