Music Library Storage

[ClassicalDJ]

I have just purchased a MacBook Pro (8gb memory, 128bg ssd) and need to setup an external storage system for my music library (currently about 500gb). I have a Teac UD-501, and with my old PC I used Foobar2000,. What kind of external storage device(s) should I consider, and how should I connect to it (wireless, ethernet, thunderbolt, usb)? My budget is about $750.

[wwaldmanfan]

I have just purchased a MacBook Pro (8gb memory, 128bg ssd) and need to setup an external storage system for my music library (currently about 500gb). I have a Teac UD-501, and with my old PC I used Foobar2000,. What kind of external storage device(s) should I consider, and how should I connect to it (wireless, ethernet, thunderbolt, usb)? My budget is about $750.

 

if you bought a Retina MBP, the obvious choice would be a Thunderbolt drive, since FireWire is no longer supported. However, if you got the older 13" MBP A1278, you can get a 1TB bus-powered FireWire 800 HDD for under $200.

 

You don't want to share your USB bus with your DAC, and with an integrated monitor, keyboard, and trackpad, there's no reason to rely on an external wifi device to run things. Disabling wifi, along with as many other background processes as possible, will improve audio performance. However, you could use the $19 Apple IR remote for wireless control with iTunes and/or Audirvana Plus, if you wish.

[DaQi]

If you only ever want to listen to music when you computer is turned on and within reach then a USB/Firewire/Thunderbolt drive is great. But, if you would like to be able to listen to music without having to turn on the computer or on other computers in your house then a NAS is the way to go. Lots of options out there in your budget. I am a great fan of using a NAS as it means you aren't tied to just using that computer or having it on all the time. Also a NAS opens up a lot of other interesting options. The Synology NAS systems are quite good and worth a look.

[jtm]

I would say it depends on the size of your music library and yearly average number of purchases.

 

A Thunderbolt HD like the white Buffalo with 1TB serves well and has an additional USB 3.0 connector just in case. It does not conflict with your USB connection with your DAC and the Thunderbolt connection gives you the highest speed available today.

 

Another option would be the Western Digital My Passport Studio with dual Firewire800 ports for daisy-chaining and an alternative USB 2.0 port, sizes available up to 2TB.

 

I would suggest a NAS drive like Synology DS414 or DS214 with 4/2 harddisks for bigger libraries and as backup solution. Once equipped with reliable harddisks like Western Digital Red drives it will be all you need for the next years to come.