A good Network Attached Storage (NAS) unit for music playback is one that goes unnoticed. This requires a NAS capable of serving up files instantly, running 24/7 without user intervention, and offering automated applications that meet the needs of each unique user. The Synology DS1812+ meets these requirements and is as close to the perfect NAS as I've used in my home. Once configured the DS1812+ performed flawlessly in my system for months at a time. This included sending music to several music servers and iPhones throughout my house, automatically backing up to a 4TB USB 3.0 external drive, and running numerous different applications to fit my UPnP / DLNA and music serving needs. As a longtime user of Network Attached Storage I realized years ago that NAS units are far more about software than hardware. Good hardware is required but better NAS software separates the men from the boys. Synology's DSM NAS operating system is my preferred platform and the reason why I recommend Synology with a great degree of confidence.
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Data protection isn't a glamorous topic. Maybe if a few storage manufacturers milled their hard drive enclosures from a solid block of aluminum and used linear power supplies computer audiophiles would pay more attention. I'll admit I'm a sucker for great craftsmanship and build quality and would certainly consider such an overbuilt device. The ioSafe SoloPRO external hard drive isn't pretty but its built like a tank to mitigate the risk of data loss and withstand perils such as fires and floods. In addition ioSafe's included Data Recovery Service addresses human perils such as accidental data deletion and malicious data destruction. This combination of physically protective hardware and data recovery services is a great way to mitigate the risk of losing one's music collection and prevent wasting countless weeks curating an entire music library for the second time. 
Sunday January 9 was the final day of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Sundays at CES I usually head over to the main show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center to meet most of the computer hardware and software company reps. This year was no exception. As usual the show floor was very crowded with people and full of every electronic product imaginable. Thanks to the developers of the CES iPhone app I found my way to the Synology booth to meet with Product Marketing Manager Douglas Self. While talking and perusing Synology's products I set eyes on a tiny Network Attached Storage (NAS) device capable of holding four 1 TB 2.5" hard drives. My first (over exaggerated) thought was, "where has this been all my life?" One month later the Synology DS411 Slim became part of my computer audio system and I fell in love with the device as much as someone can fall in love with an inanimate object. The incredibly practical DS411 Slim is very quiet, inexpensive, and full of features.
Can a Network Attached Storage unit make you feel good? Maybe that's pushing it a bit. I can say Synology as a company and its DS710+ NAS unit have put me in my comfort zone. Synology's information dissemination and its implementation of a vast array of features are outstanding. I've been able to thoroughly research and answer all questions about the DS710+ by simply browsing the Synology website for information. This doesn't usually happen when I review any type of product. The DS710+ offers many more features than Joe Sixpack will ever use. Synology's implementation of these features doesn't increase complexity one bit. The DS710+ operating system named DSM 3.0 is a breeze to use. Once setup users can either forget about the DS710+ as it will run without user intervention for the foreseeable future, or use any of its built-in capabilities. I never thought I would use many of these capabilities but I'm glad I did. The DS710+ is much more than a place to store music for iTunes or J River Media Center to access. The Synology DS710+ is an affordable dual disk Network Attached Storage unit that's capable of going all the way to eleven if needed.
As the old saying goes, be careful what you wish for ‘cause you just might get it. Readers of Computer Audiophile and nearly every publication have been wishing for honest but negative reviews in one form or another since product reviewing began. A cursory scan of letters to magazine editors and forum posts often provides evidence of this wish. Numerous comments begging for writers’ blunt honesty about products that don’t live up to expectations and questions about how every reviewed product can possibly be good are common occurrences. Frequently negative review comments come in the form of a writer skirting around the obvious conclusions and forcing people to read between the lines. Irrespective of the motivation to hold back or stretch a writer’s creative liberty to the max, it’s neither what readers want nor what readers deserve. With this in mind I present my review of the QNAP TS-559 Pro Turbo NAS. An inconsistent product that did not perform to reasonable expectations.
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