Dedicated NAS? Does it matter?

[Brian H]

I just bought a 4 bay Synology NAS that will be Raid 5 configured to hold my 10Tb music collection. I am getting ready to buy the 4 hard drives and am deciding on capacity. Does anyone have an opinion (lol) regarding using this for music only or adding volumes for videos and photos, etc.? I do have around 100 concert dvds and blu-rays and a couple hundred movies. The music playback is paramount. Will it impact performance adding other stuff? Just me and my wife so no multiple users at any time. Or would I be better off buying another NAS to hold the non-music files. Thanks.

[captfidel]

I suppose it depends on the Synology model you are using. I am running a DS3617XS. I also have about 10TB of music, plus photos, video, backups, multi-location syncs, DSAudio, etc. I have no issues with performance. I am running Roon on the NAS itself. My music, photos, videos, and other data are all on the same large logical volume (about 20TB). I have a separate logical volume for the Roon database which is SSD based. I have three Roon zones. My Synology never breaks a sweat.

 

P.S. I would also recommend a SSD as a drive cache and BTFRS.

[Brian H]

Thanks so much for the advice and recommendations. I bought an older model and am using a fanless mac mini as my Roon core so it's just storage. I don't think the NAS has the power to be a Roon Core but if I like it I may buy a newer more powerful one.

[captfidel]

Good luck. There are lots of good options. For me, I sure like Roon on the NAS as it’s always on and I don’t have to boot up a computer to listen to music. Perhaps you do the same with the mini.  Cheers. 

[Rikard]

Hello Brian H.
I think it's better to buy another NAS to hold non-music files. This is just my opinion. Separating things is a very good way to have a good organization. And that's the case in all areas.

[davide256]

IME as long as your media player buffers and you aren’t retrieving DSD, a single video user won’t step on audio with a GigE NAS to router connection

[Brian H]

I took the plunge and so far no problems on the music side. Thanks for the opinion.

[audiobomber]

My QNAP TS-451+ has a nice feature; dual ethernet connections, which enables port trunking (link aggregation).

 

In the NAS Dashboard, I can see that music always, and only, plays through ethernet cable #2. Other network traffic goes through cable #1. This feature makes a noticeable difference in sound quality, IME. One caveat, do not use cables with the shield connected at both ends. 

[john925]

On 8/15/2022 at 10:19 PM, audiobomber said:

My QNAP TS-451+ has a nice feature; dual ethernet connections, which enables port trunking (link aggregation).

 

In the NAS Dashboard, I can see that music always, and only, plays through ethernet cable #2. Other network traffic goes through cable #1. This feature makes a noticeable difference in sound quality, IME. One caveat, do not use cables with the shield connected at both ends. 

hi audiobomber,

 

I'm very intrigued by your feedback. Would you please shed more light on your quap settings about port trunking and your network structure?  Thank you.

[audiobomber]

22 hours ago, john925 said:

I'm very intrigued by your feedback. Would you please shed more light on your qnap settings about port trunking and your network structure?  Thank you.

Instructions for Port Trunking here:

https://www.qnap.com/en/how-to/tutorial/article/set-port-trunking-on-your-qnap-nas-to-increase-the-bandwidth-via-802-3ad-protocol

I've used Port Trunking ever since I acquired the NAS., initially connected to my router, then through a succession of switch upgrades. It has always worked flawlessly. The only exception was when I tried to use parallel shield-tied cables. The system froze, I assume due to a ground loop. 

 

You can view traffic flow through each cable in the NAS Resource Monitor. I currently use a shield-tied Furutech LAN8 cable for the #2 port, which feeds my music systems, with a generic cable that is shield-tied at one end only.

[john925]

9 hours ago, audiobomber said:

Instructions for Port Trunking here:

https://www.qnap.com/en/how-to/tutorial/article/set-port-trunking-on-your-qnap-nas-to-increase-the-bandwidth-via-802-3ad-protocol

I've used Port Trunking ever since I acquired the NAS., initially connected to my router, then through a succession of switch upgrades. It has always worked flawlessly. The only exception was when I tried to use parallel shield-tied cables. The system froze, I assume due to a ground loop. 

 

You can view traffic flow through each cable in the NAS Resource Monitor. I currently use a shield-tied Furutech LAN8 cable for the #2 port, which feeds my music systems, with a generic cable that is shield-tied at one end only.

 

Thank you, audiobomber.

What routers/switches are you using now?

[audiobomber]

14 hours ago, john925 said:

What routers/switches are you using now?

I have a TP-Link Archer C9 router, which is no longer in the chain when playing my main system. The main system is:

QNAP TS-451+ > Silent Angel N8 > EtherREGEN > exaSound Playpoint

Everything except the NAS has been upgraded with a linear power supply.

[john925]

On 10/26/2022 at 10:25 PM, audiobomber said:

 

QNAP TS-451+ > Silent Angel N8 > EtherREGEN > exaSound Playpoint

 

thanks, so you didn't use port trunking in this setup?

Silent Angel N8 not able to handle port trunking, right?

 

 

[audiobomber]

9 hours ago, john925 said:

thanks, so you didn't use port trunking in this setup?

Silent Angel N8 not able to handle port trunking, right?

I am using port trunking with the N8. I suspect most routers are OK with port trunking/link aggregation, because it worked with my C9 router and three previous switches; TP-Link SG108E, Netgear GS-305 and GS105Ev2. 

PS The Netgear GS-305 is no good for audio use. A real sonic compromise.

[john925]

On 10/30/2022 at 10:07 PM, audiobomber said:

I am using port trunking with the N8. I suspect most routers are OK with port trunking/link aggregation, because it worked with my C9 router and three previous switches; TP-Link SG108E, Netgear GS-305 and GS105Ev2. 

PS The Netgear GS-305 is no good for audio use. A real sonic compromise.

Thank you, I shall also try to see if port trunking improve my system or not.

[audiobomber]

On 10/30/2022 at 10:07 AM, audiobomber said:

I suspect most routers are OK with port trunking

I meant to say "I suspect most switches are OK with port trunking".

[kurb1980]

To get port trunking you need to make sure your switches support 802.3ad protocol. Most consumer level do not offer this support enterprise level switches do I’m not aware of any unmanaged switches that support 802.3ad.