JAsnis

anybody? I do the the 5N listed around here as part of people's "rigs", but any first hand experience regarding performance + large file sizes would be appreciated!

After some googling, there are a number of internet "complaints" regarding Drobo 5N performance issues. Many people report transfer speeds in the 50 - 60MB/s range, and sometimes less ( compared to 250+ MB/s from the Drobo 5D). So for the Drobo 5N owners .... is this numerical difference significant and noticeable in daily usage? Or is 50-60 MB/s "plenty fast enough" for playing large, hi-res audio files? What about a really big file, like a SACD ISO? Thanks for any advice or personal experience!

i'm thinking of buying a drobo 5n, but wanted to check with forum first, to make sure i don't run into performance issues down the line ... if i store my music library on the drobo, am i going to regret not having the 5d instead when i access a large/hi-res file? if i'm using a player with memory/RAM playback, are there going to be significant lags due to the 5n (vs. 5d)? taken to the extreme, how about playing a SACD iso from the 5n? thank you!

thanks tranz ... but assuming i want to stick with amarra/itunes on the mac server ... what are my options for hi-res playback on other computers? airfoil? something else?

a question for the experts: let's say i want to have a mac-mini server in my living room, using a combo of amarra/itunes to play hi-res files (both hi-res ALAC's and some SACD iso's too). what are my option for accessing this itunes library in hi-res from other computers within the house (both pc and mac)? it seems that the airplay/airport express combo is limited to 44/16, so this wouldn't allow the other computers to output the music in hi-res quality? and certainly not the SACD iso's. what about home sharing, does this allow for streaming of higher resolutions to connected computers? and would there be any way to stream the SACD iso's to connected computers, assuming i have an appropriate DSD DAC connected to the target computer? so in summary: looking for a solution where amarra plays hi-res ALAC's + SACD iso's (managed by itunes) in my living room, but also allows amarra/itunes to stream to the other computers in the house at native quality (analagous to a airplay/airport express setup). i would have the appropriate DAC's connected to the target computers. doing some googling, it seemed like maybe ?airfoil? is a possibility, but i'm looking for an expert opinion! thanks!

thanks for all the replies .... ok, so the Drobo is not a perfect solution ... what is the preferred external/thunderbolt solution for a mac mini? opinions?

thanks! .... anyone else with Drobo experience? any big complaints?

I'm thinking of getting a Drobo as a Thunderbolt external HDD for a Mac Mini server ... I've searched through the forum archives and this seems like a less common external HDD solution for forum users... so I just wanted to make sure I'm not missing something before I take the plunge ... the main criticisms I found: - Loud fan noise ... seems like you could put it in a cabinet (or something similar), and this would not be a big deal? -Proprietary data management/backup system ... might be a problem if the Drobo itself crashes? But seems like you could backup the overall Drobo "drive" to another external HDD to guard against that? -Expensive ... no way around that! So am I missing something ... any reason the Drobo's dont seem to be that popular around here? Any MAJOR reason NOT to get one? Thanks!

I just wanted to take a minute to thank you again, Paul. I was able to figure out the rest on my own. But you really got me started in the right direction, and made it easy to find the answers to my remaining questions .... thanks for taking the time!

I just did some reading about the Airport Express suggestion for the office/PC setting ... great idea, it makes complete sense! I also understand how I would use a VNC client to control the Airport + manage iTunes. So please disregard any of those questions above, no need to answer ...

Paul again thanks for taking the time to reply to me .. I thought about standard HDD(s) attached to the server, since at the moment it would only be handling music. I just thought the NAS would give me more flexibility going forwards, in case I wanted to expand the scope of things. For the sake of this discussion though, either option would be perfectly viable I think? It's a decent size library though, > 50k songs .. Right now I have the office PC running Windows 7/iTunes --> Nuforce Icon 2 USB DAC --> PSB Alpha B1 speakers. The Airport Express is a great idea for achieving quality audio output from the PC/iTunes setting in the office. Forgive my Apple ignorance ... how would I control what comes out of the Express? In the office, I like to be able to manage iTunes as I listen (i.e. make playlists, edit metadata, etc.) -- that's why I mentioned the idea of listening in the office/PC via the Mac server iTunes/VNC portal. So would I be able to manage the library while using the Airport Express? Basically what I was alluding to above ... how would I control the Airport Express, and would that control method also allow me to "manage" my library at the same time? If not, that's why I was thinking that playback through the VNC client could accomplish both goals? Nearly all my library is from CD's (or CD quality/lossless downloads). I've ripped it into ALAC for my current home listening, a mp3 copy for mobile devices, and a FLAC archive copy ... so I think it should be compatible with most setups (including the MAC Mini server-based system we've been talking about). Planned playback would be a 50/50 split between the PC/office (with the audio setup I mentioned above) and a living room where the server would reside (Mini -> need to purchase USB DAC -> existing home stereo). Other stations in the house might be added later. But for me the idea in migrating to a iTunes based server was to have one overall solution for the whole house that was integrated. Thanks again Paul for your help! Let me know if the thinking above makes sense. Would also love your input on those other few questions regard Mac drive format compatibility, backup, and iTunes syncing if you have the time ...

Paul, thanks so much for your detailed reply .. I think you've really nailed what I'm looking for, and the questions I have! Let me just reply to a few of your points, and ask a few more questions if you don't mind .. Indeed what I have in mind! That really does seem to be the case (sadly). If I'm aiming for a dedicated server though, I'd rather get it "right" the first time, so to speak. So I'm slowly accepting that Windows + iTunes ain't going for happen to me ... I think this is the route I'm going to end up taking. But as I have never used a Mac, I want to make sure that the idea I have in my head will actually work. Ideally I would keep my current PC/Windows, located in an office, as my "main use" computer. I would purchase a Mac Mini, which would likely be attached to a NAS, as a dedicated server in another room. A bunch of questions about logistics and compatibility: -When I listen in the office, would I be listening via iTunes Home Sharing on the PC iTunes, or directly from the server Mac iTunes via a VNC client? If I wanted to edit metadata, make playlists, etc., I assume I would have to listen through the server/Mac iTunes via a VNC client, correct? I don't believe Home Sharing would permit me to "manage" the library from the office PC. Would the VNC client operate with sufficiently little lag/stuttering between the 2 computers, to allow me to play ALAC files without skipping? I wouls assume so since the connection would be within my own intranet? Also, once the audio reaches the office PC (either home sharing or VNC client), I think it's back to the same issue of Windows/iTunes audio imperfection? -- but I could live with that in an office setting, as long as the main listening room/music server was running the more ideal Mac/iTunes configuration .. -Assuming I transfer my iTunes library "as is" from my current computer to the Mini ... now whenever I need to sync an iPhone, iPad, or perform other iTunes functions, I have to use the Mini? I can't plug in my iPhone into my office computer and sync it via a VNC client to the server? It would have to be connected directly to the server? -The NAS drive would have to have a Mac formatted disk for my iTunes library, right? If I rip new CD's, download new music, etc. on my NTFS formatted office computer, can I simply "drag and drop" these files (ALAC, mp3) into the server's Mac iTunes interface? Or will I run into compatibility issues? -I currently backup my drives via Windows methods (I use SyncToy) ... assuming I directed the program at the NAS, would it be able to handle backing up a Mac formatted drive onto another (presumably) Mac formatted drive? Or would I have to try Time Machine, or whatever the Apple backup system is? I'm sorry for all the questions, I just want to get it "right" before I embark on a potentially costly and time-consuming project! Thanks again for all of your help ...

Hi Paul- Thanks so much for your reply ... those are basically the issues I'm facing .... One follow up though .... ... not so simple ... but is it possible? either with one of the workarounds I mentioned, or another solution that I haven't come across? Or is it so convoluted/prohibitive that it isn't even worth pursuing, in spite of a strong Windows/iTunes preference? If the answer is to abandon the iTunes/Windows concept, I think I'd be more willing to try running a Mac music server, than trying JRMC on a Windows server. I wouldn't be switching over my primary computer to a Mac though, so I'd need to investigate how easily I'd be able to control the Mac server and attached drive from my Windows desktop. Does anyone have experience with controlling a Mac server/attached drive/file management from a Windows machine? thanks again!

any help would be greatly appreciated!

Following up ... after doing more reading ... my impression is that when iTunes/Quicktime is set to Windows Audio Session (i.e. Wasapi), as long as no other sounds are playing via Windows, the kmixer doesn't alter/resample the feed from iTunes? Thus what reaches the USB DAC would indeed be bit perfect? If I were using a dedicated server, Windows sounds would be kept to a minimum/non-existent. Granted, the setup would still lack audiophile features such as memory playback, etc etc -- but at least iTunes/Windows wouldn't be degrading the sound before it reached the rest of my system. Would any of the experts here be able to weigh in on either post?? Thanks!