Help required for network setup

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Hi to all.

Currently as I am fairly new to network playback my setup is fairly simple:

My music sits on a secondary old synology NAS from which I have striped out all functionality / programs running, except from the absolute necessary for it to serve as a music media "holder". I also use a very old (10 year+) Lenovo laptop which runs JRiver and holds its library.

I have a network switch (TP link 108) dedicated to music, i.e. it is connected to my router. I have another switch which holds all my other non-music ethernet connections (PCs, TV etc).

The topology therefore is as follows:

Router->Ethernet 6a to ->Network switch->Ethernet 6a-to ->NAS and Laptop

Both the NAS and Laptop are located in a network rack away from the music room.

A long ethernet (about 12meters or 38ft approx) 6a cable connects the Network switch to the music room. From the wall outlet, I have constructed myself a very short (15cm) 6a cable that feeds into a TP-link MC100CM media converter, then 1 meter long fiber optic that again feeds into a second TP link media converter. Finally a hand made very short 6a ethernet cable feeds into my Renderer / DAC

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?

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19 minutes ago, ASRMichael said:

Check of buy sell on Forum, I seen a few NUCS for sale there. 

Thank you for the suggestion, but I leave in Europe (Greece)!

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1 hour ago, Cebolla said:

 

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.

Thank you for the detailed answer. However, please note that Jriver resides in the laptop... and therefore it's UPnP/DLNA server. Hence, it will "use" the USB to Ethernet adaptor... wouldn't it? 

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2 hours ago, Cebolla said:

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).

Excuse my ignorance and thank you for your effort and patience. Last query so I fully understand: when my laptop sends bits to my DAC it does so via the USB to ethernet adapter - correct? Does this affect the audio quality? 

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38 minutes ago, Cebolla said:

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.

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!