Unitiserve SSD - logic
Posted by: Graham Clarke on 23 January 2014
So with the SSD version the files have to be stored somewhere else, for instance a NAS drive. Given that you can connect a Naim streamer direct to a NAS drive, what is the benefit of the SSD Unitiserve?
To set up a NAS you would typically need a PC or Mac and that would have an optical drive which would allow ripping of CDs.
Is it *just* the convenience of letting the US do the ripping for you? That would seem a pretty small benefit for the cost.
Typically you cannot connect a NAS directly to a naim streamer.
I think what you mean is that the streamer can communicate with the NAS, so why the Serve?
The serve will search your entire network for music, and compile that music into one sensible list for you to pick and play, it also delivers a UPNP solution for naim streamers which because its from the same company is better streamlined.
And of course it rips CDs, as part of that process.
Its also worth mentioning that a serve/hdx etc does have digital audio output itself so can be hooked up to an nDac for a different/alternative solution.
With a NAS you have two options: enable the UPNP server that is normally installed on the NAS, like Twonky or run server software on your MAC/PC like JRiver or other. In the latter case, your MAC/PC needs to be switched on with the server software running.
JRiver provides good functionality and may be a good option. Twonky can be very frustrating to use. The Naim US is a great solution with fantastic ease of use, especially for adding and changing metadata to WAV files.
If you can afford a US, it is the way to go IMO.
It is a neat all in solution and it works. There are many alternative possibilities. They work too. I can't think why I would want to have my rips stored internally, too much dependency on both the storage of the US and the ability of Naim to restore my collection back at the factory. I would rather handle storage and backup myself. Time was when it was internal storage and internal back up. This steered me towards a NAS very quickly. I understand that nowadays an off unit backup is easier to achieve - to a NAS. If the prospect of streaming music via upnp, serving the house, ripping and iRadio does not interest you in one dedicated unit, I can see how a US would not appeal.
Remember I'm talking about the SSD version here, so you can't store the rips internally on US.
Yes, I know you can't connect a streamer direct to a NAS, poor choice of words from me. What I meant was that either you connect the streamer to the network to access the NAS or you connect the Unitiserve SSD to the network. Either way, you have to connect to the network.
For the price of the SSD version you could buy two 4TB (that's RAID enabled capacity) Synology NAS systems, using one to back up the other and still have spare cash for some Powerlines or Hilines.
It just seems to me that the small incremental advantages (search for music, slightly more convenient ripping) don't appear to be good value for money vs. the alternatives. Although ultimately I realise that is the choice of the buyer.
Remember I'm talking about the SSD version here, so you can't store the rips internally on US.
Yes, I know you can't connect a streamer direct to a NAS, poor choice of words from me. What I meant was that either you connect the streamer to the network to access the NAS or you connect the Unitiserve SSD to the network. Either way, you have to connect to the network.
For the price of the SSD version you could buy two 4TB (that's RAID enabled capacity) Synology NAS systems, using one to back up the other and still have spare cash for some Powerlines or Hilines.
It just seems to me that the small incremental advantages (search for music, slightly more convenient ripping) don't appear to be good value for money vs. the alternatives. Although ultimately I realise that is the choice of the buyer.
Dan,
I didn't include the cost of a PC/Mac because I assumed that probably nearly all Naim owners would already have one in the house, particularly if they were considering streaming.
Similarly didn't include cost of streaming player as US SSD presence/absence does't affect that cost.
Remember I'm talking about the SSD version here, so you can't store the rips internally on US.
Yes, I know you can't connect a streamer direct to a NAS, poor choice of words from me. What I meant was that either you connect the streamer to the network to access the NAS or you connect the Unitiserve SSD to the network. Either way, you have to connect to the network.
For the price of the SSD version you could buy two 4TB (that's RAID enabled capacity) Synology NAS systems, using one to back up the other and still have spare cash for some Powerlines or Hilines.
You would still need a streamer, but of ccourse with the userve you need either a streamer too much redundancy since you have a server already, or an external dac.
For me the ssd version of a server removes some of the advantages of the regular hd based servers, that has backup internally, can be backed up to a nas, and can stream music from the Network.
Even though I have a stabil Network it is nice to know that I have a cd player as part of my server if everything fails, and local music I just need a way to control, Again I still have music if the Network is Down for a longer period of time.
I like the contro interfaces and just as a side note to the thread about only being able to control the streamers from one control device, this limitation is not there with the servers.
Some claim that the ssd versions of the servers has better sound than the HD versions, but others disagree. For some especially the Userve is said to be noisy, however this is not the case with the ns0X and hdx versions.
Claus
Remember I'm talking about the SSD version here, so you can't store the rips internally on US.
Yes. The SSD version seems eminently logical to me - if you want a US. I would not go with onboard storage. Others see it other ways, which is why there is more than one US available. Something for everyone.
I originally bought an HDX with 500MB internal storage plus 500MB backup. As soon as I established that playback from NAS was no different to that from the internal HDD, everything went on the NAS. Then they launched the HDX-SSD, which would have my ideal choice, had it been available a year earlier. I had mine converted.
I rip and download in FLAC and Asset is setted to send as FLAC WAV files, beacause I had some troubles with WAV on ND5XS and, expecially, n-Stream (all suggested by Naim support).
BTW, in my opinion, US SSD has a "logic" if used as ripper + streamer to a dac.
M.
Dan43 - I chose a 2TB unitiserve as I wanted to go from playing CDs to streaming from a hard disk to an NDS as quickly and painlessly as possible.
No need to buy and configure a NAS and select a suitable UPNP program. No need to choose and download any ripping software. No need to choose and download tagging software. No need to work out how to catalogue the stuff with tagging heirarchys. No problems trying to display cover art. It took me 3 months to rip my entire CD collection (1350 CDs) whereas it has taken others over a year of experimentation to rip 700 CDs.
If you already are playing downloads or are ripping CDs using dbpoweramp to a NAS, I would agree that the unitiserve looks expensive for little added benefit.
Personally I see no advantage to an SSD version. Both will fail eventually!
Dan43 - I chose a 2TB unitiserve as I wanted to go from playing CDs to streaming from a hard disk to an NDS as quickly and painlessly as possible.
No need to buy and configure a NAS and select a suitable UPNP program. No need to choose and download any ripping software. No need to choose and download tagging software. No need to work out how to catalogue the stuff with tagging heirarchys. No problems trying to display cover art. It took me 3 months to rip my entire CD collection (1350 CDs) whereas it has taken others over a year of experimentation to rip 700 CDs.
If you already are playing downloads or are ripping CDs using dbpoweramp to a NAS, I would agree that the unitiserve looks expensive for little added benefit.
Personally I see no advantage to an SSD version. Both will fail eventually!