Servers: Are we there yet?

Why lack of internet updates should affect performance?  Performance is always the same if nothing is changing.

True, the system would probably work fine without internet, at least until the lack of internet updates started to affect performance.

Exactly; you need a functioning router so the wireless controller(e.g. ipad, android tablet or phone) using the control software can access the server.

Psag, to play music stored on a local drive connected physically to a one box renderer or stored a NAS(e.g. Synology, Qnap, WD MyCloud, etc.) connected by ethernet or wifi to the router you don't need your Internet Service Provider's system to be running. That only matters when you want to listen to Tidal, Qobuz etc. 
Wifi Routers are pretty reliable and inexpensive vs. other gear in this equation. Cheers,
Spencer

Yes, but I wasn't referring to streaming. I'm talking about the music that is now stored on the server's hard drive. It cannot be accessed without a working Ipad and a wireless network. If my wifi is down, the server is as dead as a doornail.

Yeah, I see what you're talking about now.  The Ipad is just a fancy remote but, in your case, the remote is necessary and wifi is the only way it works.  Interesting thought about the ability to use Bluetooth for this same capability.  it wouldn't surprise me if someone built that in eventually.

Something else I never thought of that occurred to me while reading through this thread.  The general assumption is that you need an internet connection to use wifi but that's really not true.  If all you needed to do was stream music from your computer, internet is not necessary - all you need is the wireless router.

"Yes. It's like if your CD player broke, your entire CD collection is rendered useless."

Not quite. If your CD player breaks, you can use another one. Or you can use your laptop, if it has a CD drive. On the other hand, if your wireless network is out of action, it doesn't matter how many backup servers you have- none of them will work.

I think servers should function regardless of the availability of Wifi. As it now stands, I don't consider it an unqualified advance over a good CD player.

FWIW, my preference with respect to wireless routers is to not use one. Instead I prefer to utilize a wireless access point that is separate from the router, and connects to the router via an ethernet cable. In my case that facilitates being able to locate each device in the location I prefer for each, and I suspect in many cases is likely to make it possible to select a more powerful and better performing access point than the ones that tend to be built into routers.

In my case, for the last several years I’ve been using an EnGenius EAP350 802.11n access point (it predates the latest 802.11ac standard), with the router function being performed by a SonicWall TZ205 hardware firewall that I have protecting my entire LAN from outside intrusion. (The hardware firewall in turn connects to the cable modem supplied by my ISP).  While at this point I don’t utilize a music server, or stream music from a computer, for the past couple of years I have been wirelessly streaming Internet radio to a Squeezebox which connects into my audio system. Although the Squeezebox is located on a different floor than the wireless access point, and there are several walls in between, I have never had a single glitch, drop-out, or other performance anomaly of any kind or duration during all that time.

I also make a point, btw, of operating the WiFi network on a channel that is as far as possible from the channels I’ve determined (via software) that are used by my neighbors.

The bottom line: I see no reason that WiFi can’t be utilized in a reliable manner for audio.

Regards,
-- Al

For many years I'm using Itunes on MacMini (that I use anyway) to play music over WiFi (5GHz) using Airport Express and DAC.  It is simple and I never had any problems.  Sure if router fails music stops, but the same can happen when CDP fails (it happened to me), when preamp fails, when amp fails etc.  Routers are cheap these days and you have to replace them anyway to get access to internet.

Fellow Sony HAP server owners sit back and chuckle at these frustration threads whilst our state of the art player and app sing and dance for us in rock steady glee.

My experience over the last 8 years or so is for CD resolution streaming,  wifi need not be a problem as long as functioning properly and connections are strong(say >80%).   That is with good quality gear designed to stream CD res audio or higher over wifi.

It is best if disk storage is physically connected to server  (not remote on the network) and streaming occurs from wifi connected player to server only (again with a strong wifi connection).

Results will vary server by server still.    Two software  server programs I can recommend that do things well are Logitech MEdia Server ( though this is no longer undergoing active development and not a good choice for new users) and Plex Server, which I have started to phase in as a replacement for LMS.

I do not have any experience with current one box audio music server products  ( I prefer running good software on commercial computers to buying proprietary hardware from specialized vendors) but I have read mixed results over the years with many and would be cautious and only consider newer products/technology that have received large scale acceptance and positive reviews.     Sonos, Bluesound, Sony are three product lines I have seen that seem to be getting decent traction in B&M shops lately, with Sonos probably having the most users currently.

> If either the Ipad or the wifi are not working, the server is rendered non-functional.

Yes. It's like if your CD player broke, your entire CD collection is rendered useless. 

Good news is, it costs next to nothing (relatively) to get a replacement wifi router. If you worry about that, just have a spare one handy at home.

psag, 

Understood, that's the world we live in.  I guess the only other technology missing from this setup is Bluetooth capability.  We gotten accustomed to the world without wires and we know it's not perfect but it's the next best thing. 

Happy listening!

Yes, but I wasn't referring to streaming. I'm talking about the music that is now stored on the server's hard drive. It cannot be accessed without a working Ipad and a wireless network. If my wifi is down, the server is as dead as a doornail. My understanding is that this is the current state of the art for music servers.

Just saying, is all.

psag,

I am using Apple AirPort Extreme with my N10.  No issues with streaming.  Pretty much all servers out there requires hard wired Ethernet connection for a glitch free streaming.  

rzado, i own over 400 cd's and someday would like to rip all of them and copy them onto my Aurender server.  I came across X10 from cocktail audio, looks like a sweet solution to cd ripping. 

http://www.cocktailaudio.com/overview_x10.html

i wonder if anyone here using this device for cd ripping.  Cost $699 plus hard drive, another $50-70 depending on storage capacity. 

 The problem with that autoloader is you have to monitor the metadata tags  and make sure cover art is correct.  Unfortunately the best way to do that is one at a time by hand.  

Celtic66 - I cannot echo your comment enough, given audiophile companies' failure to provide mechanisms to facilitate transferring a significant, pre-existing digital music collections to hard drive storage.

The closest I have found to provide such functionality is the  Acronova 100 disc autoloader  (see http://www.everythingusb.com/acronova-nimbie-usb-plus-blu-ray-autoloader-21521.html), but I have not tried it yet, and am unsure as to how it may interact with audiophile level burning software (e.g. ExactAudioCopy).

I own the Aurender N10, and I'm content with it. However, without a functional IPad and Wifi connection, you might as well be listening to a brick.

Yes, we are there.  However, they are here, they are real in performance and they are not perfect..... as most things unfortunately in life.  Mine by a large margin outperforms any highly modified transport I ever owned.

However, I cannot for the life of me understand why no one has come up with an auto-loader to systematically load a 2,000 CD collection.  How retarded is this monkey work?

Otherwise, this should signal a large paradigm shift in digital source purchases.

But Matt if you are not on the internet cover art and to remote to a iPad, iPhone or any  Smart phone is out the picture  and what's the point in that,  that's like going backwards.  I mean the whole idea of a screamer or server is to pick two songs convenient from your chair  and if you don't have a CD drive connected to your music server then you have to use your computer to log on to the server download your new songs to the hard drive inside a unit like N100.  For example when I rip a new song I put a copy to my back up hard drive then I put another copy straight to the music server and then I have another copy going into iTunes. Three backups because I'm not doing this again.

Mattmiller,

The assertion that "Any HI END Server, NEEDS to be connected directly to the router via a cat 5" is not correct.  You can have a high performance, hi-end server that includes its own drive (blu-ray or otherwise) for directly burning music to a local drive - no internet connection required.  A "streamer," on the other hand, requires a network connection, such as via cat 5 cable or otherwise.  (This is an issue that frustrates me to no end, with a number of products out there nowadays that are nothing more than "streamers," with no ability to rip and store their own data, masquerading as "servers").  

Psag - echoing djohnson54's comment, what is your server and what are you hoping to accomplish?  

I don't believe that the N100 has wireless capability.  It  has a gigabit ethernet port instead.  I think it's more correct to state that many music servers require access to the internet to utilize them to their fullest.

@pasg, what high-end server did you get that requires wireless?

FWIW I just recently got a Synology NAS  DSJ-214 play is the model number I believe,  and it's hardwired to my modem/router via an ethernet cable. From there it communicates wirelessly to my Sonos which can be controlled from my laptop, iphone, or if I had one tablet. Since installing it I've experienced virtually no dropouts,the ones that have occurred have basically been during internet outages.

Not only is it dependent on your wireless (or wired) system,it also needs a top quality modem and router.  Also, the quality and speed of your ISP is a major factor.

Just went through all of this.  Started with using wireless, but because of dropouts, switched to a hardwired CAT6A (STP) and solved all of my drop out issues.  Then upped my speed from Comcast.  Haven't had any issues since.

I found several years ago that pulling the power on my internet modem/router made a significant difference in my systems sound, like from real good to live music. 
And, if you can't take TV out of the room put a heavy blanket over it, not as big a deal but a difference .

The point is, all Aurender servers and players require a wireless network, and an access device (Ipad).

From Audio Advisor  ---- "The Aurender N100 digital music player supports DSD (DSF, DFF), WAV, FLAC, ALAC, APE, AIFF, M4A and other major formats at native bit and sampling rates. Equipped with a high performance USB digital audio output, an Ethernet port, and a 120GB solid-state drive for cached playback, the N100 is the ideal solution for playing high resolution digital music collections from an NAS drive. It also excels as a music server with local storage. It can be ordered with no internal hard drive, using your own NAS for music file storage. Or you can order it with an internal 2Tb hard drive."

Any HI END Server, NEEDS to be connected directly to the router via a cat 5. Sorry if you don't like it, but even Aurender says you have to hook it up that way. Otherwise this is what happens ...slow or no performance.  The Aurender N100 is a player Not a server it has no internal storage , it retrieves music files from a NAS drive. And you can bet none of this connects wireless!


Matt M

I believe it is.

Plan on getting  the aurender n100 soon . Hope it is not like that