Synology nas transcoding

I use minimserver on my synology nas. Works like a charm and it can do what you are looking for. It takes a while to install (altough the guide is very clear and usefull) but it is worth the effort...

You need to run DSM 3.2 Build 1955 for transcoding of hi res files to work correctly. You can downgrade your NAS but would depend on which version you have, much easier to install Minimserver, as JJ stated Minimserver works a treat.

Hi Lefteye

You won't find Minim in the package menu. Search for it on line and there's a guide explaining how to install it (it gets you to install Java first) but once installed you will get much better album art and be able to transcode. I did it a few weeks ago and I've never looked back.

I even left the original media server software running along side to cater for my Bluray player and the Synology has never missed a beat. 

Thanks Sorren I'll try it tomorrow!

I've just installed minim server, and the streamer package (for transcoding) and am having problems in getting the transcoding to work on my Synology DS112+ NAS.

stream.converter = ffmpeg

stream.transcode = flac:wav, alac:wav

Any ideas? Thanks

 If that's literally how you typed it in, then you need a space between the colons;  so, flac : wav, alac : wav. I gad that problem initially when I set it up.

Regards

Tony

I put Minimserver on to the Synology NAS (plus Java) and it transcodes beautifully. Unlike the DSM version it will transcode hi res files too. Minimserver is fine with N-Stream. There's some technical faff with Java, etc, but that depends how tech inclined you are. It's fiddly but not really hard. So I'm sure it's true that FLAC and WAV sound the same, but given it was an hour's work there's no real downside to going with Minimserver on Synology.

My sentiments exactly 

Tony 

Mine transcodes fine without the spaces, but i do use flac:wave24 as i found flac:wav sounded flat and lifeless.

Graeme

Have to say i can hear a clear difference between sending flac or wav to the streamer. Not gonna say its huge by its clear. Very similar to the difference between 16 and 24 bit recording. Its a more natural sound, very hard to put into words.

Graeme

Hi Graeme

To be fair I think I can hear a difference too but as you say it is subtle and I can't be certain that I'm just imagining the change. I'm happy with the sound now and transcoding is turned on, it doesn't seem to impact anything else so I don't see the point in turning it off.

Interesting, certainly didn't like me not having the spaces. Thanks for the tip re wav 24, will give it a go.

Are you able to play AIFF's (transcoded or otherwise) from the Synology?

On the perceived sound quality difference: I did a couple of blind tests with myself and other people: no sound difference whatsoever between a FLAC or WAV signal to the streamer, in spite of what people claim. That's obvious, because the Naim streamer converts a FLAC fle to WAV internally and then feeds the signal to its DAC. And that DAC has no clue whatsoever whether that FLAC-WAV conversion was done upstream, or inside the Naim box.

Hi Bert

I was not aware of the above. So my ND5 XS converts all my FLAC files to WAV before it enters the ND5's on board DAC. So I'm not really listening to my FLAC files, but in fact WAV files. Do I have this correct?

Cheers

David

Thanks.

• The audio contained in a CD-Digital Audio consists of two-channel signedbit Linear PCM sampled at 44,100 Hz.
• In a process called ripping, digital audio extraction software can be used to read CD-DA audio data and store it in files. Common audio file formats for this purpose include:
• • WAV and AIFF, which simply preface the LPCM data with a short header;
  • FLAC, ALAC and Windows Media Audio Lossless, which compress the LPCM data in ways that conserve space yet allow it to be restored without any changes;
• Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or more commonly known as WAV due to its filename extension) is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PC's.

Pretty clear wording. Yet I find it hard to believe that the simple decoding from FLAC to WAV(=PCM) inside a Naim box requires so much computational load that the analog sound quality is affected. It sounds more like a sales story for 'the Naim ripping engine' - whatever that may be

Originally Posted by The Meerkat:

On the perceived sound quality difference: I did a couple of blind tests with myself and other people: no sound difference whatsoever between a FLAC or WAV signal to the streamer, in spite of what people claim. That's obvious, because the Naim streamer converts a FLAC fle to WAV internally and then feeds the signal to its DAC. And that DAC has no clue whatsoever whether that FLAC-WAV conversion was done upstream, or inside the Naim box.

 

Hi Bert

 

I was not aware of the above. So my ND5 XS converts all my FLAC files to WAV before it enters the ND5's on board DAC. So I'm not really listening to my FLAC files, but in fact WAV files. Do I have this correct?

 

Cheers

 

David

David,

Yes I believe this is the case, although I'm a bit confused which format is finally fed to the DAC (Digital-Analog Converter):  WAV, (L)PCM or I2S. I did some further digging and if O understand Wikipedia correctly, WAV is an uncompressed format defined by Microsoft for PC's, which simply takes the (L)PCM data from the audio CD prefaced by a short header. Quotes from Wikipedia:

• The audio contained in a CD-Digital Audio consists of two-channel signedbit Linear PCM sampled at 44,100 Hz.
• In a process called ripping, digital audio extraction software can be used to read CD-DA audio data and store it in files. Common audio file formats for this purpose include:
• • WAV and AIFF, which simply preface the LPCM data with a short header;
  • FLAC, ALAC and Windows Media Audio Lossless, which compress the LPCM data in ways that conserve space yet allow it to be restored without any changes;
• Waveform Audio File Format (WAVE, or more commonly known as WAV due to its filename extension) is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing an audio bitstream on PC's.

 

So the WAV and PCM formats are storing identical bitstream data. In the interesting White Paper on the Naim DAC, Naim mentions yet another format I2S (or IIS), as digital input into their Burr-Brown PCM1704K DAC.

 

Anyway, for sure the FLAC data are decoded (converted back) into the original WAV/PCM data (without any loss) before being fed to the DAC.

 

In the White Paper on the NDX from 2010, Naim writes:

"Naim’s UPnP™ servers deliver the uncompressed audio data ripped from CD using the Naim ripping engine to ensure the best quality reproduction. Uncompressed audio data will always give better results than compressed. Even lossless compression may not reproduce audio with equivalent quality to the uncompressed original as the processing required to uncompress the data increases the computational load. This raises the power supply noise floor, which detracts from the sound quality."

 

Pretty clear wording. Yet I find it hard to believe that the simple decoding from FLAC to WAV(=PCM) inside a Naim box requires so much computational load that the analog sound quality is affected. It sounds more like a sales story for 'the Naim ripping engine' - whatever that may be

 

I have to admit that it was also my understanding that trancoding prior delivery to the streamer meant that it didn't have to do it on-board and as a result, this helped improve sound quality. whilst that may not make much difference on it's own, Naim has always adopted the policy that it's not about the difference that any one change can make, it's about the positive cumlative effect of all the little ones. So for a company that obsesses about how cables are bound and routed within their devices, it is not a huge logical leap to assume that they would also see the benefit resulting froma reduction in the noise associated with onboard computation during transcoding.

  
Tony

Tony

thanks for your responses.

Following a rescan of my music folder, I can now confirm that minim server works perfectly running on my Synology NAS, and I am very happy with the results. All my ALACs & FLACs are now transcoded to WAV prior to entering my NDS.

I believe, to my ears anyway, that this is preferable to onboard (NDS) transcoding.

Rgds

David.

David, have you compared flac:wav to flac:wav24 transcoding. Id be interested in your findings.

Graeme

Graeme,

I use minim server and transcoding to wav24 sounds notably better to me.

 Yes i agree. Many thanks

Graeme,

I have just compared with the transcoding to wav24, and so far am liking it!

Thanks for the tip.

David.