Recommend a compatible NAS Unit 8-12 TB for KEF LS50W speakers?

[Donna1952]

I admit I know almost nothing about this never having needed music storage before. I am converting a 45 year old studio SB audio cassettes to FLAC so I can hear them.  I am trying to find a match between a NAS unit that is easy to load from my computer with a compatible music player to run wireless or wired to KEF LS50W. 

I am reading about many issues with players and units that I would not have a clue how to resolve.   Is there a player that is a known quantity that will handle at least 24/96 or 192MHz.  I have no interest in streaming as I would like to hear what I have so anything basic in streaming isn't a factor for me, but one day maybe.  Sorry if this is too basic for this group, but I have been unable to find an answer online that I can understand.  Thank you, Donna

[davide256]

10 hours ago, Donna1952 said:

I admit I know almost nothing about this never having needed music storage before. I am converting a 45 year old studio SB audio cassettes to FLAC so I can hear them.  I am trying to find a match between a NAS unit that is easy to load from my computer with a compatible music player to run wireless or wired to KEF LS50W. 

I am reading about many issues with players and units that I would not have a clue how to resolve.   Is there a player that is a known quantity that will handle at least 24/96 or 192MHz.  I have no interest in streaming as I would like to hear what I have so anything basic in streaming isn't a factor for me, but one day maybe.  Sorry if this is too basic for this group, but I have been unable to find an answer online that I can understand.  Thank you, Donna

NAS usually means low powered processor, so in most cases weak player options... they are file servers, not computing/playback devices. I wouldn't suggest one as your media player since the LS 50's will overlay other limitations

 

given your needs, even the simplest Synology or QNAP  2 disk NAS should work with 1st 4TB drive for music and the 2nd 4TB drive to mirror for failure recovery. Roon would be the easiest/fool proof software to use on your PC since KEF says mark I and II LS50's work with Roon. You can also fiddle with UPNP/DLNA freeware since KEF says LS50 supports DLNA but there is a learning curve to get that working

 

To give you an idea of storage sizing needs, I have a mixed library of around 1000 CD rate  and high res/DSD files that only takes up about 800GB on my NAS

 

At some later point you may find attractive acquiring an intel NUC to run your player software on so that you can have an always on solution and free up your PC for other use while playing music.

[Richard Dale]

11 hours ago, Donna1952 said:

I admit I know almost nothing about this never having needed music storage before. I am converting a 45 year old studio SB audio cassettes to FLAC so I can hear them.  I am trying to find a match between a NAS unit that is easy to load from my computer with a compatible music player to run wireless or wired to KEF LS50W. 

I am reading about many issues with players and units that I would not have a clue how to resolve.   Is there a player that is a known quantity that will handle at least 24/96 or 192MHz.  I have no interest in streaming as I would like to hear what I have so anything basic in streaming isn't a factor for me, but one day maybe.  Sorry if this is too basic for this group, but I have been unable to find an answer online that I can understand.  Thank you, Donna

I have a pair of LS50Ws and I use a hard disk connected to the USB port on my router. The router runs OpenWRT which is more customizable than most router OSs and so I’ve installed the MiniDLNA package on the router. I can then use the Bubble UPnP client on my Android phone or HDConnect on my iPads to access the music stored on the router hard disk via MiniDLNA and play it on the LS50Ws.

 

[Gregory]

It depends on which kind of player you plan to use.

• There are software solution that are relatively easy to use and install like Roon and Audirvana. You need a PC/Linux/Mac, then the storage can be on the NAS. This is a standard solution many people use.
• You can run a software streamer on the NAS itself, this requires a bit more work fiddling / IT knowledge and a more powerful solution as stated by @davide256.
• You can use a hardware streamer (node, aurender, Raspberry Pi based,...) that will also use the NAs as a storage.

Do you have an idea of which kind of player you want to use?

[Donna1952]

Thank you everyone for trying to help me.  I have about 25 TB of music that I am converting from cassettes I made when I lived and worked in Jamaica in the mid 1970s - about 1500 cassettes of mostly unreleased reggae about half are Bob Marley.  It bothers me that much of this has not been released as people simply took this when he died.  They have not released it.  As I got to know he musicians as I worked there, they were happy to share it and get in safe hands for the future.  I played some of this on radio shows but we also recorded around 15-20,000 Jamaican 45s.  We may have the only existing recordings from the apex of Rock Steady and Reggae.  They didn't make LPs or CDs in Jamaica until around the 80s because there were few record players and fewer sources of power.  We used battery powered phonos and Sony Pros to put on cassettes.  A few years later these warehouse of records were vaporized in hurricanes.   So far we have 200,000 files [songs and are half way through after a year] Many cassettes are one or two generations off the SB of studios.  They blow the years later CDs out of the water.  This is being done legally BTW, whether I am here or gone beyond.  I just want the music to survive.  That is all this system is for are digitized copies of these recordings that I have not heard in over 45 years with a few exceptions [my fault, I was busy], but now, in a quality way, but simple, I wanted to hear them.  Now I can only play them on my laptop and they sound stupendous.  Some I have had converted to 24/96 or even higher and the sound amazing.  Most at just 24/48 and the Jamaican 45s don't even merit FLAC, but I try to do that anyway if I can. FLAC and CDs cds did not exist then.  We did what we could.  So I only need something compatible with the speakers.  Why KEF?  I don't want to be rude, but I tried some Sonos and they were horrible.  I don't have much time, so I decided, I can't take it with me, just buy something so you have time to hear it.  So I guess I have no idea on a player, just something that will be compatible with KEF and probably Synology for a NAS.  For CDs I would just plug a CD player into the back - I wouldn't use it much.  I have read your posts - a lot of it is over my head.  You guys know so much more than I ever will.  I want to keep this off my computer.  Also, whatever solution you guys think is the easiest because I need to explain it to a group of people who will perpetuated this from the NAS/Cloud when I am gone for a few years say 5 years.  So that is my plan anyway.  Is to leave the NAS and Cloud going [prepay], but I would like to listen to it by whatever way your think is the easiest to set up.  I thought Synology came with a KEF compatible player that I could control with a small PC or iPad.  I could be completely wrong about the setup, so feel free to chirp in - thank you everyone.  Donna

[davide256]

10 hours ago, Donna1952 said:

Thank you everyone for trying to help me.  I have about 25 TB of music that I am converting from cassettes I made when I lived and worked in Jamaica in the mid 1970s - about 1500 cassettes of mostly unreleased reggae about half are Bob Marley.  It bothers me that much of this has not been released as people simply took this when he died.  They have not released it.  As I got to know he musicians as I worked there, they were happy to share it and get in safe hands for the future.  I played some of this on radio shows but we also recorded around 15-20,000 Jamaican 45s.  We may have the only existing recordings from the apex of Rock Steady and Reggae.  They didn't make LPs or CDs in Jamaica until around the 80s because there were few record players and fewer sources of power.  We used battery powered phonos and Sony Pros to put on cassettes.  A few years later these warehouse of records were vaporized in hurricanes.   So far we have 200,000 files [songs and are half way through after a year] Many cassettes are one or two generations off the SB of studios.  They blow the years later CDs out of the water.  This is being done legally BTW, whether I am here or gone beyond.  I just want the music to survive.  That is all this system is for are digitized copies of these recordings that I have not heard in over 45 years with a few exceptions [my fault, I was busy], but now, in a quality way, but simple, I wanted to hear them.  Now I can only play them on my laptop and they sound stupendous.  Some I have had converted to 24/96 or even higher and the sound amazing.  Most at just 24/48 and the Jamaican 45s don't even merit FLAC, but I try to do that anyway if I can. FLAC and CDs cds did not exist then.  We did what we could.  So I only need something compatible with the speakers.  Why KEF?  I don't want to be rude, but I tried some Sonos and they were horrible.  I don't have much time, so I decided, I can't take it with me, just buy something so you have time to hear it.  So I guess I have no idea on a player, just something that will be compatible with KEF and probably Synology for a NAS.  For CDs I would just plug a CD player into the back - I wouldn't use it much.  I have read your posts - a lot of it is over my head.  You guys know so much more than I ever will.  I want to keep this off my computer.  Also, whatever solution you guys think is the easiest because I need to explain it to a group of people who will perpetuated this from the NAS/Cloud when I am gone for a few years say 5 years.  So that is my plan anyway.  Is to leave the NAS and Cloud going [prepay], but I would like to listen to it by whatever way your think is the easiest to set up.  I thought Synology came with a KEF compatible player that I could control with a small PC or iPad.  I could be completely wrong about the setup, so feel free to chirp in - thank you everyone.  Donna

 

From an affordability perspective, NAS drives get more expensive per TB and less common if you go past 8TB drive size. Synology does something  they call

a hybrid raid that allows you to add drives over time so long as the next drive added is at least as large as the last drive added. So a 4 bay NAS needed

at a minimum with 25 TB . Because of the large library size a faster processor is also desirable because the number of files will be slow to scan/search with

a less powerful processor. I'd look at what Synology recommends for business grade NAS's.

 

There are basic player programs on Synology NAS's that you can play to their USB port out to DAC (shudder). But streaming using Roon with the Synology

media server app or a UPNP control client controlling Minimserver on the NAS will sound so much better.  If you go the UPNP route, Apple app store isn't

friendly to the common UPNP controller apps, Android phones/tablets will have more choices. Roon has control clients readily available for iOS and

Android devices

[jabbr]

On 1/4/2022 at 11:27 PM, Donna1952 said:

Thank you everyone for trying to help me.  I have about 25 TB of music that I am converting from cassettes I made when I lived and worked in Jamaica in the mid 1970s - about 1500 cassettes of mostly unreleased reggae about half are Bob Marley.  It bothers me that much of this has not been released as people simply took this when he died.  They have not released it.  As I got to know he musicians as I worked there, they were happy to share it and get in safe hands for the future.  I played some of this on radio shows but we also recorded around 15-20,000 Jamaican 45s.  We may have the only existing recordings from the apex of Rock Steady and Reggae.  They didn't make LPs or CDs in Jamaica until around the 80s because there were few record players and fewer sources of power.  We used battery powered phonos and Sony Pros to put on cassettes.  A few years later these warehouse of records were vaporized in hurricanes.   So far we have 200,000 files [songs and are half way through after a year] Many cassettes are one or two generations off the SB of studios.  They blow the years later CDs out of the water.  This is being done legally BTW, whether I am here or gone beyond.  I just want the music to survive.  That is all this system is for are digitized copies of these recordings that I have not heard in over 45 years with a few exceptions [my fault, I was busy], but now, in a quality way, but simple, I wanted to hear them.  Now I can only play them on my laptop and they sound stupendous.  Some I have had converted to 24/96 or even higher and the sound amazing.  Most at just 24/48 and the Jamaican 45s don't even merit FLAC, but I try to do that anyway if I can. FLAC and CDs cds did not exist then.  We did what we could.  So I only need something compatible with the speakers.  Why KEF?  I don't want to be rude, but I tried some Sonos and they were horrible.  I don't have much time, so I decided, I can't take it with me, just buy something so you have time to hear it.  So I guess I have no idea on a player, just something that will be compatible with KEF and probably Synology for a NAS.  For CDs I would just plug a CD player into the back - I wouldn't use it much.  I have read your posts - a lot of it is over my head.  You guys know so much more than I ever will.  I want to keep this off my computer.  Also, whatever solution you guys think is the easiest because I need to explain it to a group of people who will perpetuated this from the NAS/Cloud when I am gone for a few years say 5 years.  So that is my plan anyway.  Is to leave the NAS and Cloud going [prepay], but I would like to listen to it by whatever way your think is the easiest to set up.  I thought Synology came with a KEF compatible player that I could control with a small PC or iPad.  I could be completely wrong about the setup, so feel free to chirp in - thank you everyone.  Donna

 

What a great project. My advice is to get an external SAS enclosure ... this is what I use:

https://www.pc-pitstop.com/15bay-12g-sas-expander-enclosure

and then connect to a small computer running Ubuntu linux with a SAS3 card and cable.

Use ZFS to organize the drives into mirrored arrays. You could use 8Tb mirrored and striped x 4 = 32 Tb (8 drives)

Connect the computer to the network and you have a great NAS.