Hi Guys, I have just upgraded my Synology DS213J NAS to a DS218 and migrated the 2 HDD’s across with no problems but I have an issue where once the DS218 NAS goes into hibernation, the cooling fan continues to run and I can’t get it to turn off unless I shut the NAS down completely. The NAS is situated in the corner of the living/listening room and whilst I can live with the background noise whilst I’m listening to music, I can’t live with the background noise 24/7.
With my old DS213J when it went into hibernation mode, the cooling fan switched off and the NAS was silent. Within the DSM there is an option for the fan for ‘Low-Power mode’ with the DS213J but not with the DS218.
I’ve found the DS218 to be much quicker at accessing files etc and also I can detect improved sound quality but if I can’t sort out the issue of the cooling fan whilst the NAS is in hibernation then I’ll have to return it.
I’ve tried a live chat with Synology but they said to raise a Technical Support Ticket which I’ve done but I’ve had no response so far.
Synology tech support is quite good. Obviously slower at weekends. And they are even honest about how poor/limited the free utilities really are!
They have fixed a few things in my 218+.
Yes, I’m hoping Synology tech support can help but I just wondered if anyone on here had any knowledge or experience that may be able to assist.
Xanthe - Yes, I set the fan on the DS218 to the lowest setting - Quiet mode, but it still remains on, once in hibernation. With the DS213J there is an additional fan setting - Low-power mode, that switches the fan off completely once in hibernation mode. If I put the DS213J to any other of the fan modes, then the fan also remains on during hibernation.
I have a DS214, it’s software doesn’t have a Low Power mode, the lowest setting is Quiet.
I have reset it to hibernate & have just checked, its in hibernation & the fan is running.
Its extremely quiet & the air off is very cool. That said I always have it set on Quiet mode, its never moved out from that & I’ve never actually heard the fan running unless I have my ear about a foot (30cm) from it.
Mike - Many thanks for your description. When in hibernation mode my DS218 is audible from 2 Metres away whilst in Quiet mode - not loud, but you can certainly hear something whirring away in the corner. Maybe I’ve got a noisy fan. I’ve actually re-installed the DS213J for now. Think I’ll try again with the DS218 tomorrow and decide if I want to keep it or go through the hassle of returning it.
I’ve had a look on the Synology website and the DS220j has the Low Power mode and it has the same CPU as the DS218 but less RAM. So if I can’t live with the noise coming from the DS218 or Synology technical support don’t have any ideas, I think I’ll return the DS218 and purchase the DS220j - just wish a knew this issue beforehand!
I have a synology ds218play and the fan runs in hibernation. I contacted synology and was told this is normal. I can’t hear it as its almost silent but it seems a waste of energy and wear and tear to have it running constantly. I also upgraded from a ds213j and the 218 is quite noticeably better sound quality wise.
Thanks Mrhappy, I’ve just had confirmation from Synology that the ds218 fan runs continuously whilst in hibernation. I’ve just ordered the ds220j that should be silent when in hibernation, so we’ll see. I wonder why the sound quality was clearly better between the ds213j and the ds218? Could it be linked to the CPU and the amount of RAM?
Now to return the ds218 and await the arrival of the ds220j tomorrow.
The DS218 has a quad core processor & as you note more RAM, the processor might well be the reason for the better SQ. The DS220j although a lower spec with less RAM, also has a quad core so might prove as good in SQ terms as the better spec’d 218
Please post what you find, I might be going for a change in the future.
Yes, I will do Mike. I will post my findings over the weekend hopefully.
I was thinking of trying Melco to see if that increased the sound quality still further but apart from the massive increase in cost, I don’t have a convenient location to put one at the moment.
I just assumed all NAS’s sounded similar and all were silent in hibernation mode but obviously I was wrong!
So Synology DS220j NAS installed yesterday and initial impressions are really positive. It is much quicker at accessing music and the sound quality is on par with the DS218 and certainly an improvement over the DS213j. The DS220j is also much quieter than the DS218 and is silent in hibernation as it has the ‘Low-Power’ mode just like the DS213j - no cooling fan running.
Mike - I think the improvement in SQ must be due to the quad core processor over the DS213j single core. As your DS214 already has a dual core processor, I’m not sure how much of an improvement the DS218 or DS220j would be.
The reason for changing the DS213j was that I found quite often when playing the 1st song after hibernation it would stop and stutter for the 1st 1-2mins of the song. After that it was fine and would play the rest of the songs perfectly. I looked in the resource monitor and the CPU was at 99-100% for the 1st minute or so. I only had the basic ‘programs’ running but the CPU couldn’t cope. Now with the DS220j, the CPU is running at a much lower percentage and the stuttering has disappeared.
The only other issue is the LAN led flickers away constantly even when the DS220j is in hibernation mode. I noticed it did this on the DS218 also but not on my DS213j.
So the DS220j is staying and now I need to go through the process of returning the DS218. Although I do prefer the black of the DS218 as opposed to the white of the DS213j & DS220j.
Thanks for feedback Russt, seems you’re sorted.
For completeness … re your comparison notes on (my) DS214
Yes Marvell Armada XP dual core 1.066 GHz processor. I agree it will probably not do much for SQ to go to quad core, it’ll just do stuff faster I expect.
On power up from hibernation the resource monitor shows orange, sometimes red & the CPU at 80 to 90% for 5 up to 10 seconds, this falls to 2 to 6% when playing including high res (24/192). I’ve never had any sign of stuttering.
The ‘Status’ LED pulses slowly up to full brightness & off, but the NAS lives in a cabinet so is out of sight.
Finally, what UPnP software are you using - I’m a big fan of Asset
Hi Mike, I use Minimsever into the Linn App to my Linn Klimax DS. Have you compared Minimserver to Asset? I guess I could get Asset on my NAS? I’m not that computer savvy and getting Minimserver installed took a while after changing from Synology’s Media Server, I think it was.
I used Minimserver on the DS214 until Asset for Syn became available, & not wanted to go back.
I’m OK with 'pooters, I worked with them from way back, not IT exaclty but need to know to help software development etc.
I installed & set up Minim OK, its streets ahead of the Synology offering, but I was annoyed with the what had to be done, Java & MinimWatch.
I’d helped someone set up Asset on his QUAD & was very impressed with the simplicity, as soon as Asset started beta testing the Synology version I was on it.
It really is so easy, one package to install & its ready to go right outta the box, there are personal preferences fine tuning what/how you want to browse is something extra to fiddle with, but compared to Minim its real easy.
I have to say Minim is the better tool for a Classical collection, but for rock, pop, jazz, folk & few classical that I have, Asset is the winner.
There is definitely something odd going on if the CPU on your NAS is running out of steam. Audio streaming is not a high workload. My DS115 running Minimserver hardly breaks a sweat with 16/44 and 24/96 material, which it transcodes on the fly from FLAC to WAV, or with DSD64. That’s with an 800mHz 2-core processor. Perhaps there is an odd configuration on your UPnP server causing it to chew too much power?
Thanks Mike, I listen to mainly rock & pop so I should probably give Asset a try, like you say Minimwatch is a PITA. I notice Asset doesn’t show in the Synology Package Center, do I download it from the Illustrate Website?
Also, final question, which packages do you have installed on your NAS? As at the moment I’ve only installed File Station, MinimServer & Universal Search. Should I also install Hyper Backup & Hyper Backup Vault and any others? As it’s working fine, I haven’t installed any others as I’m not sure what they do!
Yes, a free trail version (limited features) or a full all features with life time paid up licence for £24 + VAT
I do limit the packages I have installed as its only for music, they all use a small amount of CPU even when not running.
File Station & Search cannot be removed, I have Hyper Backup as I back up to a WD Passport, plus Asset, thats it.
I have a DS214play it seems fine sonically. It did have a failing drive I had to replace a few months ago; WD Red. Very simple job since drives are tool-less and hot swap-able.