Muso, NAS, UPnP? very new to all this
Posted by: chris355 on 12 January 2015
Hello,
First of all i am very very new to the whole streaming thing.
I've been looking at the Muso for a little while now and have decided i would like to get into the whole streaming music thing.
My dad had naim pre amp, power amps and CD players when i was growing up so feel comfortable with the band all be it in a new format from his LPs playing on his sondek to stream music around the house.
This is what i'm trying to do and i'm not sure if it is possible.
Muso in the lounge fed from a NAS drive via our virgin media router.
And then using sonos units or something else in the other rooms around the house.
As i say very new to all of this so trying to read as much as possible.
Unfortunately i'm so out of touch with this i'm not sure where to start reading.
If i understand it right the nas drive would have a upnp front end this could plug directly into the Muso or stream via a router?
Now this is where i get lost, i would like to control muso and ideally the sonos units from my ipad or phone. Does the music need to be on the ipad for the naim app to play it or does anybody know of an app that can control both the muso and the sonos units?
If somebody could explain to me at a system level what plugs into what and what controls what i can go away and research the details.
Thanks in advance
Chris.
Hi Chris
The short answer is yes you can. There are many permutations but to create an operative system you need 3 elements.
A music server - in your case your NAS drive will fill this role. For mu-so it needs uPnP server software (Asset, JRiver or Twonky etc) installed either directly on the NAS or on a PC/Mac on the network (if on a PC/Mac that will need to be running for your system to work). Sonos works differently and does not need uPnP server software.
A music player or players - in your case your mu-so and Sonos units. I have a mu-so, a Sonos connect, 2 Play 3's and a Play 1 in my set up, all operating wirelessly.
A control point - this will be your iPad or phone. You need the Naim App to control the mu-so and the Sonos controller to control the Sonos units. This is always wireless even if you have wired connections between your music server and your music players.
A home network. You can connect mu-so by an ethernet cable directly to your router (or a switch) or wirelessly - wireless works fine for CD quality streaming in my house. Sonos have recently changed their set up so you can use your normal wireless network, but for the sake of £40 on a Bridge (which you connect to your router) and which sets up a private Sonos network which the Sonos units use, I'd stick with that because it's rock solid. How you choose to set up your network really depends on what other traffic you have, whether you've got dead spots in your home etc, etc. Hopefully these are useful pointers, please ask if any of this isn't clear.
Olly
perfect Olly, many thanks.
Any advice on which UPnP server is the best to use, i guess it depends on what NAS i end up with.
again thanks for the post.
Chris
Synology NASes are very good. They can run their own server software, while others seem to like Minimserver. I would avoid Twonky at all costs.
If you have a look in Naim's Knowledge Base on the main website I believe there are some recommendations.
As well as the Muso, have you thought about a UnitiQute and some little speakers. It will sound a lot better, and be more of a 'proper' Hifi.
i did look at the UnitiQute but i'm going away from separates (at the bosses request) i have an arcam set up at the moment (A85 old but awesome integrated amp with an alpha CD player and B&W speakers).
i would love to keep separated but it doesn't really fit with our new house. i can't really find a place to put everything without it dominating the room.
i did look at the Synology NASes, will look at them again
The Qute is very cute though, whereas the Muso is a right old porker at 67cm wide.
very true! the muso is massive, maybe i need to look a book shelf speakers!
Chris
Depends to a certain extent on where you plan to locate it and whether your only system. Mine is in the system pics thread and replaced a tabletop "qute-like" streamer/amp/speakers set up previously on that cupboard. Yes it takes up as much space, but it's a lot tidier and it's not my main system.
In that context I'm not disappointed musically.
Olly
have you got a link to the system pics thread have search but cannot find it?
cheers
chris.
I've wondered why Naim, didn't include the possibility of connecting directly to an iTunes library in the way Sonos and Bluesound do. I would have thought this would be a popular option for its target audience. UPnP while a great option for the tech savvy has never been the simplest or most reliable route for the uninitiated.
thats the thing that is confusing me, in a perfect world I'd like one app to control the lot.
would like the app to play the same song around the house at the same time or different songs in each room.
Moon on a stick I think!
The Qute is very cute though, whereas the Muso is a right old porker at 67cm wide.
True, but then you need speakers and speaker cables.
That's why the Muso appeals to me - although I know next to nothing about the technology, and I'd have to spend many (unhappy) hours trying to sort everything out.
I've wondered why Naim, didn't include the possibility of connecting directly to an iTunes library in the way Sonos and Bluesound do. I would have thought this would be a popular option for its target audience. UPnP while a great option for the tech savvy has never been the simplest or most reliable route for the uninitiated.
Muso has Airplay, so you can play your iTunes library on your Muso that way, and controlling either on the PC with iTunes or using the Apple Remote app.
Is that what you are thinking of?
Or you could configure whatever uPnP servier you are using to point to the iTunes library for its music source.
thats the thing that is confusing me, in a perfect world I'd like one app to control the lot.
would like the app to play the same song around the house at the same time or different songs in each room.
Moon on a stick I think!
I don't have any Sonos, but that's what it does I believe.
And in Naim land, I have got a SuperUniti and 2 Qutes covering three rooms fed by a UnitiServe. You can make that do what you describe. The US can run up to 8 (I think) separate uPnP streams to allow different music in different rooms.
And if you want the same music in different rooms you get music running on one device and then use multi-room to connect another device in.
I don't think the way the control app handles all this is as slick as the way I believe Sonos does it.
I've wondered why Naim, didn't include the possibility of connecting directly to an iTunes library in the way Sonos and Bluesound do. I would have thought this would be a popular option for its target audience. UPnP while a great option for the tech savvy has never been the simplest or most reliable route for the uninitiated.
Muso has Airplay, so you can play your iTunes library on your Muso that way, and controlling either on the PC with iTunes or using the Apple Remote app.
Is that what you are thinking of?
Or you could configure whatever uPnP servier you are using to point to the iTunes library for its music source.
Airplay is obviously convenient and essential in a product like the Mu-so, but I was thinking of a direct link to the iTunes library by sharing the folder as many other solutions offer, thus avoiding the need to maintain a UPnP server.
https://forums.naimaudio.com/topic/system-pics-2015
Sorry for slow reply - it's in the hi-fi corner "room".
Naim streaming devices can't "see" an i-Tunes library on your network without a uPnP server (you can point these at multiple libraries).
The best way to conceive of it (I think) is that in uPnP streaming the library is broadcast to the app (control point) by the server, in the world of Sonos the app performs the functions of server and control point and so it can "see" your i-Tunes (or other library) without the need for a uPnP server - it's just built on a different (and some might argue better) premise. See the "fundamentally flawed" thread.
If Sonos had Naim sound quality, I wouldn't have needed or bought a mu-so, and if they launch something with Naim sound quality, I'll be very tempted to sell the mu-so.
Olly
In addition to all the advice you have received on this thread, I assume you will be talking through your requirements with a dealer? They will be able to help. If they are one of the few dealers who don't get into network stuff they will be outnumbered by the expert dealers who do, and have a lot of installation experience.
In addition to all the advice you have received on this thread, I assume you will be talking through your requirements with a dealer? They will be able to help. If they are one of the few dealers who don't get into network stuff they will be outnumbered by the expert dealers who do, and have a lot of installation experience.
Ok, so I'm sounding like a broken record, but if you bought a Mu-so from John Lewis or Apple, it's not a realistic proposition to expect them to advise on things like network configuration and UPnP.
Got it. Good reason to seek out a dealer in future, but nothing like 20:20 hindsight!