Synology 216j Music Selections

In Synology's Media Server you have a 'Customise'  feature in DMA Menu Style,  you can enable or delete a list of search/browse options, its very intuitive.  But why not just use the pre-programmed 'Simple Style' & ignore the search options you don't want to use.

The app can select & start to play in number of ways,  apart from the three dots at the top right of the screen & its popup menu,  the three dots at the right of each track give you 'Play from this track',  'Play this track',   'Queue next' &  'Queue last'

found the option - Many thanks 

Synology Media Server and MinimServer are totally independent "packages" (apps).  Settings on one do not change the other.  I suggest that pick one server and run it and disable the other.  

Have tried both and no discernible difference, prefer the Synology as I can also use it stream music to my iPad via headphones and transcodes from Flac to Mp3 without any issues

If you're using .flac files, and if you're interested, one thing minimserver can do is transcode from .flac to .wav on the fly without changing the bit depth (Synology Audio Station downsamples 24bit to 16bit when doing so).

Some users, myself included, who store their music in formats other than .wav have found they prefer the sound when using on the fly transcoding to supply their Naim gear with .wav. 

Hi

How do I specify Synology to transcode to Wav?

Are you using Syn's Media Server or Minimserver.  ???   Minimserver does a better job of transcoding - it does not downsample 24 bit & plays gapless when transcoding    ..............   better for a Minimserver expert to advise on that,  I no longer use it as am all WAV & DSD

Media Server is very simple:  open Media Server > DMA Compatibility > enable 'check' boxes 

Meant to ask how do I specify MinimServer to transcode to Wav.

Interestingly the pic above indicates that Synology only downasamples if the tickbox is selected?

Myron - you need to install MinimWatch, and then read the documentation on the Minim website, which is pretty good:

Transcoding

To enable transcoding, you need to specify one or more transcoding combinations in the stream.transcode property. The format of each transcoding combination is the input type followed by a colon followed by the output type. The input type is the format of the file or network stream you are playing, and the output type is the audio format that MinimStreamer will send to your music player. For example, to transcode FLAC files to WAV output, you would use the transcoding setting flac:wav.

MyronB posted:

Interestingly the pic above indicates that Synology only downasamples if the tickbox is selected?

Afraid its not that way,  it downsample 24 to 16 bit even with the tickbox open.     I've communicated with Synology on this  & they do not seem interested.   Because I don't use anything except WAV & DSD & don't transcode,   it might be fixed & I don't know about it.    But I have not seen anything in Synology's new software release notes.

Will be an interesting test to see if I am able to discern  any difference between the 2 in wav , 24 bit and 16bit

Thanks to all for your responses

Dave***t posted:

If you're using .flac files, and if you're interested, one thing minimserver can do is transcode from .flac to .wav on the fly without changing the bit depth (Synology Audio Station downsamples 24bit to 16bit when doing so).

Some users, myself included, who store their music in formats other than .wav have found they prefer the sound when using on the fly transcoding to supply their Naim gear with .wav. 

Have I understood the above correctly.

Synology only reduces from 24bit to 16bit when converting from .flac to .wav if minimserver is not instaIled.

I have recently installed a Synology NAS and loaded it with music all in .flac without minimserver. Therefore if I play .flac 24bit it sends it as 24bit to the streamer and does not reduce from 24bit down to 16bit.

Cheers. Doug

Doug,  if you are using Synology Media Server (UPnP software) & play 24-bit .flac,  then it plays 24-bit & does not downsample.    It only downsamples to 16-bit when transcoding .flac to .wav.   (even when the DMA 'downsample' tickbox is not ticked) 

Dougie Danger posted:

Dave***t posted:

If you're using .flac files, and if you're interested, one thing minimserver can do is transcode from .flac to .wav on the fly without changing the bit depth (Synology Audio Station downsamples 24bit to 16bit when doing so).

Some users, myself included, who store their music in formats other than .wav have found they prefer the sound when using on the fly transcoding to supply their Naim gear with .wav. 

Have I understood the above correctly.

Synology only reduces from 24bit to 16bit when converting from .flac to .wav if minimserver is not instaIled.

I have recently installed a Synology NAS and loaded it with music all in .flac without minimserver. Therefore if I play .flac 24bit it sends it as 24bit to the streamer and does not reduce from 24bit down to 16bit.

Cheers. Doug

Doug -- please please please let me "teach" you only ONE thing here.....

Minimserver and Synology's Audio Station are TWO COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT programs.

One does not in any way effect the other.  It's not like some programs that kinda sit 'on top of' iTunes on a Mac . . . these two server programs ("packages in nas-speak") are COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT.

I suggest that you figure out which one you want to use (which I know is what you're doing), then disable the one you're not using.

Correct, the Synology audio station programme should send flac files to your streamer without interfering with them. It's only when you transcode to wav that the issue rears its head. Audio station reduces 24bit files to 16bit when doing so, minimserver/minimstreamer leaves them at 24bit.

But transcoding to wav is often considered beneficial. Naim streamers 'think' in wav, so to speak, and thus have to 'translate' flac into wav as they play the file. The extra processing involved in doing so can create noise within the streamer which can theoretically have a minor impact on sound quality. 

So removing the burden of doing so by getting the NAS to do the 'translation' as it sends the file can result in better sound quality. Some people don't notice it, but others do. It's a small difference, but worth trying a comparison as it's a free tweak.

Bart & Dave***T,  Synology Audio Station is not Synology's UPnP software.   Audio Station is used to compile pay lists & play all sorts of stuff over www to other devices.    Media Server is the UPnP software & the one with the downsample transcode problem.  

But yes Media Server & Minimserver can both be installed & do work completely independently,  I used to run both, but prefered Media Server for its simplicity.  But I'm all .wav (& .dsd) & have no need to transcode 

Mike-B posted:

Bart & Dave***T,  Synology Audio Station is not Synology's UPnP software.   Audio Station is used to compile pay lists & play all sorts of stuff over www to other devices.    Media Server is the UPnP software & the one with the downsample transcode problem.  

But yes Media Server & Minimserver can both be installed & do work completely independently,  I used to run both, but prefered Media Server for its simplicity.  But I'm all .wav (& .dsd) & have no need to transcode 

 

Thanks Mike -- my comments should be amended to say that AUDIO STATION AND MINIMSERVER are independent!

Thanks for all the replies. I now fully understand.

Cheers. Doug

Dave***t posted:

Correct, the Synology audio station programme should send flac files to your streamer without interfering with them. It's only when you transcode to wav that the issue rears its head. Audio station reduces 24bit files to 16bit when doing so, minimserver/minimstreamer leaves them at 24bit.

But transcoding to wav is often considered beneficial. Naim streamers 'think' in wav, so to speak, and thus have to 'translate' flac into wav as they play the file. The extra processing involved in doing so can create noise within the streamer which can theoretically have a minor impact on sound quality. 

So removing the burden of doing so by getting the NAS to do the 'translation' as it sends the file can result in better sound quality. Some people don't notice it, but others do. It's a small difference, but worth trying a comparison as it's a free tweak.

I don't believe they do 'think' in WAV. It's just that WAV is easier to unpack than FLAC into whatever they do 'think' in, which I believe is PCM, though I may have my acronyms confused. 

Aha, yes, amendment taken. I was just trying to make the rough idea intelligible for those who might find it all a bit confusing.

And just as a note of sympathy with the confused, there's no shame in finding things confusing! I've spent the last week trying to get my head around some of the finer points of a revisionary form of metaethical non-cognitivism, and feel more confused now than when I started!