Hi everyone. Can I ask what media server software people are running on their (Synology) NAS’ and whether they are happy with it? I’m afraid my Unitiserve SSD, which I’ve been using quite happily for the last 4 years has been rather temperamental of late and is regularly updating the music store files. I have a Synology 218 NAS which seems to be fine and do recollect posts on the old Forum suggesting that Minimserver/Asset do an equally good job (compared to the Unitiserve) of serving music files. Many thanks for any advice given.
I’ve been running Minimserver on a Synology for a few years, using it with the backup folder for my Unitiserve. It’s been pretty reliable as an alternative to the US. However, now that Asset is available for Synology, I would probably go for that based on its reputation for being easier to set up. Minimserver is free (or by voluntary donation) and Asset has a free trial, so you could try them both and see which you prefer.
I’ve moved from Synology’s own ‘Media Server’ & Minimserver to Asset UPnP.
I started to play with Asset when it was still in beta, its now in a public release version.
I would now not consider anything else, its simple to set up, easy to understand & personalise in the config section. Its very forgiving of metadata variables (unlike Minimserver) it supports all the codec/format’s all the lossless types, lossy & DSD. Transcode is easy & faultless (not that I need it with WAV & DSD only) . Plus a load of other stuff I’ve not even considered. For me & my music, Asset UPnP is 100%
Yes, try the trail version to have a look how it is, its free for about 30 days
Its a bit limited, but is a good showcase despite the limitations.
Once you have it loaded you need to open up the GUI to get into the configuration section - to do this, on your URL line type in your Synology’s IP address followed by :45537
e.g. http://192.168.1.xxx:45537
Come back if you need to chat on whatever.
You will probably have questions on configuration
I have been using Synology media server while I wait for asset to settle into maturity. I found that media server was very easy to set up and get running with. I started from zero knowledge so wanted to get it all running correctly before adding additional items. Will probably look at switching to asset this winter.
Asset UPnP has been running for quite a while, its the big favourite with QNAP users & is very mature. To get it running on Synology it was just a matter of adapting it for the different OS. I started on beta-2, that went to beta-3 & then to public release, so it was integrated relatively quickly.
I soon turned Syn’s ‘Media Server’ off & by beta-3 I had uninstalled it completely. So if you have the time, I would not wait.
I used to run Minim on my synology Nas & have also tried Asset but preferred Minim as it’s one guy coding it & it’s Freeware (I’ve donated to Simon @ Minim anyway ) As another possible alternative I now have a RaspberryPi running Minimserver which looks to my Synology NAS for the music shares. In my setup it is rock solid & faster to populate the screens in the Naim app on Ipad compared to the Nas (which admittedly is getting on a bit - 2012 model) The Synology Media server always baulked when playing back hiRez music but they have probably sorted that since I last tried it…?
If you have a lot of classical music and/or you care about customizability, go for MinimServer. In my view, it is the best UPnP server currently available and comes with excellent documentation and support, see https://minimserver.com/.
This is a very interesting thread. I currently have a unitiserve 2TB which is fine, but as it’s 9 years old I am starting to think about a replacement whilst the going is good. Seems like NAS is the way to go. I have an old Synology NAS which I u se for backing up the Unitiserve and just data storage. I’m quite familiar with the Synology interface so would be looking to run something like Asset, on a new NAS, (the existing one is over 8 years old).
I’m not very familiar with this sort of thing, would greatly appreciate if anyone could answer a couple of basic set up questions. I have about 750 albums ripped on the US, in WAV format , plus about one hundred albums in high res in the downloads folder.
Could I simply copy across the Unitiserve backup and use this as the source for ripped music for Asset ?
I’m not too fussed about loads of meta- data, provided the basic tree structure of Artist > Album > Track is preserved, plus cover art etc., would this be the case with Asset ?
For streaming I have NDX2. Would the NDX2 simply “see” the Asset upon on the network, and alllow me to continue to use the NAIM app to control my music ?
Some of the high res is 192khz, presumably not a problem for Asset ?
Thanks in advance and apologies if these are somewhat basic questions…
Hi, you can certainly run a server on your backup NAS. I have Minimserver on mine, but now that Asset is available for Synology, that’s probably worth a look.
One thing you should certainly do to convert your WAVs to FLAC on the Unitiserve, otherwise the metadata will not be usable on other servers, and you will be limited to a somewhat primitive folder view.
Your streamer will find Asset, and it will be accessible in the server input, alongside the Unitiserve.
I would also consider an additional backup to a USB drive. If you connect this to a USB port on the NDX2, that will appear in the server input as well as (or instead of) Asset.
I have been doing most of this for a friend recently.
As ChrisSU says, most important to convert all the (unique to Naim) WAV to FLAC, not required for DSD if you have any.
Transfer to the new NAS
Download & install Asset - its easier to set up than others.
Open your Naim app, touch UPnP & Asset will be there.
With Asset it default opens with the full package of browsing views, this can be fine tuned, simplified, made more of or different. Take your time with this as you need to ‘learn’ how it all works. We can swap ideas as & when you need.
Getting into Synology, I obviously don’t know what else you need it for, but with audio only all you need to have loaded from the included Package Center is Asset & File Station, you can’t not have Search & Backup, but if uninstall everything else it makes the GUI less busy & the un-install command does not remove it from the Package Center (its not lost) (plus it free’s up a bit of CPU & RAM)
I have used both Minimserver and Asset on my Synology nas, and came to prefer the Asset interface for the very little customization I did with it. I thought that they sounded the same. But now I use Roon, and use the nas just for backup.
That’s what I did. I owned a UnitiServe, and was using my Synology nas to back it up. When I sold off the UServe, that ‘library’ was fine to use going forward. Note - I had already let the UServe transcode the cd rips I’d done with it to flac.
I likewise tried both, but preferred minimserver because it was better for customisation. I just couldn’t seem to get Asset to display things how I wanted.
Don’t think you can really go wrong with either of them, it’s just down to which you prefer tinkering with.
) As another possible alternative I now have a RaspberryPi running Minimserver which looks to my Synology NAS for the music shares. In my setup it is rock solid & faster to populate the screens in the Naim app on Ipad compared to the Nas (which admittedly is getting on a bit - 2012 model) The Synology Media server always baulked when playing back hiRez music but they have probably sorted that since I last tried it…?