Ditch the HDX-SSD leaving NAS alone to serve files?

Posted by: Billy Rubin on 12 February 2015

Contemplating going from HDX-SSD / DAC / 555PS(DR) to NDS / 555PS(DR).

Library sits on ReadyNAS Duo.

Mainly WAVs ripped by HDX-SSD but most new additions are downloaded.

Wondering if I should look at ditching the HDX entirely, and relying on the NAS (either the current one or a replacement) to do server duties.

Main questions:

1 Will I have to edit metadata for whole library? Isn't that a pain?

2 Will the NAS serve files to the NDS, my UnitiQute (and my Pioneer AV amp in the living room) as faultlessly as the HDX does?

3 What about ripping? Rely on MacBook to rip files to NAS if I do ditch the HDX?

Any thoughts?

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by Bruce Woodhouse

I have gone from HDX (non-SSD) writing to NAS to NDS/NAS (plus Qute also in the network)

1) The metadata is there but not all NAS servers read WAV file metadata I am told. If you want you can get the HDX to perform a utility changing all the files to flacs. This is better for future tag reliablilty, some feels less good sound quality. Lots to search about this in the forum. The utility takes a while-but you can break off if you switch off the HDX and it will pick up where you left off until completed..

2) Yes, provided you have a UPNP server on the NAS. Lots to search about pros and cons of various brands. Asset worked for me-and it read the WAV metadata accurately too before I decided to swap to flac.. I serve a Qute and an NDS from my NAS-often both at once.

3) DPpoweramp is great, not sure if it does Mac though.

The NDS is astonishingly good by the way

Bruce

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by Claus-Thoegersen

In the 1.7 firmware you can convert the wav files to flac before you sell off the hdx. This creates standard flac files with the meta tags from the original hdx rips.

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by DavidDever

If it's a SPARC-based (original) ReadyNas, I'd strongly suggest a more capable NAS, to be honest, e.g., QNAP (using Asset UPnP or MinimServer) or Synology (using built-in server).

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by DavidDever

Originally Posted by Claus-Thoegersen:

In the 1.7 firmware you can convert the wav files to flac before you sell off the hdx. This creates standard flac files with the meta tags from the original hdx rips.

This will take a while, even when automated....

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by Bruce Woodhouse

Originally Posted by DavidDever:

Originally Posted by Claus-Thoegersen:

In the 1.7 firmware you can convert the wav files to flac before you sell off the hdx. This creates standard flac files with the meta tags from the original hdx rips.

This will take a while, even when automated....

My 450+ CDs too around the equivalent of 4 full days. Be aware the process stops when the HDX is playing from its library. I left mine running and went away for the weekend to make progress! As I said if you shut down the HDX it will stop and pick up where it left off when booted again so you don't have to do it in one long run.

The utility does work perfectly.

Bruce

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by Harry

This is precisely what we did Billy. We are huge fans of the HDX-SSD and used one for years. When an NDS subsequently arrived we kept the HDX. Only when it went wrong did it occur to me to set up a NAS based server and the difference was considerable. Notwithstanding that the HDX may have been sick, we asked the dealer to have it repaired and and sell it on. Music just sounds so natural and realistic now. As if a veil has been lifted.

We use a QNAP-TS410 running Minimserver. All of our 16/44 WAV rips had been done with our old HDX so the tags needing doing. I enjoyed is and found many more errors than I knew were in the system. It was time consuming but I thought it was worth it.

I have not had occasion to rip any CDs since the HDX departed. I have dBpoweramp on PC so ripping CDs will not be a problem. It's also what I used for tagging my HDX ripped collection and what I use for file conversions, stripping out tags and adding them

Minimserver does everything the HDX did for serving and works just fine with the Naim app. iRadio is taken care of by the NDS. We have always put sound quality/musical enjoyment above all else. What sounds best to our ears is what gets used. Which is why we abandoned CD replay (but just the replay, not the CDs) only use WAV, and why the HDX went. It is bound to be different for everyone. Your experiences will probably vary. You won't need to abandon your HDX to have a try and if some fun can be had along the way then it's all good, however you decide.

Posted on: 12 February 2015 by likesmusic

Just to say that if anyone has their music in a folder structure - say Artist / Album / Name ... which you want to use to populate tags then JRiver Media Center has some very useful tools to set tags from folder and file names which might save you a fair bit of work. It can also look up tags from an online database, and do clever searches and tag updates.