Network Music HDD?

snake1
snake1 Posts: 567
edited August 2014 in Going Digital
Does anyone have some experience using a networked external HD and streaming music to their receiver? I want to make a network drive anyway as a go between with all our devices and also my music storage. Will the Onkyo find a wifi network drive like that? Connecting the HDD to a router via USB is my plan btw. Ideas?
AVR - Onkyo NR809
500gb HD for MP3 and FLAC files
Amp - Parasound 2250 - FOR SALE BTW!! PM me if interested!
Mains - Polk RTi12 towers
Center - CSi5
Surround - FXiA6's
Sub - psw505
Movies and games - PS3
TV - Toshiba 52" HD

Every vehicle has one good nuetral drop in it
Post edited by snake1 on

Comments

  • Denzel
    Denzel Posts: 78
    edited July 2014
    I use a Netgear ReadyNAS 314 for my networked music storage. It is 8TB (4 x 3TB in RAID5) there are many ways to share the content via the network. Your Onkyo uses simple SMB protocol and should see the NAS on the network. The ReadyNAS has simple web based setup. I have an Integra DHC 40.2 (similar insides to your Onkyo) pre/pro and it works beautifully for streaming music. To be honest this is all based on what works best for your needs, there are no hard and fast rules on how you share your content across a network. USB will be iffy on speed, I have a USB3.0 drive connected directly to my Mac Mini and it is plenty fast, but the capacity is not there and sharing it through the Mac is slower than a NAS on the network. What is your router? Like an Apple Airport Extreme? ( I know they have USB on them). I have such a large drive because all of my music is either FLAC or WAV, looks like that is your choice as well. Hard drives (even halfway decent ones) are very inexpensive now. Buy more than you need.

    Netgear has a whole line of their ReadyNAS products.. all different features and capacities. Drobo makes nice NAS devices as well.
    SDA SRS 3.1TL, Adcom GFP710 (preamp), GFA5400 amplifier, Pro-Ject TT
    SDA SRS (circa 1988), Integra DHC 60.3 (HT preamp) Adcom GFA555 II, CS400i (center), Monitor 4.6 II (rears) Adcom GFA2535 & Oppo BDP-103, TCL 55R617 55" 4K Display, RTA 15TL (crossovers by VR3), Adcom GFP710 pre & GFA545 II amplifier, NAD C545BEE. AppleTV 4K
    Other Polks not in service currently; SDA2a, SDA CRS+, SDA SRS 2.3, Monitor 4.6 II, Monitor 5jr+
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited July 2014
    The possibilties are practically endless. Lots of stand-a-lone network players, streaming devices, multi-purpose BluRay players that will either stream or allow direct connection of HDD/USB flash drives, etc.

    It depends on the approach you want to take; ie, PC driven, network player driven, streaming, etc. I don't like my system being so dependent on computers/networks so I direct connect a usb hard drive w/flac files to my Oppo BR.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • D'prived
    D'prived Posts: 191
    edited July 2014
    If the networked drive is shared the Onkyo should find it. Don't know if this is an issue for you but you may want to know that Onkyo receivers don't support gapless playback. I believe the 2014 models will.
  • snake1
    snake1 Posts: 567
    edited July 2014
    Denzel wrote: »
    I use a Netgear ReadyNAS 314 for my networked music storage. It is 8TB (4 x 3TB in RAID5) there are many ways to share the content via the network. Your Onkyo uses simple SMB protocol and should see the NAS on the network. The ReadyNAS has simple web based setup. I have an Integra DHC 40.2 (similar insides to your Onkyo) pre/pro and it works beautifully for streaming music. To be honest this is all based on what works best for your needs, there are no hard and fast rules on how you share your content across a network. USB will be iffy on speed, I have a USB3.0 drive connected directly to my Mac Mini and it is plenty fast, but the capacity is not there and sharing it through the Mac is slower than a NAS on the network. What is your router? Like an Apple Airport Extreme? ( I know they have USB on them). I have such a large drive because all of my music is either FLAC or WAV, looks like that is your choice as well. Hard drives (even halfway decent ones) are very inexpensive now. Buy more than you need.

    Netgear has a whole line of their ReadyNAS products.. all different features and capacities. Drobo makes nice NAS devices as well.

    I have a router but it doesn't have a USB connection I can use. Any suggestions on some that won't break the bank? I have started getting all music on CD and ripping it to FLAC and also 320mp3 (for use in my phone). I have a 500gb right now that isn't even close to getting full. There were few albums I wanted to buy again to rip and keep in good quality, have to start somewhere though.

    steveinaz wrote: »
    The possibilties are practically endless. Lots of stand-a-lone network players, streaming devices, multi-purpose BluRay players that will either stream or allow direct connection of HDD/USB flash drives, etc.

    It depends on the approach you want to take; ie, PC driven, network player driven, streaming, etc. I don't like my system being so dependent on computers/networks so I direct connect a usb hard drive w/flac files to my Oppo BR.

    I just want to have a HDD on the network connected all the time for backing up and for storing music, docs, pics, videos, whatever in case of computer crash. Streaming my music from it and getting the HDD and wires associated out of my entertainment center are a bonus!
    D'prived wrote: »
    If the networked drive is shared the Onkyo should find it. Don't know if this is an issue for you but you may want to know that Onkyo receivers don't support gapless playback. I believe the 2014 models will.

    Gapless playback?? Does that mean there will be a break between each song or gaps during the song??
    AVR - Onkyo NR809
    500gb HD for MP3 and FLAC files
    Amp - Parasound 2250 - FOR SALE BTW!! PM me if interested!
    Mains - Polk RTi12 towers
    Center - CSi5
    Surround - FXiA6's
    Sub - psw505
    Movies and games - PS3
    TV - Toshiba 52" HD

    Every vehicle has one good nuetral drop in it
  • D'prived
    D'prived Posts: 191
    edited August 2014
    snake1 wrote: »

    Gapless playback?? Does that mean there will be a break between each song or gaps during the song??


    Pink Floyd DSOTM is a good example. It won't play seamlessly like the CD will. There will be gaps in between the songs. Any live album will be the same way.
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited August 2014
    For reference, I have 398 CD's (flac) on my 500GB HDD, and that amount uses about 50% of the drives capacity.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • snake1
    snake1 Posts: 567
    edited August 2014
    Gapless won't bother me then so no worries there.
    AVR - Onkyo NR809
    500gb HD for MP3 and FLAC files
    Amp - Parasound 2250 - FOR SALE BTW!! PM me if interested!
    Mains - Polk RTi12 towers
    Center - CSi5
    Surround - FXiA6's
    Sub - psw505
    Movies and games - PS3
    TV - Toshiba 52" HD

    Every vehicle has one good nuetral drop in it
  • steveinaz
    steveinaz Posts: 19,521
    edited August 2014
    Gapless play is when one song leads right into the next, without the typical gap of quiet space. A player that can't do gapless play, inserts a short moment of silence between the songs that would normally blend together.

    Some times it can be irratating, and mess up the normal flow of the music.
    Source: Bluesound Node 2i - Preamp/DAC: Benchmark DAC2 DX - Amp: Parasound Halo A21 - Speakers: MartinLogan Motion 60XTi - Shop Rig: Yamaha A-S501 Integrated - Shop Spkrs: Elac Debut 2.0 B5.2
  • PrazVT
    PrazVT Posts: 1,606
    edited August 2014
    snake1 wrote: »
    Does anyone have some experience using a networked external HD and streaming music to their receiver? I want to make a network drive anyway as a go between with all our devices and also my music storage. Will the Onkyo find a wifi network drive like that? Connecting the HDD to a router via USB is my plan btw. Ideas?

    Depends - if the Onkyo can directly browse your LAN's shared folders, then that is one way. Otherwise, if your router's media server function is turned on and pointed to the connected hard disk, that server name should show up as well. Provided the router's media server function supports all your file formats, you should be good.
    ALL BOXED UP for a while until I save up for a new place :(

    Home Theater:
    KEF Q900s / MIT Shotgun S3 / MIT CVT2 ICs | KEF Q600C | Polk FXi5 | BJC Wire | Signal / AQ ICs | Shunyata / Pangea PCs | Pioneer Elite SC 57 | Parasound NC2100 Pre | NAD M25 | Marantz SA8001 | Schiit Gungnir DAC | SB Touch

    2 Channel:
    Polk LSi9 (xo mods), Polk DSW MicroPro 2000 sub | NAD c375BEE | W4S DAC1 | SB Touch | Marantz SA-8001 | MIT AVt 2 | Kimber Hero / AQ / Signal ICs | Shunyata / Signal PCs
  • D'prived
    D'prived Posts: 191
    edited August 2014
    steveinaz wrote: »
    For reference, I have 398 CD's (flac) on my 500GB HDD, and that amount uses about 50% of the drives capacity.

    I have approx. 2000 CD's (uncompressed FLAC) and I'm hitting right at the 2TB mark.
  • snake1
    snake1 Posts: 567
    edited August 2014
    Thanks for the info folks! Will start shopping around for routers soon!
    AVR - Onkyo NR809
    500gb HD for MP3 and FLAC files
    Amp - Parasound 2250 - FOR SALE BTW!! PM me if interested!
    Mains - Polk RTi12 towers
    Center - CSi5
    Surround - FXiA6's
    Sub - psw505
    Movies and games - PS3
    TV - Toshiba 52" HD

    Every vehicle has one good nuetral drop in it
  • D'prived
    D'prived Posts: 191
    edited August 2014
    snake1 wrote: »
    Thanks for the info folks! Will start shopping around for routers soon!

    No problem... good luck. Hope everything works out the way you want.