Go big or go home... (8-bay NAS fun)

[Pyro]

1813+ here as well.

[Pider]

412+ here.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by Pider

Where'd you get the Reds? Newegg? I've been waiting for a better deal on the 4TB.

Newegg has been having problems with the packing. Amazon they come in full enterprise-level cardboard protection.

I'd avoid 4TB drives... 1TB/quad platters still scares me. Also been reading about reliability issues across the 4TB spectrum (regardless of brand). 3 platters makes me feel much more warm and fuzzy.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by hkval

I am loving my "E" - now with over 200 CD's on it, which is probably like a pebble on a mountain top. If the "E" can be made into virtually unlimited storage, and is bit perfect, plus it copies practically any format, why would anyone even hesitate to get it? The PRICE and E's dedicated guidance made it an easy decision for me.

I have a serious man-crush on you, Howard.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by jdandy

Howard.......How do you load CD's to the NAS hard drives? Are you using a ripper program for high speed ripping or is it done in real time?

He's using an eSilentPC with perfectly configured EAC, of course! Rip, drag, JRiver auto-recognizes a few seconds later. Boom, done.

And anything that rips in "highspeed" (typically anything over 2x) is usually in burst mode, which is a big no-no (very error prone).

These (HK's) are archive-grade, double-pass (verified/tested), and fully error corrected secure-mode rips.

[-E-]

Originally Posted by Chad.Wagner

I have the same drives in my TS-869 PRO.

Why do you like Synology more than QNAP?

Big fan of DSM. Both are built well but I give the edge to Synology - they are just so well thought out. Also, whenever I do have had a service issue, Syn is so fast to respond (and even overnight a small part, not needing to do a full ship-back/repair deal) that it saved tremendous time/cost/downtime.

Also, and this is really a cheap shot I know... but aesthetics. Syn just looks schmexy.

[jdandy]

Originally Posted by -E-

He's using an eSilentPC with perfectly configured EAC, of course! Rip, drag, JRiver auto-recognizes a few seconds later. Boom, done.

And anything that rips in "highspeed" (typically anything over 2x) is usually in burst mode, which is a big no-no (very error prone).

These (HK's) are archive-grade, double-pass (verified/tested), and fully error corrected secure-mode rips.

E.......So, if I understand your answer, CD rips are in real time with the disc spinning two times normal speed for double pass error correction?

[-E-]

Originally Posted by jdandy

E.......So, if I understand your answer, CD rips are in real time with the disc spinning two times normal speed for double pass error correction?

Close. CD Rips are done as fast as secure rip will allow it. Usually 2-2.5x on the present slot load. It does a single pass as test/verification then runs the live pass for the actual rip/encode. Encoding takes but a millisecond due to the speed of the eSilentPC, but the rip is depending on...spinning media.

Real-world action = 30-45min/disc.

[jdandy]

E.......Thanks. Does the eSilentPC have digital outputs that feed an external DAC, and if so how many and of what configuration? If I wanted to feed two DACs in separate locations from a single eSilentPC can this be done?

[-E-]

Originally Posted by jdandy

E.......Thanks. Does the eSilentPC have digital outputs that feed an external DAC, and if so how many and of what configuration? If I wanted to feed two DACs in separate locations from a single eSilentPC can this be done?

Yes and no, but mostly yes. Let me explain... It has a Toslink output, but I do not recommend using any onboard digital outputs as those get fed through the RealTek chipset (this is commonplace with all motherboards, RealTek has a monopoly on build-in chipsets it seems).

However, there is a bevy of USB 2.0 & 3.0 outputs which can feed numerous DACs. Also HDMI output. And you can add as many USB-to-SPDIF converters as there are USB ports if you wanted to feed a DAC via a fresh/proper Tos/Coax/AES line. I've never really though of that question asked in that way, Dan... it is intriguing. You could technically hook up, say, 8 Bryston BUC1's to a single eSilentPC and feed each via AES to a standalone DAC somewhere in your home, and control it via your iPad, each as a separate zone.

I should point out that if your DAC is also a DLNA Renderer, then the eSilentPC can pick it up as an additional zone and simply playback to it over your network (there are some caveats to this depending on the Renderer, but can usually be massaged out with configuration and tinkering).

As an example, I can state that the eSilentPC does pick up Sonos boxes extremely well and has absolutely no problem taking them over while still giving you absolute control over your primary system.

The only problem with UPnP/DLNA is that I have yet to have it sound "superior" (due to it being an additional network topology - something I find fairly unnecessary) than running it directly over a standard LAN and feeding a USB (or USB->SPDIF) DAC.