Qnap NAS drive

FWIW Meri48,

i use the same set up as you. I had a Qnap and wasted 2 weeks of my life on it and its rubbish twonky UPNP. Asset on a PC over a network is rock solid and quite slick, You may have to switch the PC on when you want to use it if you dont like to leave it switched on.... mine stays on. Ensure you are backing up to an external USB drive using back up software, install dbpoweramp and rip cd`s to where you want on the PC or the external drive. You can also point asset to whatever drive you prefer.

I quickly sold the QNap and I was intending to buy the Unitiserve at some point next year.. but all is working fine, so I am at the why change and spend a load of money stage. I May put it towards a Nap 300 instead.

In short and in my opinion.. save your money, your set up is fine, just regular back up dicipline / checks

regards

Keith

I run Minim server on my Qnap NAS and it works like a dream. I have found twonky to be a load of old twonky! For me having a NAS seems much better than having to have my iMac open every time I want to hear my music, also my Nas drive has a much bigger capacity for my music.

You can find out how to infall minim on a QNap here:

http://minimserver.com/install-qnap.html

Good luck :-)

If the PC solution works and you don't mind either leaving it on all the time or a short delay while you turn it on to listen to music, then there's no particular reason to change.

I now use a Synology 212 NAS drive (there are various versions of this and I can't remember which suffix I have) with excellent results. Easy to set-up; no issues since. DS Audio app for iPhone allows streaming through ND5 XS (but on balance I prefer n-stream). It lives in the corner of a second bedroom and I can more or less forget about it.

I tried a Netgear ReadyNAS Duo which was fine once I'd got it working but it took forever to get the firewall to recognise it (hours and hours of my life wasted never to be reclaimed).

I chose the Synology after a fair bit of research on this forum. I wanted a NAS drive rather than needing to leave a computer running all the time at home and not wanting to keep switching a PC on and off all the time.

Naim has a list of NAS drives which they have tested on the forum here but it dates back to 2010.

People on this forum will of course suggest a Unitiserve. I haven't tried one but my inner geek quite likes being able to edit the tags when, as is inevitable, the ripper gets them wrong.

Hi there,

have done ist all – Mac/PC, QNAP, Twonky, MinimServer & Asset... :-).

There will be NOT this ist the BEST for ALL.

A Mac/PC with a good UPNP server app (like Twonky, Asset, Minim etc) will do an excellent job in providen music (and more) – PLUS you alwas have the option to rip CDs, Blurays and many other things. 

A QNAP is ver easy to use for UPNP services as most of the companies offer one (or more) app bundled/installed when you buy the NAS. Nice feature about QNAP is the chance to install full features (and current) versions of Twonky and MinimServer.

If I were you – I would install MinimServer on a Mac/PC play around with it for a while – if you like the app but dislike the platform you can mimic the setup on a QNAP. If on the other side the Mac/PC is fine with you, you still have plenty options to explore other Server apps. 

What I would try to avoid: haven a Mac/PC AND a QNAP withe tools/apps spread around.

Cheers,

Lorenz

PS I really, really like Twonky although some people around here have (had) their issues (just make sure to use version 7.2x)...

i didn`t tell you everything but i do the same i rip music with dbpoweramp software and my music stored through an external USB drive

so i understand that i don`t get any benefit to use a nas drive my pc is open all day

Lorenz, just to take you up on your point about QNAP and Twonky.

I bought a QNAP with Twonky installed on it after asking for advice on this forum several years ago.

I struggled a bit with the set up at the beginning as I'm not really a network savvy guy, but once I got it up and running, haven't encountered any problems since.

I use it for streaming downloads to my SuperUniti via UPnP through my Unitiserve, as my early version of UnitiServe didn't have the possibility to load downloads onto the US hard drive.

Also use it as one of my Back Up devices (I have 3 copies: PC hard drive, NAS and also for added safety, an external USB hard drive)

Of course I don't have anything to compare the QNAP with, but for me, no problem, and I also suspect I don't have the firmware version you refer to.

Curious to give it a try to upgrade it, but worried I might screw up something that works fine for me right now!

sorry to the Meni48 for slight detour on the thread, but just to say a lot of the PC / networking stuff is down to personal experience, and the NAS's that have been checked out by Naim that someone mentioned earlier is a good place to start the search.

I use a QNAP with twonky - have done for a bit over a year now, ripping via my mac with dbpoweramp

the original bundled version of twonky was a bit painful and I did import a later version using the qpkg optional install system

But a firmware update on the QNAP removed the option for qpkg (at least it changed it so I cannot find it!) and introduced a later and much better version of twonky that I have been using with reasonable success

I did try a change to a different upnp option that is in the current firmware of the QNAP but that was seriously pants, listing all tracks on compilations as separate albums

I currently have a UQ in the loft and ND5XS downstairs (in time going to get NDS in place of ND5XS) both running from the QNAP but am seriously contemplating unitiserve HD.  I know it is £££ but am finding the QNAP with twonky to be a bit flaky (every now and again I have to turn off and on the UQ / ND5XS to make them work again...) and would have the US downstairs backing up to the QNAP, thereby achieving backup (running raid on the QNAP doesn't count as backup)

I think I have made life more complicated for myself by buying ex-demo from dealers (UQ and ND5XS) which has meant no dealer installation and I have had to struggle a bit to get it all to work but (with the kind help of fixedwheel it has to be said) I have got there.  Also a bit of a struggle on the ripping front - didn't like the ripping software for the mac, dbpoweramp is fine but have to run windows in parallels to work on my mac, which of itself is a pain

If I were starting again I would perhaps get a unitiserve HD from the start and get a smaller / cheaper QNAP through a Naim dealer.  Having said that, the saving over new price on the UQ/ND5XS (although to be fair I would never have bought a new ND5XS, I only got it due to the discount from being a few months used and as a temporary measure until I can afford a NDS) has put me half way towards the cost of a US, so I don't altogether regret the route I have taken

What I do regret is not putting cat5 in the walls when we built the house - the DAB and FM wiring I did put in is mostly useless.  My wife's face when I suggested having holes put in the walls for cat5 to be put in indicates that such a move would be less than popular...

Edited to add... forgot to say, hungryhalibut has said that the data tags on unitiserve can easily be modified / corrected as required

Yes, correct, the tags applied by the Unitiserve can be really easily changed with the nServe app in cases where they need to be changed.

I also rip using DBpoweramp on a Mac.  I am astonished at the poor quality of the metadata on classical and mainstream pop/rock CDs (I always review before ripping).  If you want to tell your Arne from your Elgar i think you are much better off ripping to a PC/Mac, having first reviewed the metadata to ensure each track doesn't become a separate album or Elgar apparently composed 'The Planets'.  I rip to WAV, FLAC and AIFF and keep my music archive files on a separate NAS drive from my library.

Re CAT5e: I've just added BT Network Extenders to my home network.  They plug into a mains socket and use your ring main wiring to extend your wired Ethernet from the router. I've had a Synology NAS running this way for weeks without issue, backing up my ripped music archive using its own internal software automatically at 2am and doubling up as a Mac Time Machine drive for 2 iMacs and a laptop.  After getting over my initial fears they would fry everything, i cannot recommend these simple devices more highly.  Don't ask me how the technology works.

 living in lancs: 

"But a firmware update on the QNAP removed the option for qpkg (at least it changed it so I cannot find it!) and introduced a later and much better version of twonky that I have been using with reasonable success"

The latest version of Twonky can now be found in the App Centre on a Qnap NAS.

I'm using Asset on an old laptop configured to point to my QNAP where all the music is stored. Had the QNAP for years and never had any problems. Avoided Twonkey as I rip everything to WAV and it didn't seem to play too well with WAV but reasonable with FLAC.

ChrisH and Living in lancs yearning for yorks...

Like you guys, I have a Qnap NAS with Twonky, but the version is only 4.2 and was putting all my tracks in alphabetical order, rather the correct track listings. So I have disabled it. I normally use the UnitiServe as the server, but it threw a sickie, and is now at Salisbury. How did you put the up to date version of Twonky on the Qnap? I recently updated the Qnap, but the version of Twonky stays the same.

+1

don't understand all the doubt towards QNAP in this thread. It is an excellent NAS. The issue for some might be TWonky, but with Assett as a strong alternative running on a pc, the combination works smooth and reliable.

+1.  My QNAP has been rock solid. I too run Asset on a small, home-built PC server, and it works perfectly.  But I also leave the QNAP's Twonky turned on, just in case my PC server crashes. Twonky seems to work ok, but can not transcode FLAC to WAV. In any case, nStream seems to have no problem switching from one UPnP server to another.

Have thought about installing MinimServer on QNAP, but it seems just a little...tweaky. Ideally, Asset for QNAP will be available soon. Last month, its developer said: "It is likely that asset will work on this nas soon...", so I remain hopeful. You working on this Mr. Spoon?  Hope so!  ;-)

ATB.

Hook

+1

I do much the same as you, but have Asset running on my laptop.  The only problem I come across is that I have to take nStream back through its menus to upnp if the laptop hibernates.  Doing it this way means that I keep my music in FLAC format (better for tagging)and transcode to WAV with Asset. I do my rips using dBpoweramp.  Personally I have never seen the point of getting a unitiserve just for ripping.

I have a Qnap T-112 with Twonky pre installed, but it's only the 4.2 version. For some reason when they upgrade the software on the Qnap, they leave the old version of Twonky. Can anyone tell me how to put a full version of Twonky or a different server on the Qnap. Thanks

Hi,  I keep seeing that people are using dbpoweramp on there Mac, but on Illustrate's site, they state that, "Not Apple Mac compatible"...  Can someone explain if it is or not?

thanks 

XLD is generally preferred on Macs.  dbPoweramp is PC only, but Macs can run Windows in a VM, if you are that sort of Mac user.  dbP has some feature advantages, especially with HDCD rips.

Personally, I went back to iTunes after trying them both.  Pros and cons.  iTunes requires less intervention, IME.  If you have the time and patience, XLD and dbP both have merit.

Nick

Thanks, I use XLD, but just thought I missed something re dbpa could run natively on Mac. They didn't say that they use a VM! 

I run an old copy of Windows XP inside a VM on my elderly iMac using Mac software called 'Parallels'.  Windows XP appears in a separate window on my desktop and I can hop back and forth between Mac programmes and XP if needed  The overall performance of the iMac in this mode is fairly sluggish, but when ripping CDs that's all I want it to do.  DBpoweramp allows me to rip in 3 formats (FLAC, WAV & AIFF) simultaneously and store the files to different locations, including a NAS. You are not limited to 3 formats and could add others, such as MP3 if you wanted. One set of files is stored and backed up as an archive, the others I play from.  I can make a decision as to whether I think the WAV sounds better than the FLAC etc. when setting up playlists.  FLAC is generally regarded as the most future-proof and functional of the lossless file formats. DBp offers 9 levels of lossless compression for FLACs, which in theory offer exactly the same quality but can make modest space savings if required.

DBp also looks for previous rips on the internet to compare with mine to ensure that they are bit perfect. Every rip generates a text file log that records the process parameters.  Before ripping I carefully check, and adjust if necessary, the metadata to ensure albums, artists and tracks are properly named. This is fairly important as these three fields, along with track number will determine files names for the foreseeable future and will be the basis of any cataloguing.  I store all my files as "<artist> - <album> - <tack number> - <track name>".  Even if all the files were dumped into a single folder this system will maintain the correct order of every track and album. 

The quality of the default imported metadata is often astonishingly poor and basic spelling mistakes are common. DBp again searches the internet and shows me four different sources of on-line metadata. I can make a considered opinion about which is used, mix between different sources or simply type my own preferred metadata for a track at a time. Classical recordings can become splashed across the filing system as software tries to grapple with multiple artists, composers, compilations (i.e. Elgar and Holst on the same CD) etc.  I am only going to rip this once, so I think that a small amount of time invested in securing an accurate rip and organising the basic metadata is worth it.  If you want to then spend your evenings adding subtle detail such as opus numbers, sub-genres & soloists etc you can, but your initial, fundamental organisation by file name will always serve you well.  If I find the metadata has caused an unpredictable result, I will rip again with data fields reorganised. Or I will rip a CD in two separate sessions to keep Elgar and Holst neatly separated, along with the relevant conductors and orchestras for each performance.  iTunes will do the job, but software such as DBpoweramp can give you the comfort of a much greater (and more time-consuming) level of control over your resulting archive. Ultimately it's about enjoying the music.

Hey Tommay,

Great write up ! I more than agree with your cautious approach towards metadata and correctness of rip-parameters. I do the same. Takes a bit of extra time, but wellworth the effort.

I noticed following in your writing "DBpoweramp allows me to rip in 3 formats (FLAC, WAV & AIFF) simultaneously and store the files to different locations, including a NAS." ....... I assume I need to understand this as the ability to consequitive rip to various formats: meaning you rrip to Fomat a, than your rip again but to Format b anf finally a third rip to Format c.... This is not in 1 single flow, but in 3 separates ? If it would be in 1 flow than it is a feature I did not know, but would highly appreciate.

Cheers,

Iver

See my post of 11 December. Twonky can be installed via the App centre.

Hi Iver, and thanks.

I rip to 3 formats simultaneously.  At the bottom of the DBp screen is a tab called "encoder". If you click "add" (to the right of the box) you can select an encoder, such as FLAC, and set up all the appropriate parameters.  This includes bespoke file naming conventions and destination of the files created, plus any properties associated with that particular encoder.  Click "add" again and you can set up another encoder.  I don't know what the limit is, but I find the three I mentioned have it covered.  It took me a few attempts to correctly format the file name field, but a small amount of trial and error produced the correct results (I'll send some examples when I'm not on the iPad).  All settings can be modified subsequently,

The size of rip for each track will now show the total KB for all encoded file types, i.e. a typical CD comes in at about 1.2GB or thereabouts.

if DBpoweramp cannot see the file path specified it will cancel the rip.  Tick the box that shows the log file on screen and you can see what went wrong. A similar thing can happen if the combined file name is too long, which can happen if the metadata is over-complicated.  I use windows explorer to make sure I am logged into the NAS and that I have given DBp appropriate access to the drives I want to store the files on, which could be the internal hard drive, a USB drive, or more typically my NAS.  You can even send AIFF straight to the iTunes folder to be automatically loaded next time you open iTunes up if you wish.  When setting up each encoder you can browse your computer/network to find the appropriate drives.

I have had no issues using DBp in this way.  Problems only start when the metadata needs attention, but that is usually easily dealt with.