UnitiQute cannot play files from my TS212

It might be easier to stream from the HDX itself.

I couldn't access the HDX ripped WAV files on my NAS from the ND5XS and here was the response from naim:

Hi

Without the HDX a UPnP server will not read the HDX files correctly! The only way round this is to update the HDX to 1.7A software and convert the HDX rips to FLAC

Regards

Steven Hopkins 

I'm in the process of doing this between NAS store and HDX. 900 albums = 9 days for the HDX to convert.

Hope that helps.

G

Thanks for the suggestions. I do find it odd that Naim have equipment that cannot read files generated by their own brand. Irony is my HDX is in for repair because it could not update to 1.7a firmware. I effectively have a music collection that I cannot access.

Are you saying that if the HDX backs up the WAV files to a NAS, another Naim streamer cannot stream from the NAS? That would be weird, as surely the backups are the same as those in the HDX?

Assuming though that, although weird, that's how it is, if you convert the WAV files to FLAC within the HDX, and the HDX is set to do a differential backup, do the WAV files on the NAS get replaced with the new FLAC versions, or are the FLAC versions saved as new copies?

I'm thinking here about all the files on my UnitiServe, which are backed up to a Synology NAS.

Returning to ROM's issue, this think about Twonky listing all the files alphabetically has come up before, and someone gave a fix. From memory, I think the answer was to install a better upnp on the NAS in place of Twonky.

Yes wierd and the WAV's are replaced by FLAC's Nigel.

6 days to go......

G

It seems therefore that if my UnitiServe conked out, I wouldn't be able to play the music that is on the NAS, unless I had converted it first. So for reliability of backup, I should convert all my music to FLAC, a format Naim say is inferior. Yet if I stick with WAV, and the Serve fails, silence descends........

Good point. I have backed up the US NAS to a separate non-US connected RAID I use for other work at home, so all the backed up WAVs are outside the NAS I use for the US music stores. 

Not an answer, might be worth buying a cheap 2-4TB HDD from Curry's and do a quick back-up of the MQ folder (and LQ if you have the MP3 copies), quicker than converting to FLAC should take a few hours over your network speeds connection.

Afaik the unitiserve/ndx has the upnp server , so if it conks out you won't be able to play anything unless you have another unpnp server running elsewhere. If you do e.g. Asset , then it will read the wav files On the nas. the fact that naim now handle rips to flac is testament in my view that  it is the way to go e.g. Rip to flac and stream as wav. 

The second back-up can then be converted to FLAC via chosen software without disrupting or writing over the music store copies being used was one way of looking at it.

But yes if the US itself goes up in smoke you loose all the N-Serve and accompanying WAV metadata it utilises also, WAVs will still be on the NAS mind but pretty bare bones versions.

It does seem that ripping to FLAC, backing up in FLAC, and then transcoding to WAV for playback is the way to go.

Say I set the UnitiServe to convert, and leave the differential backup running, will it all get in a muddle? Or should I let the Serve convert all the files first? If I then switch the NAS on, will all the new FLAC versions replace the WAV versions on the NAS?

That would be my only worry I think I would want to keep all the WAVs I had up to the point you change over to FLAC when ripping your next set of CDs purchased.

Consider copying that MQ folder to another drive just in case then try the conversion. If anything goes wrong or not to your liking then drop that copied MQ folder back into the US NAS and start over.

Could work?

I did notice that when using an NDX to directly read the WAV files created by a UnitiServe on a Synology NAS that it would have no album art and that all artists were 'unknown'. Yet if I accessed the WAV files on the NAS via connecting the NDX to the UnitiServer (by the network) it would see all of the WAV files AND all of their artist and album information.

As I used the UnitiServe to rip my complete CD colelction, I am now in the habit of leaving it switched off ( it is in a different room to the NDX) and suffer the loss of info as described above.

Thanks to all who helped on this. The solution appears to be to generate a separate 'backup' in FLAC to stream through the UQ. It will not play WAV as was suggested, unless the HDX is on and is used as the source. Who knows whether this will change going forward but I can live with this. One thing I will not do is convert all my music to FLAC.

So does this mean that once I have my Unitiserve (to work primarily with my ND5XS), I would have to make the backup to the QNAP in the form of FLAC or my UQ will not be able to access the music?  

Unless I make the Unitiserve directly accessible to the UQ?  [Not easy - my cabling options are limited by Wife Acceptance Factor]

Maybe I need to ask the question of Naim themselves once I have the Unitiserve...

If I have read this right then probably not. The US will rip all your CDs to WAV (you can select FLAC also in the US software) The UQ will see all those rips on the created music store, be aware the US creates its own music store on an empty NAS and serves the music to your UQ.

The back ups being discussed are to convert to those WAVs in the MQ music store folder to FLAC for easier creation of metadata and conversion on the fly back to WAV for playback for those that need it, thus not only backing up your originally ripped WAVs (essential) but in a format (FLAC) for those that want to manipulate the metadata further as WAVs themselves are not easily manipulated as FLAC are.

I personally have kept to WAVs all the way, even allowing for the niggly metadata issues.

For completion - The HDX converted 900 WAV's to FLAC's faultlessly.  ND5XS sees all the albums now and nstream has all the library and data catalogued perfectly.

ND5XS:XP5XS is a very impressive source too!

G

Excellent. I was looking in the DTC so see how to do the conversion, but couldn't find it. I could see how to change the way new CDs are ripped, but not how to change those that are already there. Any tips?

And to add did the FLAC that were converted replace the original WAVs or sit alongside them (I assume you would see both copies if that was the case in N-Serve so not really make much sense) just curious if the FLACs have overwritten the original WAVs.

The WAV files seem to have been moved from the 'store' to the 'recycle bin' Dan.

HH - In DTC in 'tools' I converted a 'share' (full of the HDX ripped WAV's) to a primary 'store'.  Then back to the HDX touchscreen to manage music store and ask it to convert the WAV's to FLAC's. 

The HDX and NAS then chunter away for a week to convert the files.

Hope that helps.

G

I should add that when the conversion is done you must change the 'store' back to a 'share'

G