nyron59

Thank you all for reviving this post. I did eventually take the plunge so I'll tell you what I did: I bought a Synology NAS 216+ with WD Red 2 TB hard drives installed MinimServer Bought a BlueSound Node until I am confident in the technology then I'll upgrad Entire CD collection ripped via DBPoweramp. it has been easier than I thought but hasn't been without the occasional problem particularly when there have been firmware or software updates. I'm glad I did it but a bit of patience and perseverance is definitely the order of the day. There has been occasional head-scratching but forums have been of great help to resolving problems. if anyone is thinking about, I'd recommend jumping it. I listen to more of my music now than I have in years!

Thanks everyone. All the advice is much appreciated.

Paul R, you are absolutely right here. I am tired and on the verge of giving up. I value quality of sound coupled with simplicity. Is this the easiest route for me: Mac mini plus external hard drive to give me total capacity of at least 2TB Mac mini managed by my PC operating Windows 7 (I assume that is possible) An appropriate DAC (as I assume that streamer isn't necessary) new amp and new speakers. ...or am I back to plug and play, a CDP, and failure to meet with wife approval?!

Thanks Master/One and a Half for your responses. Due to wiring constraints, the NAS must physically reside as part of my music rig rather than in another room. That was the reason that I was considering a fanless NAS. A couple of concerns have been touched on here, namely, in an ideal world I'd prefer plug and play. Also, I have zero networking skills! As I had planned to go down the Compuer Audio route, some time ago, my entire library has been ripped to flac using DBPoweramp. I currently play the flac files to mixed effect through my active desktop speakers though an Avid MBox ADC (rather than DAC) in my home study when I'm working. The mixed effect comes from buffering issues when other powerful programmes are running in the background. I can live with that but when it comes to my main hi fi, I'd be aiming for an issue-free environment.

For some time, I have been thinking about going down the computer audio but the set-up complexity for someone unfamiliar with networking has put me off. I was about to give up completely and invest in a new Naim CDP, however, my wife concerned at the ever-growing volume of CDs has "persuaded" me that the sole option is to go down a digital library route. Consequently, I am now considering a Nain ND5 XS player. There is one major constraint: the proposed NAS drive must be part of my musical set-up. Therefore, I need a quiet NAS. i have 3 key questions: (i) how easy/difficult is it to set-up a NAS drive? (ii) is the NAS managed remotely from my PC once I have established a network? finally, regarding the choice of NAS: should I select a fanless NAS, such as the QNAP HS 251 or would the Synology DS 215+ be sufficiently quiet? I am attracted to the Synology because of the reviews but the requirement for a quiet NAS is the prime consideration.

Thanks JTM and greatly appreciated. I now have a much better understanding.

I am a newbie and I find myself hopelessly lost in getting consistent advice on buying my first NAS Drive. Firstly, is it better to buy a 4 bay rather than a 2 bay device? According to my laptop hard drive I have used no more than 200GB (and I reckon I only have at most, only 200 more CDs to rip to FLAC). Keen to future proof to an extent. I think I understand the RAID benefits of 4 bays but is it overkill? Also, do users have a preference? I am looking at Synology (DS 214+ or DS 412+) or QNAP (TS 269L or TS 469L). QNAP seems to have faster processors but I'm not sure what the key criteria is to judge them on. Help, the complexity is confusing me and preventing me from making a decision. Life was much easier with CDs/vinyl!!