Does a better power supply matter for NAS media server

[davide256]

Curious to see what tinkerers with NAS file servers think?

[jtwrace]

Curious to see what tinkerers with NAS file servers think?

 

Nope.

[rodrigaj]

No. Why should / would it?

[Pol]

It is a real "Must Do"

[cjf]

Waste of money!

[tranz]

Waste of money!

 

Not convinced it is. Logically, absolutely.

 

However, experience comparing hard tweaked Mini vs standard Synology both running MinimServer surprisingly and annoyingly resulted with the Mini having a lower noise floor in my setup.

[firedog]

Possible that a NAS with a quality PS injects less noise back into the AC, and thus does have a positive effect on the SQ?

[davide256]

the "bad gas theorem" applies in my mind to all but the most robustly manufactured products... products designed to operate on "clean fuel" have performance anomalies on "dirty fuel". The question is, are there enough that have tried this to draw a conclusion or is this tried by so few that we have no means to determine. If too few have tried this may hopefully drive some additional experimentation to reach a valid conclusion.

[Boris75]

Possible that a NAS with a quality PS injects less noise back into the AC, and thus does have a positive effect on the SQ?

 

I understand the logic. If I follow this line of reasoning, we should turn off our refrigerators when we listen to music and, for those of us living in condos, we should ask our neighbours to do likewise.

[davide256]

I understand the logic. If I follow this line of reasoning, we should turn off our refrigerators when we listen to music and, for those of us living in condos, we should ask our neighbours to do likewise.

Sad but true... that's why Furman and PSAudio are successful in selling power regeneration solutions to feed audio equipment

[Paul R]

My SAN/NAS is on separate isolated power. Tried a cheap WD NAS but could hear absolutely no difference in SQ. Lots of difference in network performance though, much worse.

[davide256]

My SAN/NAS is on separate isolated power. Tried a cheap WD NAS but could hear absolutely no difference in SQ. Lots of difference in network performance though, much worse.

hmm, for network performance, what got better?

[Paul R]

hmm, for network performance, what got better?

 

I'm sorry, that was unclear. The WD NAS was worse in every regard as a NAS than my normal equipment, power supply not withstanding. Totally recommend avoiding those things, as they are pretty much useless. (*sigh*)

 

And that is, in part, arrogance and elitism on my part, so take it with a large grain of salt.

 

Yours,

-Paul

[Audioclyde]

My experience is quite different from Paul's. I've recently went from 2 external Oyen Minipro FW drives to a WD My Cloud EX2 suedo NAS--much quieter (music wise, the Oyen's are plenty quiet mechanically) and overall SQ has definitely improved.

 

Thus, I wouldn't take any 1 single opinion as an absolute. While sharing our experiences/opinions can be quite helpful, it's important that each of our systems, equipment, rooms & tastes differ.

[sandyk]

Sad but true... that's why Furman and PSAudio are successful in selling power regeneration solutions to feed audio equipment

 

A DIY person could try using a double adaptor for the offending refrigerator, where a V.D.R (voltage Dependent Resistor) is wired across A & N in the double adaptor.

A 275V rated VDR should suffice for a 230V AC mains supply.

[mayhem13]

I'd say if you were concerned with system stability, component life and data corruption, a better performing power supply is a good investment. For SQ IMO, there's no advantage.

[Jim Sylva]

I'd say if you were concerned with system stability, component life and data corruption, a better performing power supply is a good investment.

Thanks, Mayhem. It has not occurred to me that a better power supply could increase the reliability of a NAS, but intuitively, it makes sense. I have a Synology 411slim+, and I am beginning to become concerned about its longevity. I have noticed its fan is now audible, a change that has occurred over the last six months.

[AlainGr]

Not that I am versed in NAS, but I blow air in my PC about once a year and it helps a lot to maintain the fans quieter... But at some point, the fan(s) may need to be replaced...

[Jim Sylva]

Not that I am versed in NAS, but I blow air in my PC about once a year and it helps a lot to maintain the fans quieter... But at some point, the fan(s) may need to be replaced...

Thanks for the suggestion. I will see if I can find access to the fan.

[AlainGr]

Just a word of caution (just in case)... I heard that some people used a vacuum cleaner for the task and have "burned" the circuitry of the component they were trying to clean (from static charges)... I use a compressor that I have to do this... It can be tricky... And it you try it, be cautious about the pressure you apply... Better start with low pressure first, not to break a part... I would not use a "tuner cleaner" spray for this - some are harmful for plastics...

[Jim Sylva]

Just a word of caution (just in case)... I heard that some people used a vacuum cleaner for the task and have "burned" the circuitry of the component they were trying to clean (from static charges)... I use a compressor that I have to do this... It can be tricky... And it you try it, be cautious about the pressure you apply... Better start with low pressure first, not to break a part... I would not use a "tuner cleaner" spray for this - some are harmful for plastics...

Thanks. I appreciate the caveats and tips.