Hi
I was using a Synology DS415+ which worked OK, but I just swapped to a QNAP TVS-682 which is the new Skylake i3 with 8GB and so far so good.
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I looked at the prices of the QNAPās and the delta to build a PC / NUC and get a Good 8 bay Synology was a better deal for me.
My experiences with NAS are not āoverwhelmingā.
Lost the whole Raid structure etc.
Personally I would not put Roon on a NAS.
As a storage location with additional safeguards it is ok.
My friend use this for his Roon. So I know it works. Itās meant as an example that you do not need to purchase an expensive NAS. Itās in my option a waste of money, compared to what you can achieve with other solutions.
Probably an used Mac mini is a good choice. But the SonicTransporter I5 may be the best you get.
http://www.technikaffe.de/anleitung-403-asrock_beebox_s_7100u_im_test_unter_windows_10_und_libreelec
Perfect NAS
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That is all true. But many of us (and I belong to these people) are a bit anal regarding power consumption of their AV gear. Actually, I live in a totally nerdy house (call it a āsmart homeā if you like) and its overall closed current power consumption in is about 200 Watts - which IMHO is outrageously much. So, I am in the process of researching ways to save power by intelligent design of components - without losing functionalityā¦
@Rudolf_Kopmann dug something out which looks promising: Which NAS for use with Roon?
Have you looked at what is contributing to those 200 watts?
Russ
Yes the Asrock DeskMini is a much better choice than a NUC. Not only do you save about $200 compared to a NUC of similar performance. You can also add a faster CPU than is in the Skull Canyou NUC. And it will be more silent. And it is not that much bigger in size.
There is room for a desktop CPU + M2 SSD and 2x2.5" drives it can use up to i7 7700 CPU.
I am using one one it is sitting just in front of me on my desktop and it is dead silent while doing normal desktop work like browsing mail etc.
I choose a i5 7600 CPU for balance of processing power and power consumption.
Also I do not think it makes monetary sense to buy a i3, i5 NAS to run Roon on.
Add a USB drive to the DeskMini and have a backup of the music on a cheap NAS.
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As I said in another thread, buying a NAS solely to run Roon doesnāt make sense. But for existing users, or where you are looking to serve a number of apps across your network on one box, then itās good to have the option.
There might be other use-cases for the NAS, that someone might not have thought about.
With the NAS you can
- have all files (not just the media files for Roon) accessible in the network
- have a centralized solution for various services (in my case Roon, Plex, cubeSQL database, Resilio Sync, Linux VMs)
- keep your files easily safe (Raid configuration, automated backup to a 2nd NAS -> 2nd NAS will power on/off automatically)
- lower the network traffic for Roon. Roon does not need to receive the files over network as they can be accessed locally.
- easily configure all of the above points. (compared to a self-installed software setup.)
Of course you can achieve all of this with a standard computer. But to me this would be more complicated to setup.
The NAS seems to me to be more secured and reliable (e.g. something breaks after a windows update). I believe QNAP and Synology have more knowledge how to implement security measures for my files than I have (and as they operate on a linux based system, I am not as much worried about viruses, spyware and trojans).
Something that should be considered here is:
Do I need a machine/storage solution only for Roon or do you want/need some kind of universal storage solution (Roon included) that runs its own services?
In case you choose the second option, think about what will run on it and choose the right NAS that has enough processing power to achieve it. Otherwise you might get disappointed in the future, if there is a new Roon feature that requires a fast cpu or if you want to use some other software (who knows?) that requires it.
If you just want a RoonServer with its own storage, a NUC is probably better equipped and also cheaper. 
Yes, I have, but I feel the answer to your question will be too much off topic 
Just three letters: itās all about KNXā¦
I can only recommend QNAP TVS 471. That machine with 4 HD is not cheap, but build very well and is recommended von Roon as nr. 1. I have more than 4000 albums an NAS, so combination of Roon and QNAP of this caliber is very self-understanding solutionā¦
For that money he can built a extremely well fitted linux server and install unRAID
There are people using this solution with Roon.
In addition you of cause get a very nice and fast file server.
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That looks pretty cool. Thanks for the link. Iām wondering, though, if it isnāt overkill if youāre just using the server for Roon storage. Iām thinking about relegating my aging Mac mini to Roon file-server duty and running MacOS server. Is anyone already doing this?
I donāt think there is any advantage to run OS X Server, just an added overhead, at least certainly not for Roon Server
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Agreed i bought my QNAP TVS-471 purely for Roon usage but i also store all my photos and video in there (as well as cloud backup obviously) and furthermore i needed a new pc i used to run a monster gaming rig that needed replacing. My NAS is used as my main and only pc that i also use for internet, streaming videoā¦ watching tv in my listening room basically. Works perfectly for this.
i also love the fact it is designed to run 24/7 so perfect for accessing at any time much better suited than a mac or pc. It being more of a business type grade machine than a consumer one.
Obviously several ROCK options offer this functionality too albeit on a lower grade device.
Bit daunting at first as it is not intuitive to a long time windows user not used to linux or server tech at all.
You get all the other prebuilt options for video station, video camera station etc. The list of available apps is really extensive.
RAID capability etc. Its a really great device from a capability standpoint.
Roon capability wise DSP options being used to the max for my DAC upsampling to 384khz all features except convolution which i am planning to try shortly having just received the USB mic.
Not certain it will handle the additional processing load but will try and i am considering the option to increase RAM and upgrade the current I3 CPU.
Yes it was costly but in the scheme of audiophile spending approx Ā£1600 for all the above the above seems to me to be not too bad at all - 3 hard drives + SSD included.
Are there simpler cheaper optionsā¦ sure! Am i glad i took this route - no doubt whatsoever.
Question for me will Roon continue to support as is currently the case - obviously they want to lower their support overheads hence the push to ROCK. I donāt expect an answer to this only time will tell and as stated elsewhere in this thread i will have the option to change approach in the future fairly easily if need be.
In case it hasnāt been said Iād suggest avoiding any NAS with the Intel Atom C2XXX series. They have a fault for which there is a partial fix and a lot of uncertainty as to whether the fix has actually been rolled out and to which manufacturer.
Iām using the QNAP HS-251+ with Roon server installed and it works very well supplying my DAC with a very good signal.
My understanding is that the limitation of the QNAP is the 2GB memory rather than the CPU.
I did consider a higher spec more expensive server. Still havenāt ruled one out tbh! But so far the HS-251 & a 1TB SSD is proving more than adequate and for Ā£600 is a very cost effective solution.
I guess my one concern/niggle is what a dedicated higher spec server running full Roon would bring to the table in terms of added functionality like upsampling?
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Just to add I selected the QNAP because itās silent / fanless and can sit on the rack with the hifi gear. The fact it looks good is a bonus.
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I like to add the new x73-Series from QNAP to the recommended Line of NAS-Enclosures for Roon. This week i got a new TVS-473 to install, so i thought it is a good idea to test a roon-install on this new little guy.
The AMD-CPU of the x73-Series is as capable or even better then the x71-series (because it is a quad-core which runs at 2,1GHz and peeks up to 3,4GHz, it lays somwhere between a i5 and a i7). The Architecture of the AMD x73-Series is more up-to-date then the aging Intel x71-series, for example you have two m.2 Sata Slots in addition to the 4/6 or 8 Drive-Bays. Also you have 2 PCIe-Slots from which one comes preconfigured with a 2 x USB 3.1-Card. For the second Slot you have the Option to drop in a 10Gbit Ethernet-Card or a WLAN-Card. This NAS has also 4 Memory-Slots, so you can go up to 64GB of 2133 - 2400Mhz RAM. So there are a lot of Options and Possibilities with these NAS-Series while the cost is more affordable then the QNAP Intel Series (x71, x82, etc.).
For my first Install i added a SAMSUNG 500GB SSD in one regular Slot and a 8TB WD-RED Drive in the Second and installed severall QNAP Apps, Roon, Asset, Plex and a calibre eBook Server. @criekes Roon-package installed without any problems on this device and roon did itās thing to build the Database of roundabout 2000 Albums (sitting on the 8TB Drive). After that i connected my DENON PMA-50 DAC/Amp via USB to the NAS and configured the DSP to upsample to DSD 128. It worked now about 4 days in this configuration without a single problem. CPU and RAM usage are hard to tell since PLEX was running too to catalog Videos and other things. Looking in my DSP-Chain i can see that the processor is usually at 2,1 to 1,9. I have 24GB RAM and didnāt have any problems with hearing music even under load of the TVS-473.
So, if youāre in the market for a QNAP-NAS for youāre Roon-Install, take a hard look at the new x73-Series, itās realy good. OK, Power-consumtion is a bit higher then the Intel-Devices and there is no option to replace the CPU, but its 300 to 500ā¬ cheaper then one of the newer QNAP Intel-Series.
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