Synology NAS/Oppo 105 USB feeding Oppo 105 on network.... best practice

[tdacquisto]

Hey all,

I've been experimenting quite a bit with playing music on my Oppo 105 from my Synology NAS using DSM 5.1. The Oppo is hard wired to my network, as is the NAS.

 

I've enabled the AudioStation app and it's indexed all of the music on the NAS and I can either browse to the music folder from the Oppo, or use my computer or the iPhone app to browse and send music to the Oppo...

 

There is an option for transcoding and the choices are MP3 or WAVE. I did some searching and see that when selecting MP3, it will transcode to 128kbps. I've listened to music with both settings and there is no SQ difference when sending to the Oppo, so I'm wondering if because it sees the Oppo as a device capable of playing FLAC files, it's not transcoding...

 

Then I read where you could install the MediaServer app and turn transcoding off altogether... So I installed that, and that seemed to index all my music like the AudioStation app did, and I could browser to it from the Oppo (there was a new instance of my music files) and I played the same FLAC this way and it sounded exactly the same..

 

I'm kinda new to all of this, so am just wondering what's exactly happening with each of these methods of playing music from the NAS... What is the best practice? To me, it's easier to use the AudioStation app along with the DS Audio iphone app to select, create playlists and send to the Oppo... And since they all sound the same, I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong, or misunderstanding what's happening.

 

I should also mention that the Oppo is feeding my Anthem Statement D2 processor via the 2-channel analog XLR outputs from the Oppo and am using "Stereo Direct" setting on the Anthem, so it's not modifying the analog signal at all.

 

Any insight or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

Thanks.

 

Tom.

[tdacquisto]

Bueller?

Bueller?

[tranz]

Ah yes. Welcome to your personal 24/7 audio troubleshooting and training hotline! We have nothing else to do anyway.

 

A suggestion: read the manuals first.

[tdacquisto]

Thanks so much tranz.. never would of thought of that.

[tranz]

Ok.

 

DS AudioStation transcodes everything. On my NAS, so does MediaServer.

 

A better (best) UPnP server on the Synology is MinimServer. It will transcode only if you set it up that way and handles all formats. Try that instead.

[davide256]

For best playback use SMB mode where you use the Oppo Media controller app on iPhone or Android to navigate the NAS music file directory... if you have DSD files, this is the most foolproof way to play DSD. Using Kinsky on iPhone/iPad with Minimserver is a very close second with better "eye candy" but a little trickier for DSD playback.

 

You may also want to experiment with USB connecting Synology to the USB DAC connection and using Audiostation media server with DS Audio controller... another easy way to play DSD files.

[davide256]

Ok.

 

DS AudioStation transcodes everything. On my NAS, so does MediaServer.

 

A better (best) UPnP server on the Synology is MinimServer. It will transcode only if you set it up that way and handles all formats. Try that instead.

 

Not true for bit rates... my bit rate color light on iFi nano shows expected data rate when streaming or USB connected using Audiostation. Perhaps you mean that it streams only in wav or mp3 format?

[davide256]

For best playback use SMB mode where you use the Oppo Media controller app on iPhone or Android to navigate the NAS music file directory... if you have DSD files, this is the most foolproof way to play DSD. Using Kinsky on iPhone/iPad with Minimserver is a very close second with better "eye candy" but a little trickier for DSD playback.

 

You may also want to experiment with USB connecting Synology to the USB DAC connection and using Audiostation media server with DS Audio controller... another easy way to play DSD files.

 

Sigh, forgot that Oppo and Openhome can be a bit quirky which may push you to Bubble DS for a controller vs Kinsky... really wish Oppo would do a full fledged streamer

[tdacquisto]

Thanks for the info, Dave... Much appreciated. I tried the Oppo MediaCenter app and it's OK, but I prefer to use the Synology because it's easier navigate and build playlists on the fly, etc. I too wish Oppo would develop more features to make the 105 more of a music server...

 

for critical listening I will probably navigate from the Oppo to the NAS and for when people are over and I want to just have music in the background, I'll use the Synology stuff..

 

I'm coming from Logitech Squeezebox/iPeng combo which was awesome... I guess I'm spoiled. :-)

[Audio_ELF]

I'm not sure if I dare mention this ... but it might be you're one of the 99% of people who don't hear a difference between 128kbps MP3 and uncompressed FLAC.

 

Personally I wouldn't transcode unless you have a particular reason to; but if you are enjoying what you hear, and not hearing differences with different playback methods (AudioStation vs MediaServer vs SMB playback) then really my advise is not to worry too much.

[emidalla]

DS AudioStation transcodes everything. On my NAS, so does MediaServer.

 

I agree with what davide256 said, according to the bitrate shown by the NAS interface this should not be the case. What evidence do you have of trancoding always occurring?

 

P.S. Hi all, first post here

[Hikmer]

For best playback use SMB mode where you use the Oppo Media controller app on iPhone or Android to navigate the NAS music file directory... if you have DSD files, this is the most foolproof way to play DSD. Using Kinsky on iPhone/iPad with Minimserver is a very close second with better "eye candy" but a little trickier for DSD playback.

 

You may also want to experiment with USB connecting Synology to the USB DAC connection and using Audiostation media server with DS Audio controller... another easy way to play DSD files.

 

May I ask if you can elaborate on this topic? I am struggling with a new DS215j Synology and wanted to ditch my jRiver media server. While I knew the transition would involve a learning curve, I had no idea how un-user friendly this would end up being.

 

 

I was under the assumption the built in Media server from Synology would support DSD from documented features on their website

 

https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/faq/645

 

All Synology NAS devices can directly stream Direct Stream Digital (DSD) files via Media Server or Audio Station to your DLNA devices or UPnP renderers for playback. However, transcoding is required when DSD files are streamed via Audio Station to web browsers, Bluetooth, USB, or AirPlay speakers.

 

However, when I played music last night only FLAC files would play using the DLNA Media Server. Then I installed Minimserver (no easy task I might add...should be 100% easier) and the program lacks a lot in the way of diagnostics and setup "ease of use". Too complex if you ask me, but end of story I can't get DSD to work on my iPad with Kinsky.

 

You seem to have made this work but added the caveat "a little tricky", can you explain what you mean by this? I am not figuring this "trickiness" out and have a solid background in computers and technology....however this one eludes me.

[Hikmer]

Ok I think I figured out part of the issue, I had to install some extra plugin that wasn't obvious...Minimstreaming? I at least can now play DSD from the OPPO Media Control program (not really fancy) but sounds great. Still can't play DSD form the Kinsky App, songs show up but won't play. Still using wireless and the amount of jitter or buffer issues I was having with my previous setup of jRiver on a workstation seems to have gone away using wireless. I was going to hook up the NAS with a hard wired setup but if that's not necessary then maybe I will leave it wireless? I was getting really bad drop outs with DSD songs previously but today I just heard one quick stutter and everything else was smooth.

 

I'll admit, the learning cure is a bit high on this gear but I am finding that the Synology product can do way more than anything else on the market...for $199 its a bargain if you have the drives lying around. jRiver alone is $50 plus $10 for the IOS app...as I type this I realize I may never buy another physical piece of digital media again....and that's a GOOD thing!

[davide256]

May I ask if you can elaborate on this topic? I am struggling with a new DS215j Synology and wanted to ditch my jRiver media server. While I knew the transition would involve a learning curve, I had no idea how un-user friendly this would end up being.

 

 

I was under the assumption the built in Media server from Synology would support DSD from documented features on their website

 

https://www.synology.com/en-us/knowledgebase/faq/645

 

All Synology NAS devices can directly stream Direct Stream Digital (DSD) files via Media Server or Audio Station to your DLNA devices or UPnP renderers for playback. However, transcoding is required when DSD files are streamed via Audio Station to web browsers, Bluetooth, USB, or AirPlay speakers.

 

However, when I played music last night only FLAC files would play using the DLNA Media Server. Then I installed Minimserver (no easy task I might add...should be 100% easier) and the program lacks a lot in the way of diagnostics and setup "ease of use". Too complex if you ask me, but end of story I can't get DSD to work on my iPad with Kinsky.

 

You seem to have made this work but added the caveat "a little tricky", can you explain what you mean by this? I am not figuring this "trickiness" out and have a solid background in computers and technology....however this one eludes me.

 

Minimserver requires a statement in its config, in the stream.transcode field add

dsf:dopwav, dff:dopwav

[Hikmer]

Minimserver requires a statement in its config, in the stream.transcode field add

dsf:dopwav, dff:dopwav

 

Thanks I'll try it out, however it appears my luck ran out and I'm getting lots of buffer issues again over wifi, so will need to reconfigure my setup and hard wire the nas to my oppo. I'll also check the mininserver as I think it may have had a buffer property, maybe that will help...I don't know.

[Hikmer]

Thanks I'll try it out, however it appears my luck ran out and I'm getting lots of buffer issues again over wifi, so will need to reconfigure my setup and hard wire the nas to my oppo. I'll also check the mininserver as I think it may have had a buffer property, maybe that will help...I don't know.

 

I just tried changing the settings and without my iPad using the remote control, the songs come up as wav files and it just plays static....again this should be easier but I will do a bit more research. Only a tiny percent of my music is DSD but that tiny percent is some of the best sounding stuff I own.

[deanorthk]

greetings

 

i'm using an oppo 105D, with a syno DS414 mini. I'm not using anything but the SMB sharing, and using the oppo in pure audio mode, feeding a dac (but it's the same using the dac in the oppo I guess) , controlling the musics via the oppo media app on ipad mini.

All my musics are on flac, few on DSD, and I'm not using at all any features like transcoding. and the results are "wahou", needed to say:)

[rudy49]

i use an Oppo 103 with a 8tb hard drive attached.  some people are talking about all this Synology NAS stuff attached to their network.  gets expensive 2K when you add up all the drives.  the Oppo does all the indexing on the drive, music album art and will output 24/192 to my DAC.  the Oppo Media Controller crashes and sometime the player will skip a note but other wise it does everything  a NAS with ROON will do.

[Kal Rubinson]

5 hours ago, rudy49 said:

 the Oppo Media Controller crashes and sometime the player will skip a note but other wise it does everything  a NAS with ROON will do.

Hardly.  Aside from the vast difference in metadata support, the Oppo gui, while functional, is medieval by comparison.   OTOH, if it floats your boat............................................

[rudy49]

32 minutes ago, Kal Rubinson said:

Hardly.  Aside from the vast difference in metadata support, the Oppo gui, while functional, is medieval by comparison.   OTOH, if it floats your boat............................................

would a streamer like the Primare NP5 with access to a Synology NAS  sound better than the OPPO with a hard drive attached?  the OPPO Media Controller is funky

[Kal Rubinson]

1 hour ago, rudy49 said:

would a streamer like the Primare NP5 with access to a Synology NAS  sound better than the OPPO with a hard drive attached?  the OPPO Media Controller is funky

I have no idea.  No experience with the Primare streamer but, imho, it is the DAC and, of course, the source files that will be the major determinants of the sound quality.