ThomasD. Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 Decided to pull the trigger on the Cambridge 851D. Can't stand having my Iphone tied up when streaming my playlists or Spotify anymore. All reviews were pretty positive & they seem to be out of stock everywhere (hoping that is a good thing). Have one on back order from Cru...field. Still need to figure out the stand alone NAS issue. Something other than memory sticks. Need to have a solid storage media apart from any laptop etc. Anyone chime in with experience in this matter? Looking for just a couple Terabits of storage. And simplicity is key because I'm not digitally talented. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shakeydeal Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I use a Synology DS218j. It's a two bay drive and pretty easy to set up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-js- Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I use one that, let's say I inherited because it was decommissioned at the office, so I repurposed it - being enviro friendly thing to do, yanno? so it's mine now. it's a Netgear of some kind, 6 bays, I have 500 GB/bay so 3 TB. has been super solid, no complaints. had to replace 1 drive but has been solid as a rock. pretty easy to admin/setup etc too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avguytx Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 44 minutes ago, Shakeydeal said: I use a Synology DS218j. It's a two bay drive and pretty easy to set up. Same thing here. Easy to use with two 2TB drives in RAID 1 which covers all I need for JRiver music plus backing up 3 laptops, a desktop, and making a couple of network drives for storage. Very flexible and you tie it into your network and it can be access it anywhere at home...and away if needed. That Cambridge is nice for sure. I use an Onkyo P-3000R preamp which gave me lots of digital inputs so I could get rid of some stand alone DAC's. Plus I know the National Sales Manager so I'm fortunate to be able to buy it at Rep Sample cost like when I was a rep. That came in handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USNRET Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I use a 4 bay QNAP that hosts Plex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I use a QNAP TS-219P II I'm sure they have updated 2-bay units by now, but this does everything I need flawlessly. I've got two 3TB drive in a RAID 1 configuration which is the two drives mirrored. If you are new to this don't make the mistake in thinking RAID is backup. I also back up all my precious music and pictures to a 4TB USB drive I keep in a fire proof safe. I've been thinking of keeping it in my detached garage as I doubt my house and garage would burn down at the same time. Still there are Tornados/Hurricanes/Floods. Ripping all those CDs is a pain. I have had one of my RAID drives fail in about 4-5 years of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasD. Posted August 16, 2018 Author Share Posted August 16, 2018 54 minutes ago, rplace said: I use a QNAP TS-219P II I'm sure they have updated 2-bay units by now, but this does everything I need flawlessly. I've got two 3TB drive in a RAID 1 configuration which is the two drives mirrored. If you are new to this don't make the mistake in thinking RAID is backup. I also back up all my precious music and pictures to a 4TB USB drive I keep in a fire proof safe. I've been thinking of keeping it in my detached garage as I doubt my house and garage would burn down at the same time. Still there are Tornados/Hurricanes/Floods. Ripping all those CDs is a pain. I have had one of my RAID drives fail in about 4-5 years of use. Are you saying a RAID 1 single bay is not a backup? I think I understand that a multi-bay drive can mirror the back up and a single bay can't ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 15 minutes ago, ThomasD. said: Are you saying a RAID 1 single bay is not a backup? I think I understand that a multi-bay drive can mirror the back up and a single bay can't ?? I saying no implementation of RAID is reliable for back up. You need a valid backup strategy in addition to a storage strategy. RAID can and will fail catastrophically. Only you can decide how long between backups you can stomach - minutes, hours, days, months. What are you willing to lose? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtr20 Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I'm using an older d-link 2 bay Nas with 2X 3TB drives mirrored. It works fine and my Bluesound DAC can read mp3 files from it without a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnA Posted August 16, 2018 Share Posted August 16, 2018 I have tried several NAS boxes. The cheaper ones are slow. Now I am using an old 250 GB HD in a Sabrent USB 3.0 box plugged into the back of my router. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AF22NTY/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1 My Integra pulls MP3s off of it easily. It also collects my weekly backups. But nothing I do at home needs to be backed up, save pictures and bought music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockhound Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 I use a Drobo NAS that I bought from @Thaddeus Smith works flawllessly and acts as my plex server, great functionality and features. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emile Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 Another QNap fan here. Have a (model) TS-251, 2-bay with 1TB drives. Have had it for 3-4 yrs ... so reliable I forget it's there Only have one problem ... streaming to my (older) Panasonic Viera Plasma TV. TV "forgets" the NAS and takes forever to reload the info And (of course) my AVR (Onkyo RZ810) does not stream movies So; pain in the a$$ ... have to get a movie from the NAS to my portable PC, then shoot it to the AVR via ChromeCast or Roku Any better solutions??? Yes; I know - get a newer TV. But love the plasma plus it's too heavy to take off the wall (BTW, it works just fine on my newer TV's). Thanks, Emile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 I dont stream, I am barely computer literate myself but have managed to rip some 3000 lp on to 2 tb hard drives and all i do now is play that music far to easy and convenient I use this Hard Drive for reliability they have the best reputation, I agonized over this for awhile looking at reviews questioning etc...it seems all drives fail sooner or later and we are expected to accept that. Some drives fail at a much higher rate the Reds are not the fastest drives but I am able to copy at speeds of 80 to 120 mbps through usb 3 (Translation I copied 1.1 tb in under 5 hours using the WD red and the Doc linked below https://www.amazon.com/Red-2TB-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B008JJLZ7G/ref=sr_1_5_acs_ac_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534592344&sr=8-5-acs&keywords=wd+red https://www.amazon.com/WEme-Dual-Bay-External-Duplicator-Tool-Free/dp/B00PTUQE4M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534592289&sr=8-3&keywords=inateck+docking+station Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rplace Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 1 hour ago, joessportster said: I dont stream, I am barely computer literate myself but have managed to rip some 3000 lp on to 2 tb hard drives and all i do now is play that music far to easy and convenient I use this Hard Drive for reliability they have the best reputation, I agonized over this for awhile looking at reviews questioning etc...it seems all drives fail sooner or later and we are expected to accept that. Some drives fail at a much higher rate the Reds are not the fastest drives but I am able to copy at speeds of 80 to 120 mbps through usb 3 (Translation I copied 1.1 tb in under 5 hours using the WD red and the Doc linked below https://www.amazon.com/Red-2TB-Hard-Disk-Drive/dp/B008JJLZ7G/ref=sr_1_5_acs_ac_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1534592344&sr=8-5-acs&keywords=wd+red https://www.amazon.com/WEme-Dual-Bay-External-Duplicator-Tool-Free/dp/B00PTUQE4M/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1534592289&sr=8-3&keywords=inateck+docking+station Joe those WD Red drives are some of the best. You made a great choice. When you say Ripped some 3000 LPs are you talking about ripping CDs to FLAC for the convenience of not messing with CDs or did you actually digitize your vinyl LPs? If you did your vinyl I'm impressed and would like some more info on your overall process. I've got so many great 45RPM Blue Note LPs but I just can't envision the time/effort involved with the vinyl to digital conversion. Still I'd like to have them beyond my vinyl room for casual use around the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thaddeus Smith Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 I'm a DIY guy, but it's not territory for those who are squeamish when it comes to computers (18 years in I.T. here). All of the recommended solutions so far should fit your needs - QNAP, Synology, Drobo, etc. Buy one which fits your budget constraints and gives you enough space for current needs + two to four years worth of growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatever55 Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 I use a Drobo5N that I bought from a forum member. Had a1 drive go bad and lost nothing, put in a new drive, it rebuilt and everything is happy. Easy to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 10 hours ago, rplace said: Joe those WD Red drives are some of the best. You made a great choice. When you say Ripped some 3000 LPs are you talking about ripping CDs to FLAC for the convenience of not messing with CDs or did you actually digitize your vinyl LPs? If you did your vinyl I'm impressed and would like some more info on your overall process. I've got so many great 45RPM Blue Note LPs but I just can't envision the time/effort involved with the vinyl to digital conversion. Still I'd like to have them beyond my vinyl room for casual use around the house. Ripped Cd's using EAC, No Vinyl Rips / conversions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldred Posted August 18, 2018 Share Posted August 18, 2018 8 hours ago, Thaddeus Smith said: I'm a DIY guy, but it's not territory for those who are squeamish when it comes to computers (18 years in I.T. here). All of the recommended solutions so far should fit your needs - QNAP, Synology, Drobo, etc. Buy one which fits your budget constraints and gives you enough space for current needs + two to four years worth of growth. I get what you mean.......I really don't run a NAS ....Got a server in the basement....run a couple of SansDigital 4 bangers. Then I have a couple Intel NUC's ...one for each system. I run my movies through either JRiver or Kodi.....all my music runs through JRiver.....Most of my music streaming is through Amazon prime plus...through the NUC's. Got the NUC's on sale....works for me anyway. George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 I've got friend who streams from a smartphone he bought off ebay. Cheap, cheap... he doesn't have it on a plan, just uses it on he wireless network. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue72 Posted August 24, 2018 Share Posted August 24, 2018 I'm still using a Synology 2-bay NAS that I bought and stuffed with drives 9 years ago. I run it with a redundant RAID 1 array. It was easy to set up and has been trouble-free the whole time. Synology has even been nice enough to keep providing periodic updates and new software packages. I can stream lossless audio from it to my computer, phone (they have dedicated apps for audio and video which can optionally cast to other devices on the same network), Chromecast, smart TV, or 4K player, all wirelessly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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