Best Caching Music streamer with onboard storage without all the pre-pro features (DAC or no DAC)

[ShadowBoxer]

Any WiiM will handle these requirements at a fraction of the cost since you already have a NAS.

Eventual obsolescence will negate any benefits of a high-end streamer (if there are any), imo. ie they aren't cost effective by comparison. The caching is a non-issue.

 

[Ruediger]

Sure, maybe on some NAS versions, and historically there may have been various limitations. My Synology (Intel-based DS 423+) indexes 2TB of media from scratch in 15 mins (which is fine - it's only done once), and if I throw say, 5 CD rips at it at once, by the time I've loaded my app for my streamer on my phone, the data is there and ready to go over DLNA... And Media Server (or Indexing Service in fact) absolutely does monitor changes in watched folders and it responds quickly - there nothing special to set up. I think you must have some older unit!

Also, I regularly look at resource usage on my unit (because I'm Mr. Sad) and no more than 10% of RAM memory is ever in use, indexing or not - not dissimilar to a PC perhaps....

Please us the "memory limit" on your Synology NAS - there may upgrades that will help...

In my system, there is no evidence that shows Minim (I have tried it) to have any noticeable effect on a "speed" experience -minin is more of a pain to use of course - Media Server just requires two or three clicks to set up and start it. OK, I'm not arguing about any features of minim I don't use of course!

I used to make NAS/RAID units, and know you can make a better faster units than a Synology from any old PC - but I am Mr. Expedient and Mr. Cheap, and I have no more spare PCs lying around (I gave them all away); the main cost these days is disk storage!

I have some older 4219+, 725+ and 218+ currently. It was around 18TB when Media Server wouldn't take it anymore. I think it's more about the number of files though.

I had to raise the limit for Minim to a multiple of it's standard too. But it's easy to do so and then it's good with masses.

Installed memory is not the issue, I have plenty and don't see much allocation too.

Anyway, Media Server is perfectly fine in most cases.

 

[voodooless]

I envision that that would be where the BIG library would be but that I might like to and 'might' benefit from having some of my most frequently played files stored on the streamer itself. Maybe that is an erroneous assumption or thought, but I thought I would be worth exploring.

Why? What benefit do you see from this? Just make a nice playlist and play it from the NAS

In my theater I do not intend on putting all my units/devices in a separate closet somewhere (I like to see my gear - especially the vintage stuff), and unfortunately those 4"-7" displays are not going to be readable from any listening distance anyway, so not a value-add really in my opinion. All of that info would be visible from the iPad or other interface.

That is an important point I think. And I fully agree: a fancy screen on a NAS is generally not very practical.

It is way more important to make sure that the streamer has a very nice smart device UX, or that the NAS media software has one that will play on the music via your streamer, the third option, a tablet app that will do this work. All of these options have pros and cons. And obviously the online streaming platforms just come with their own software that you can just use (depending on streamer feature availability).

 

[linuxfan]

A downside to using storage connected directly to a streamer - you're usually locked in to using the proprietary playback software provided by that streamer.
Specifically I'm referring to - WiiM Home App, BluOS Controller app, and Eversolo Music Library app. Now I'm sure these applications have their fanboys, but the issue here is flexibility and choice.
That's why in Fritzjr's other forum thread I recommended running a music server on your NAS (assuming you have a NAS). The complication, then, becomes which music server applications can be installed on your particular NAS model - in this regard the entry-level QNAP is better than entry-level Synologys because on the QNAP you can run third-party applications in docker.

 

[amper42]

My favorite streamer in this category is a Raspberry Pi - RPi5 2G, 4GB or 8GB, all do a great job with Moode.
You can get a 2GB RPi5 for $65, a PS for $15, a 64GB Raspberry Pi SDCARD for $28 = $108 plus your favorite USB Drive.

This hardware combination with Moode allows you to stream all your favorite albums directly from the USB drive to your favorite USB DAC and even supports high resolution files up to 352kHz. Your phone or computer can startup the music from a basic IP address and it can be setup to start playing on boot. In addition, it supports world wide radio stations from hundreds of locations and you can setup a favorites list. Plus, you can use UPnP and DLNA to stream music to the RPi5 Moode setup using a streaming service.

Moode is continually adding new features all the time. Version 10.3.3 was just released this week. The sound quality is superb and with the Raspberry PI Imager I can setup a new unit in amazingly little time and it's rock solid. I pair Moode with an RME ADI-2 DAC FS and absolutely love it. I use mine to play my favorite albums from the USB drive, listen to the radio or stream Audirvana/Qobuz via UPnP. It's really flexible and can even be used as a UPnP NAS. Dollar for dollar its the best Streamer available and the most flexible.

 

[linuxfan]

Yes, a Raspberry Pi is an excellent option for combined NAS/music server. I add these comments:
- DIY assembly/setup is required (obviously).
- some rPi cases look computer geeky, rather than hifi elegant. And if your storage hardware is an external USB drive, this adds additional geekiness and additional connection cables to your hifi rack! IMO it's much more tidy to mount your storage drive within the same case which houses the rPi.
- with open source software you get great flexibility with server and interface choices ...
- but with open source software compatibility with commercial streaming services can be OK to hit-and-miss ie. if you want Spotify-Connect, Tidal-Connect, Qobuz-Connect and Alexa Cast you really need a commercial streamer.

 

[Ruediger]

Storage can be as simple as USB at the home router with SMB sharing. Some even do DLNA. A NAS is not a must in any case.

 

[Redacted]

The complication, then, becomes which music server applications can be installed on your particular NAS model - in this regard the entry-level QNAP is better than entry-level Synologys because on the QNAP you can run third-party applications in docker.

You can run many media servers on Synology units directly or run others in docker... At least on my Synology - it's not fancy, and I'd call it entry level, but there's no point in getting any NAS with fewer than 4 drives and the ability to run RAID 5 & 6 IMHO. And generally it's best to use x86 CPUs for best flexibility. As I've said before - never rely on NAS, RAID or not, as the hardware itself is a single point of failure on home systems. You need separate backups for the whole NAS data set - separate disks that you keep offline, with USB docks.

Having said that about NAS/RAID, I would add that for smaller ripped collections, and especially if you don't need to back up other large data (I save boot disk images all our family PC's regularly), you don't need to to go to that amout of expense. All you really need is a couple of disks and a couple of cheap USB docks, so that you can file sync your data between them and a PC. "FreeFileSync" is excellent for this.

 

[linuxfan]

there's no point in getting any NAS with fewer than 4 drives and the ability to run RAID 5 & 6 IMHO

Well that's a decision for @Fritzjr to make. That NAS specification is way above entry-level. The two entry-level Synology models are the DS124 and DS223j, and you cannot install docker on these models.
I don't bother with a high-spec NAS and RAID - I use a simple backup/redundancy regime mentioned in the second half of your post - keep two copies of my music library at all times.

 

[Redacted]

Yes, I'm probably saying that there's a level of NAS/RAID below which, there's no point in having. Unless you have a lot of data. I'm not keen on those units that are two drives running RAID 0 (for a little extra speed, which most people won't need) or RAID 1 (for disk redundancy - I'd just use 2 disks in docks and do file sync and save money)

There's nothing wrong with running a basic server on a laptop (I like UMS, but YMMV) and keeping some drive backups.

Whatever people need, or can afford, I can't emphasize backups strongly enough.

 

[voodooless]

Running my NAS fine with two enterprise disks in RAID 1(or actually 10 because of dual actuators). Very fast and has been rock solid. Yes, you will need offsite backups, but that will never go away.

 

[antcollinet]

Exactly my point, and mechanisms can differ.

All streamers buffer the music data (it is not a cache - it is a simple buffer) - they have to in order to work at all. All (unless broken by design) do that equally well. There are no "different types of caching" in streamers that influence audio quality. Anyone who tells you different is ignorant or lying.

If you have forty years of experience in IT you should be able to understand why that is.

 

[amper42]

Yes, a Raspberry Pi is an excellent option for combined NAS/music server. I add these comments:
- DIY assembly/setup is required (obviously).
- some rPi cases look computer geeky, rather than hifi elegant. And if your storage hardware is an external USB drive, this adds additional geekiness and additional connection cables to your hifi rack! IMO it's much more tidy to mount your storage drive within the same case which houses the rPi.
- with open source software you get great flexibility with server and interface choices ...
- but with open source software compatibility with commercial streaming services can be OK to hit-and-miss ie. if you want Spotify-Connect, Tidal-Connect, Qobuz-Connect and Alexa Cast you really need a commercial streamer.

The nice thing about Raspberry Pi with Moode is you can customize it as much or as little as you want.
It can look anyway you want. From the small Flirc case to a plexiglass stand to no case at all. It's totally up to you.
It offers USB, HDMI, Wifi, ethernet, Airplay, Spotify, UPnP, DLNA, attached USB or NVME storage options and more.
I even tried a Qobuz Connect option built for Moode last week.

The number of growing Moode features are HUGE. It also offers much wider compatibility and is not phoning home to China or storing my network password and contact info like Wiim and many other China based options. Privacy and security are part of the design with Moode.

The RPi5 footprint is tiny but powerful and even the 2GB version does a fantastic job as a streamer. The Moode album interface for selecting local music is beautiful and easy to access via IP. The radio station options are a bonus. Use your phone or computer to control playback from anywhere in the home and multi-room audio is also possible. The options are staggering and the price is unbelievably low compared to commercial streamers. It's definitely worth a try. Personally, I wish I had tried Moode before wasting my money on other commercial streamer options.

 

[Chazz6]

Do you buy special equipment to hold your photo collection? No, .jpg's and .dng's and such are just files. In audio, so are .flac's and .mp3's and .wav's. Keep it all on hard drives in the computer or plugged into it via USB or Ethernet.

Second Ruediger's recommendation of Minimserver. In addition to indexing all the files in your designated folders, it will take in audio streams from the Internet and serve them to your home network, too. And it will record streams from Internet radio stations to a file. It's great to listen later, skipping over selections of no interest.

BubbleUPnP on Android makes a great control app, better than HEOS Link and the other control apps bundled with streamer boxes.

 

[Fritzjr]

Well that's a decision for @Fritzjr to make. That NAS specification is way above entry-level. The two entry-level Synology models are the DS124 and DS223j, and you cannot install docker on these models.
I don't bother with a high-spec NAS and RAID - I use a simple backup/redundancy regime mentioned in the second half of your post - keep two copies of my music library at all times.

Just for clarification and any input any of you might like to share, my NIB (2yr old?) Synology NAS is the DS923+ with 4 2Tb enterprise drives. Bought before a major move and never set up yet

 

[voodooless]

Do you buy special equipment to hold your photo collection? No, .jpg's and .dng's and such are just files

Tell this do Adobe.. until this day you cannot have a photo library on a network drive. The photos, yes, the library files: no

Just for clarification and any input any of you might like to share, my NIB (2yr old?) Synology NAS is the DS923+ with 4 2Tb enterprise drives. Bought before a major move and never set up yet

Should be fine as a basic media server. You can use the built-in one (Audio station), or install Plex media aerver or Jellyfin (I use it on my NAS as wel), or you run anything you like in a Docker container. Use them all in parallel on the same audio library, and decide which one you like best.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

BubbleUPnP on Android makes a great control app, better than HEOS Link and the other control apps bundled with streamer boxes.

Anything is better than HEOS.

BubbleUp is better than the WiiM app?

 

[Chazz6]

... BubbleUp is better than the WiiM app?

Can't say, haven't used WiiM.

 

[ShadowBoxer]

Can't say, haven't used WiiM.

I've used both and BubbleUp looks very amateurish in comparison to the WiiM app.

 

[Chazz6]

I've used both and BubbleUp looks very amateurish in comparison to the WiiM app.

I guess if someone commits to buying a WiiM box, then he can compare.