I have a lot of flac files on a drive in a pc in my home network, and use the Naim app on a tablet to select which ones Plex will feed to my NDS.
The app seems slow to move from screen to screen as I search through my catalogue.
Just wondering what the hive mind thinks is the best way to feed my NDS?
I am wondering if I should have a separate media server app, Jellyfin or Universal for my music files, reducing the size of the catalogue by excluding the movies and TV shows that Plex also catalogues, or should I be moving to a NAS, or something like a Wiim Ultra? Is the app/interface an improvement on the Naim app?
What alternatives are out there in 2026? What other options should I consider? .
An external drive plugged into the NDS? Another Naim unit like Uniti Core?
I donāt typically stream music from the internet, now Steve Wright is dead, but might consider using one of those services to provide background music without having to select local files manually. This remains a low priority, but expect it will be available whatever option is chosen?
The forum search will probably yield a lot of threads on this with a strong consensus:
Use Asset UPnP or Minimserver on your NAS to serve the files.
PLEX (great though it is for video) is very subpar for audio.
Use a dedicated hardware audio storage box - they cost Ā£thousands though and discussions about whether they are worth it just ends in a massive argument from entrenched positions.
If you want more detailed comments on why, I do suggest just reading historical threads though.
A Synology or QNAP NAS running Asset or Minimserver UPnP server would be a simple way to get your music collection in order. My experiences with audiophile music servers didnāt lead me to find any advantage over these simple solutions despite the significant extra cost. Different opinions abound on this forum - make of that what you will.
An external drive plugged into the NDS isnāt a useful option. Sound quality is fine, but itās a basic user interface intended for USB sticks with an album or two on them, not for managing a whole music collection.
If you want to dabble in streaming services, your NDS is able to access Spotify and Tidal. Make sure the firmware is up to date. There are usually free trials available if you want to dip your toe in the water. If you find that this becomes a regular part of your listening in future, along with internet radio, you may find that a newer streamer is worthwhile. This could be a streaming transport hooked up to the SPDIF input of your NDS, or possibly a complete new streamer. Good though the NDS is, you should prepare yourself for the possibility that it may become unrepairable at some point.
Based on the last 20 years of ripped, networked and streaming music, can I provide the following insights
A NAS is a great place to store your music files, as a dedicated āstorage on the networkā device. They can be configured with data resiliency across multiple disks, and can backup to removable disks - but essentially treat music files as folders of data - manage them, back them up.
The server that indexes them can run on the same hardware, but I have found it better to run it on a dedicated server platform - be it Asset UPnP on a RPi or Roon Server on a NUC.
This then provides the control and management of the music from the Renderer App, be it the Naim app for UPnP or Roon Remote. A Roon setup combines music stored locally with internet based streaming services, in one seamless view to the user. Yes, it comes with a cost, but the initial setup investment has now been over the last 10 years, and it is all up-to-date with regular releases.
If you were going to move from your current PC based arrangement, one suggestion is the range of SonicTransporter, which are SonicOrbiterOS based servers. These dedicated audio server provides storage and will run UPnP servers, Roon Server and also the SonoreUPnP bridge which will then allow you to feed a UPnP stream from Roon to your NDS.
Nothing else to setup or configure and will breath new life into your NDS delivering SQ as good as an ND555 but without the huge upgrade cost.
When my uniti serve died I replaced it with an innuos Zenith, it was a revelation compared to my serve and the sense app is brilliantā¦
Subject to budget using an Innuos with your NDS would be worth a consideration. There are lots of options with new products from Innuos so would highly recommend exploring that as an option.
I now have an Nd555 and to my ears it sounds better using the sense app than it does the Naim appā¦.i.e. the Innuos products stands up for future upgrades.
The NDS has a certain magic so despite its current value it is still excellent
Thank you all for the words of wisdom, and apologies for the delay in responding. but I am back as there is nothing worse than threads in forums that do not end with some sort of conclusion/words of advice!
I spent the time setting up a HP Elite Desk as a Proxmox unit, installed Open Media Vault on there with a USB drive attached and copied the flac files to that. Then I added Asset UPnP to it. It was a bit of a steep learning curve, but Gemini had my back.
I am very impressed, very happy. Still using the Naim app on a tablet to control everything for the NDS, but the presentation in the app is much better, many more images for bands and albums, and the responsiveness is leaps and bounds above what it was with Plex. No noticeable delays in browsing the catalogue.
I need to go read the Asset manuals to optimize it as much as possible. And pay for it at the end of the trial.
If anyone is still using Plex to supply their music, I strongly suggest trialling Asset, its free for 30 days, and it makes playing music enjoyable again. This really has been a game changer for me.