What UPnP server do you use with your Naim streamer?

IMO, the best UPnP server solution would be for Mr. Spoon to port Asset to Linux so that it can be installed on any Linux-based NAS.   He has hinted that this project is underway, so hopefully he is making good progress!

Hook

Built-in software on Synology DS212j.  Recommended by Naim distributor, so I do hope Naim will support it.

MM - Why did the Synology DS212J sound poor to you? And was the difference that noticeable to the other one you tried? Thanks!

The superuniti just sounded like it was straining. The music sounded better when I used a squeezebox touch as a transport into the superuniti, leading me to believe that the network card was struggling?

when I swapped a ds212 in, I was under the impression that the ds212 sounded better than my quad core pc.

But if you're at the $300 budget, I would recommend qnap: which is better specced and at the same price as the ds212.

Maybe I'll just stream from my PC. :-) I'll plop the extra hard drives that I have in my PC and call it a day. It's a hyperthreaded quad core with 8 GB Ram, so that should be plenty. And it's streaming, so doesn't matter.

Would consider the mac mini as a transport, but seems overkill as a streamer.

The Mac Mini is probably overkill as just streamer. OTOH, it's a lot less than a Naim server.

I will use it for other things as well (possibly running OS X Lion Server). I'll run it headless and use my MacBook Pro to remote desktop to it. Then the question will be whether I stream from it, or use a USB or optical connection to my ND5.

In case you start using the macmini as the transport, why not stick with the naim dac instead of the nd5xs?

I am using synology build in UPNP server

Not sure if you were asking that of me or not. I do not have a DAC. ND5-XS alone (plus whatever I use to serve a stream) comprises my entire digital front end.

Logitech Media Server on a MAC

Before that I used Twonky.  Playback  and Majestic too basic for my needs. Eyconnect was too slow.

Also run direct from macmini via optical.

Actually, I was. I thought you had the nDac, and traded that in for the ND5XS.

I had a UnitiQute (w/out the 24/192 upgrade) and traded it in for the ND5 after acquiring a 202/HC. I'm really more of a vinylphile, so that is likely the full extent of my digital front end in the foreseeable future.

Mangomonkey...

I fail to see how a DS212 can sound ANY different to a DS212j despite the very slightly faster processor, assuming both are running the same version of DSM and are both set up correctly and identically.

The DS 212j has more than enough processing power for a music server, including transcoding on the fly, which is why I went for Synology (and its excellent software interface) in the first instance.  To suggest otherwise is somewhat misleading... 

I fail to see how any NAS feeding the same streamer can sound any different unless one of them is doing something like injecting rubbish in to the mains or it is adjacent to the system and making a noise of vibrating .... I cannot tell any difference between a stream from a Vortexbox and one from something else. I like the Vortexbox because it is very reliable and does a great job.

My Vortexbox vs Mac Mini into a UQ do some slightly different though, but I think this is because the rendering is going on in two entirely different systems. They both sound really good. 

Asset on Linux would be great - I'd certainly be interested 

I'd even try that J-River software if it ran on Linux 

I agree. I fail to see why it should make a difference too. But it did. Like I said, it's $100 to go from the DS212J t the DS212, and if you can pay$875 for a powerline, I would say the money is better spent here.

Any idea why a UnitiServ costs as much as it does?

Having said that, I've decided to go get the Qnap with the 2Ghz processor. it's the same price as the DS212 and better specced. I would rather have Twonky on it, since it's a company that lives and dies by it's streaming software. The embedded media player on Synology is not really synology's core business (good as it was).

I also had a look at the Qnap's UI earlier today via  a live demo. Looks more thought out vs. synology's approach of just giving you a Unix Shell.

I'll report more when I actually get the Qnap.

Vortexbox of course :-)

Tog

zoneripper max NAS using asset upnp

ReadyNas built in server, which is much improved in as much as it can now handle any number of .wav files correctly; as long as the latest (ReadyDLNA_1.0.24.2) server software is installed.

Foobar would be my preferred server if I were able to ‘Push’ music to the Qute and NDX from a PC. Will this ever be possible?

Peter

You cant?

Hi Patrick

No, you can’t. Not designed to work that way. This is the only drawback in my opinion, (good job they sound so good otherwise……..... . The server component for Foobar is IMHO the best server I have seen, so versatile, tell it what the streamer is capable of and any file you feed it can be played, (within the limits of the main program); but of course you know this well enough.

I should perhaps state again that wireless is not an option for us as this undoubtedly is a factor in the control of our units. In the bigger picture this is a relatively minor issue, once the music is playing it is of no importance whatsoever, it would just be the 'icing on the cake' if it were possible.

Peter

Peter,

It has been a while since I used Foobar as a server.  I have never used it without a control point telling it where to send music to.

Have you checked out JRiver?

I assume you want to be able to select music from within the media player, i.e. use the media player as the control point?

-Patrick

Hi Peter,

Yes, you can! There is a UPnP extension for Foobar, and you can use it as a control point to stream to any Naim stream player. In this case you can use Foobar's own server component, or you can connect to any server on the network - for example a Naim server - and control stream to any client. I am not sure if it has the most convenient UI, but it works fine according to my experience with NDX.

Patrick………..Yes I guess your assumption is what I mean.

I did try JRiver for a while but found it rather bloated for our needs and still it does not work any better than other programs I have tried. Assett, Foobar, 4you2stream come to mind.

If I have understood correctly, the unit, NDX, Qute or any of the other’s, must select and then ‘Pull’ the music from the server. So, any control point would presumably have to directly operate the streamer and not the server. I assume this is what the iApp does. There isn’t anything available on a PC that does this; indeed it may not even be possible.

I have no knowledge/understanding of what would be needed for this to work, whether software, or a change in the hardware, who knows; it’s way above my pay grade as it were.

The great sound we enjoy makes all of this a rather minor concern really; it’s just that it would be a bonus if it were possible.

Peter 

Hello aysil,

I think we are talking about different means of control here.

Yes, Foobar is an excellent server with the UPnP component installed and I use it regularly, though less now that Netgear have improved the server on the ReadyNas.

What we are talking about is selecting tracks within Foobar on a PC and then telling Foobar to play them on the NDX, this does not work for any length of time and causes the streamer to need restarting. It is possible to create playlists in Foobar and then select these from the screen on the streamer, this works very well, I am using it this way as I type.

Ultimately, if you are unable to use an idevice to select the music you must select it from the front screen.

Peter