RipNas, NDac question

I have no experience of the ripnas but based on the assumption that its a device for ripping and playing music, on the back should be some for of digital out in the for of an optical, BNC or phono output.

If a rip nas does not have this then you will not be able to connect it to a nDac.

A RipNas sits on your network and can deliver over your network music files stored on it to any number of different players with digital outputs which can in turn be connected to your nDAC.

You could use a Logitech Touch, or a Sonos, or a Linn Sneaky DS or a Linn Majik-DS or a Naim Unitiqute or a Naim NDX. £300 to £3000.  

A Naim UnitiServe will also rip and store your music, and drive your nDAC directly.

In theory there shouldn't be any difference between any of these things if they are competently set up  but the golden eared disagree!

Note that the RipNas uses dBpoweramp to do the ripping. You can download this same software for your own computer free - or pay about $30 for the full version. Lots of people on here could happily tell you how to set it up and use it sensibly. This would then mean you would have a much wider choice of potentially much cheaper NAS storage options.

OK i think likemusic has confirmed that no, you cannot connect a ripnas to your nDac.

an nDac is a DAC, its not a streamer. It has connections to receive music in the form of 1s and 0s and convert said 1s and 0s to analogue for playing out yer pre amp there.

A rip nas is a computing device that sits on the network dishing out protocals and such and is not in itself a music device able of delivering the 1s and 0s mentioned above.

there are NAS units with digital output.  It appears the RipNAS just isn't one of them.

A RipNas CAN dish out the 0s and 1s, but it can only do so across the network. It comes preloaded with a UPnP Server, a Squeezebox server and a Sonos server. Oh, and an iTunes server.  Alas, the nDAC can't be connected to your network, so it can't talk to any of these. More's the pity some might say. Then others will say buy an NDX instead of an nDAC. Then others will say buy both.

Thanks for the replies.  So I need to look at the NDX instead if I want to use the RipNas.

I'm a Mac user and I believe that dbpoweramp works with Windows only.  Without having any experience with ripping CDs, I looked at the RipNas as a cheaper alternative to the Unitiserve -- since the RipNas promises it "is pre-configured to work right out of the box, no computer, keyboard, LCD or computer skills are required."  

An unrelated question:  When it is said that rips to WAV  do not contain tags or metadata, does that mean that after the rip is complete and I look in the folder where the rip is stored, all I will see is "unknown artist" or perhaps just symbols and will not know what album that is?  Sorry for this basic question.

I know even less about macs than I do about windows, but I believe that there's a (free) piece of ripping software called max which you can download.

Try using a well known search engine beginning with g on "max apple rip".

There'll be plenty of people on here to advise you.

But .. if you go for an NDX instead of an nDAC in order to use the RipNas, you will spend a similar amount of money to a UnitiServe + nDAC ..

Yes, likemusic, we disagree 

It is nice to have a plenty of great options at multiple price levels isn't it?

One option is to not get the RipNAS.  You said you were thinking about getting one.

You can get a NAS with spdif out, or use a PC or even a Mac.  If you are going to get a Serve you surely dont need the ripping function in your NAS.  In fact, why not let the NAS do what it does best (network storage), and use a PC/Mac for ripping.

Or screw all of that and get the Serve with internal drives.  You could always add a NAS later to expand.

You could



Build your own WHS server with Asset UPnP with a dig out

Buy a cheaper AssetNas box - without a Ripper and a Uniti

Source a cheaper RipNas - Hfx (manufacturer) mini about £600 and a Uniti

Buy a Sonore music server with lynx card dig out and Vortexbox

Build your own Vortexbox Server with dig out

Buy a UnitiServe

Buy a Sonos or better still a Logitech Transporter with dig out



Tog