To NAS or not to NAS

No..you dont need a computer 

You could buy a NAS that will both rip CDs and store downloads.. but it is all extra expense if you are overall happy with tidal ( I assume tidal hifi  )

Hi Popeye,  NDX to stream Tidal is like having a sports car for shopping.  

If you have no CD's & intend to download new music to a storage device of some sort, I don't think that can be done without a computer   & that includes with an alternative ripper/storage device as suggested by JapTimScarlet;   it'll rip CD's OK but how to download from 'tinterweb.       Maybe time to re-think about a 'poota as well as a pukka NAS. 

Popeye, I must agree with Mike-B, I switched to an all streaming system some three years back using a NDX ripping into a NAS and for the last 12 months I've been using a Core.

Music is either Internet Radio,TidaL and ripped CDs ironically since I ditched my CD player I am buying considerably more CDs and ripping them to the Core, secondhand CDs and storage is so cheap these days plus my music tastes have expanded.

Hi Popeye,

I use Qobuz, which is excellent. I do have local files which I will retain for a number of reasons, including that my broadband does go down occasionally. Which is better? Depends on the source files in my experience. I would say that my local files, all pcm, frequently sound more dynamic (not always an advantage) and have a larger soundstage. My DAC does not truly process anything over 16/44.1 but frequently the HiRes files sound better.

IF you choose to buy some outside storage then I think this can require a bit more thought than first appears. For music I do NOT use my NAS but a Raspberry Pi 3 powered by an LPSU via LT3045s. The files are held on USB sticks which are on a USB3 hub AFTER an expensive StarTech USB extender (Gives galvanic isolation). This sounds very good, my Synology NAS slightly degraded the sound.

If you go this or the NAS route THEN you need to worry about backups.

Is this worth the trouble and expense?

If I was in your position I think the quality of streaming is such I would be very tempted to say NO.

Pro Home Storage
Sometimes better SQ
Local files in case internet goes down
Your music will not be discontinued by a third party
Your files will not be altered by a third party (e.g. MQA)

Cons
Expense
Space
Power
Time
Back-ups

M

As Mike says, you can’t operate a NAS without logging into it via a web browser. Having said that, it is possible to log into a Synology NAS on an iOS device using Safari. Whether you can also download music, edit metadata and transfer it to a NAS, I’m not so sure. 

If you want one device that will do everything including downloading as well as ripping CDs, editing metadata, etc. I would look at an Innuos Zen Mini. Unlike the Core, it can do all this, controlled by its iOS app. 

+1 for Innuos Zen mini. Can also use it as a full streamer for an office system.

I only stream from my own stored music for serious listening, never Tidal. Occasionally I will use Spotify or some other low quality free online streaming availability to assess if I like some new piece of music, when the absolute quality is of no consequence. My reasoning is simple: home served music is entirely dependable, no variability in play, the best possible quality (no effect of internet limitations, MQA artefacts etc), it will never disappear because the supplier decides not to support, costs nothing after initial purchase, I can’t be screwed by supplier price hikes...

I favour a music store and renderer combined, feeding a DAC by direct connectio . Doing this removes the potential negative effects of networks (the subject of a fair few threads here), not to mention fretting about whether network cables, switches and their power supplies have any effect, or spending money on them if you find or believe they do.

My own solution is a Mac Mini running Audirvana as renderer, which is a bit more hands-on to set up and unless the DAC has exemplary RF rejection it needs an isolator in between,  and I find Audirvana’s library handling less than perfect. Ready made -but more costly - solutions include Naim’s own Uniti Core, Melco and Innuos Zenith. Or you can go even more DIY with a Raspberry Pi and microRendu. Much on all of these on the forum. If I needed to replace my Mac Mini I would consider the ready-made solutions,

All that said, many people seem happy with a NAS and have no trouble with their networks - indeed I did that when I first started streaming, without any issues, other than that my NAS was a cheap model that was obrusively noisy (acoustically), later relegated to a cupboard elsewhere in the house where it now functions as a back-up device. I then used my Mac Mini as a silent NAS, before going the whole hog and adding the renderer.