Help required for network setup

[Cebolla]

3 hours ago, sot13 said:

Following this long description of the system, here is the "issue". My laptop's ethernet port is damaged, so I am using a USB to Ethernet convertor. This by itself makes me uneasy as to the quality of signal... I am thinking therefore, of investing at say a NUC to replace my aging laptop.

Do you have any suggestion as to which one to get? Or is there a better solution to propose?

 

If your concern is that of the 'quality of signal' going through your current laptop's USB ethernet adapter connection then you shouldn't be, as there is no audio signal going over ethernet. What you are doing is network streaming yet to be decoded audio files from the NAS's media server to JRiver's UPnP/DLNA renderer on the laptop.

 

It is JRiver's UPnP/DLNA renderer that is playing the audio files being received from the NAS and therefore the renderer is decoding them to the audio signal which then gets output by JRiver to the DAC - so nothing to do with the laptop's USB network adapter.

[Cebolla]

Ah, it doesn't appear you've understood the main point of my post - you even missed that it actually acknowledges JRiver resides on the laptop and that it uses the USB ethernet adapter!

 

Ok, let me try and clarify with a simpler approach this time (hopefully):

JRiver receives audio files from the NAS over the network, not the audio signal.

So there's no point considering the 'quality of signal' through the 'USB to Ethernet convertor', if the audio signal is not passing through the USB ethernet adapter in the first place (only audio files are passing through it).

[Cebolla]

Firstly, I should have mentioned in my last post that I misread your original post and so first missed that you are using the laptop with JRiver as the UPnP/DLNA media server & the NAS just being used to provide the music files via its network shared drive -  I took you mentioning using the NAS 'to serve as a music media "holder"' to mean the NAS being used as the UPnP/DLNA media server. Apologies for that.

 

You originally named the 'DAC' as a 'renderer / DAC', so the implication is that device is a UPnP/DLNA renderer (aka streamer, aka network audio file player) with either a built-in internal DAC or an attached external DAC  - especially as you also mention using JRiver as a UPnP/DLNA media server. Can you confirm that the device is a UPnP/DLNA supporting network audio file player? What device is it exactly  (make/model, any software, etc)?

 

If my assumption is correct, JRiver's UPnP/DLNA media server on the laptop is sending 'bits' via the USB ethernet adapter to the UPnP/DLNA renderer, therefore not to the DAC. Those 'bits' are audio files, not the digital audio signal - so (as I mentioned before) digital audio signal quality consideration is meaningless at this point because the digital audio signal doesn't exist.

 

It's the UPnP/DLNA renderer receiving those 'bits' as audio files that produces the digital audio signal, by decoding and playing the files, which the renderer then outputs to its DAC. The renderer is the first device in the chain that you should looking at for audio signal quality as before this device there simply is no audio signal.

[Cebolla]

19 hours ago, DuckToller said:

@Cebolla 
Aaahh, once in a while I need to underline how much I appreciate your style to help and educate.

Such a valuable contributor you are, says Yoda!
Have a nice weekend, Tom

 

Thanks, Tom - have a nice one too, what's left of it!

 

John

[Cebolla]

1 hour ago, sot13 said:

Great! Thank you! My "Renderer / DAC" make and model is the AYON S-10 II and I believe it is a UPnP/DLNA supporting device (https://www.ayonaudio.com/products/network-playertransport/s-10-ii/) - in their site they call it "Medial Network Player" - it does include a DAC

You are most helpful! I really appreciate it Sir!

 

Yes, the S-10 II is indeed a UPnP/DLNA renderer. Its spec also mentions it supports network streaming DFF, DSF, WAV, FLAC & AIFF audio files.

 

No worries, glad I could help.