NAS

Asset won’t (easily) work on Synology. I’d suggest a Qnap. We have the TS235A, if that helps. 

Hungryhalibut posted:

Asset won’t (easily) work on Synology. I’d suggest a Qnap. We have the TS235A, if that helps. 

Yes I can conform that.   I have loaded Asset on my Synology,  its not straightforward & you need to be a bit IT savvy.  It does not seem to work with the regular Synology updates so I junked it  -  shame as I really like Asset.

Thanks guys. So, something like this????

https://www.amazon.co.uk/QNAP-...QL70_&dpSrc=srch

That’s the one. I have 3TB WD Red drives in mine. A nice thing is that you can back up to a USB drive by pushing a button on the front. There are a couple of clicks to set this up, but there are clear instructions. 

I have the TS-453A Pro great piece of kit.

I use same NAS and drives (2TB in my case) as HH, based on his recommendation. Works very well with Asset.

[@mention:44366773372132405] was kind enough to share his QNAP settings with me - very useful!

Happy to help the OP with settings if needed.

Adam

I use a relatively lowly TS-131 (single drive) running Asset - I'm happy with it. However, a two drive NAS may better suit your needs in case of drive failure. However, the USB back-up to an external drive is a good solution as long as you remember to do the back-ups regularly!

Great response and genuinely appreciated. Thank you. 

So, it looks as though the TS-131 would work for me as it is a) less expensive and b) suitable for my needs, at least at the moment.

May I ask some more questions?

- Can I succesfully use the same NAS (ie the TS-131) to deliver music to other devices we have  / are thinking of buying? For example, we may buy a Bose SoundTouch (no insults please!) for our dining room  - this is not for "critical" listening, but more background when we eat meals etc. 

- Assuming your collective reaction to the Bose idea may be "don't do it!", I wondered if anyone had thoughts on what might be a good alternative that will deliver DAB and FM radio as well as being a music streamer with Bluetooth capability as well?

- This may be a different discussion, but when I start work on putting our CD collection on the the NAS, can I do that directly to the NAS via the CD reader on my laptop? (NB I'm not such an audiohpile that I would do this in FLAC - I genuinely struggle to tell much difference between that and MP3, even on the MuSo....)

- Again, this is possibly a different thread, but in terms of back up we already use a cloud service that automatically backs up from our PCs. I'd intend to keep that as a "live" service, but just wondered if the NAS will also automatically back any files up in the same way?

Once again, thanks for your kind and educated replies.

Mike

The Bose players can also access music stored on a NAS, so would be able to use the same music library that you are planning for your Muso. I know that Bose units work with a Synology NAS, and I would be surprised if they wouldn't work with QNAP too.

Do you really need DAB and FM? Most of the devices you are considering will have internet radio built in.

Is there any possibility that you will move to a full blown separates system in the future? If so, I would strongly recommend that you rip your CDs to FLAC, or another lossless format, as there is no going back once you have converted to a lossy format. On a more highly resolving separates system, you would really appreciate the benefits of lossless, but if you're happy with MP3 on the Muso, just go for it.

HI Chris, appreciate that. I didn't know that DAB was the same thing as internet radio! One reason for wanting radio is to listen to football commentary - as I understand it, it's a licensing thing with the football authorities that means that if, for example, I'm listening to BBC Radio Lancashire (I follow Preston North End) on BBC iPlayer, they can't do live commentary via the same service. 

On the lossless format, thanks also for the tip re future proofing.....however, one reason we chose the MuSo was to replace a seperates system I had but which we didn't have room for following some changes in our lives.....

That said, is it safe to assume that converting to FLAC is just as easy as ripping to MP3 if I use something like DB Poweramp? If so, then I may as well do that....just in case 'er indoors ever approves more spend and /or we have room!

I wouldn't say DAB was the same as iRadio, but from a music point of view, the range available online is vast. Not sure about football, though!

The point about using MP3 is simply that, as a lossy format, you are throwing bits away to reduce file size, and converting to FLAC in future will not get them back. So if you convert from MP3 to FLAC, you do not regain the lost sound quality. You would need to rip your CDs all over again. 

Victor,

DAB (digital radio) and iRadio (internet radio) are different ways of listening to radio. The former needs an aerial; the latter an internet connection, for one. Listening to football commentary is an issue though, for "rights reasons", so you'll need DAB or FM for that. Remember that you can usually get the main DAB radio stations via your TV (on Freeview), if that helps.

Using DBpoweramp, I can confirm that it's just as easy to rip to FLAC as it is to MP3. (In fact, if you want, you can rip to both at the same time!) I would definitely agree with Chris on this - the general mantra is "rip once, rip right" - try and get it right the first time. DBpoweramp has a great batch convertor facility, so you can always convert from FLAC to MP3 - you can't however, restore the bits that are lost if you rip to MP3 in the first place.

There's lots of posts on the forum to help you once you get a NAS drive, and usually you will get a quick and helpful answer if you get stuck.

Nick

Thanks again, all. Very much appreciated and great advice. FLAC is the way I will do this!!

Oh.....any views on decent alternatives to Bose?? 

Victorthesecond posted:

Oh.....any views on decent alternatives to Bose?? 

I think the Bose boxes are pretty good. Maybe also B&W Zeppelin. For functionality I think the Yamaha MusicCast boxes are excellent, but perhaps not the best for sound quality - if that’s your priority, stick with Muso or QB. 

There is an advantage to sticking with one brand, in that you use a single app to control all of them, and play each one, either individually or in multiroom mode. 

ChrisSU posted:

Victorthesecond posted:

Oh.....any views on decent alternatives to Bose?? 

I think the Bose boxes are pretty good. 

Wash your mouth out... how dare you express such blasphemy onan Audiophile website :-)

Eloise posted:

ChrisSU posted:

Victorthesecond posted:

Oh.....any views on decent alternatives to Bose?? 

I think the Bose boxes are pretty good. 

Wash your mouth out... how dare you express such blasphemy onan Audiophile website :-)

Shhhhhh! I’m trying to make him think that buying a QB was his own idea