hard drives/storage

[admin_exported]

Hi there,

I have now started from scatch reloading my cd collection on to itunes in lossless.

My dilemma is what storage would be best i have read lots of forum talk and the ones below are talked about alot.

D link dns 323

Buffalo drivestation 2 share

Western digital my book world 1tb

I think the sonos will be my set up as the multi room music is something i would use,

I do not have my computer on at all times so will want music to be available when it is off,

I will be looking for 3 zones to start with so where would a dac be placed?

If i had speakers fitted in different rooms could i move a zone player to this room as and when required?

Would a dac be required per zone player?

I have spoke of some of the above qu before in shorter form,But as i am getting closer to purchase just need finer tuning with your knowledge.

Thank you

 

[The_Lhc]

iamthetimberman:I have now started from scatch reloading my cd collection on to itunes in lossless.

My dilemma is what storage would be best i have read lots of forum talk and the ones below are talked about alot.

D link dns 323

Buffalo drivestation 2 share

Western digital my book world 1tb

I think the sonos will be my set up as the multi room music is something i would use,

I do not have my computer on at all times so will want music to be available when it is off,

If you're using Sonos it doesn't make any difference, all Sonos needs is a network share to look at, so you don't need to worry about any server side software.

I will be looking for 3 zones to start with so where would a dac be placed?

That depends entirely on what you've already got in the 3 zones, which rooms are they and do you have any Hi-Fi equipment in the rooms already?

If i had speakers fitted in different rooms could i move a zone player to this room as and when required?

Err, well you could but that's not really the point of the system, are you intending to buy three Zoneplayers or just one and move it around?

Would a dac be required per zone player?

Again this depends on the answer to my first question above.

Do you actually know what's available from Sonos? There are two types of Zoneplayer:

1) the ZP90, this is an unamplified Zoneplayer, it needs to be plugged into an amplifier or a pair of active speakers, you could use a DAC with one of these if you wish as the ZP90 has a digital output (it also has analogue outputs if you want to use the on-board DAC instead).

2) The ZP120, this is an amplified Zoneplayer, all it requires is a pair of speakers, you cannot use a DAC with this Zoneplayer (they've removed the line-outs on the ZP120, the old ZP100 used to have them).

Actually there's also,

3) The Zoneplayer S5, this is the new Sonos "Boombox" it has an amplifier AND speakers built in, you could conceivably carry this around the house from room to room (in fact this is one part of the marketing spiel for the S5).
Let me know what you already have in each room and I'll tell you if you need/can use a DAC.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi The_lhc,

I reckon you must be my personal helper thank you

So any of the storages are ok just go for personal choice,cost etc

The 3 zones,

Front room has home cinema set up

Bedroom has nothing but will be putting speakers in ceiling as this is new extension,Can i have speakers in new bathroom and connect to this player aswell?

Dining room has nothing (this will be a main listening/entertaining room) So will want good sound here

The router is in office of which i can access lounge via cable or i believe Zone bridge

Boombox, I already have bose sound dock, Does the s5 link to the rest of sonos via hand controller?

Hopefully you can understand all

 

[Anonymous]

Please help me. My computer is now telling me i am at low memory need to back up

, So please can anyone help me choose the right storage for the above, I have still lots more music to download and cant go any further until i purchase

PLEASE PLEASE HELP

Thank you

 

[kena]

The Buffalo is a bit basic doesn't support UPnP - , The D-link looks okay but the USB connection can only be used to attach printer not additional storage for off site backup. The Western Digital single drive doesn't give you RAID for resilience against disk failure .

I use Netgear ReadyNas Duo and it works well , Currently with 1 x 500GB & 1 X 1TB in it , so I have 500GB available mirrored for music/storage which is protected against disk failure and when I need nore I can replace 500gb with another TB disk and itll expand to the new size and give me 1TB. Also has 1 Button USB backup to external storage so you can copy and store offsite giving another level of protection.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi thanks for reply,

I was reading on digititalmusicuser website the western dig comes with RAID software, is this not same as you describe? I am new to comp music hence all the questions,

 

[kena]

iamthetimberman:

Hi thanks for reply,

I was reading on digititalmusicuser website the western dig comes with RAID software, is this not same as you describe? I am new to comp music hence all the questions,

No probs,

The new Western Digital World Edition doesn't have RAID tho the older model does .. I.E. 2 Disks mirrored

 

[Anonymous]

I'm pretty sure the WD doesn't support RAID. You need at least 2 (or more) physical drives.RAID will give you either increased performance or fault tolerance by mirroring or striping with a parity check the data across the drives. Mirroring or striping means you lose some of the capacity, but you gain the ability to have a complete loss of a drive to hardware failure without affecting the data.

The WD you mentioned is a single drive, it won't support RAID.

 

[Anonymous]

hiya, thanks to you too,

Yeh it mentioned mirroring, As it was selling with sonos thought may be good, So really then netgear seems the one, i take it pc doesnt need to be on for me to use sonos with the netgear, This is also my router make,What size you recommend, I am up to 26gb still have approx 300 cds left!! also can pics from camera can go on it, Do i remove from pc once backed up?

 

[kena]

iamthetimberman:

hiya, thanks to you too,

Yeh it mentioned mirroring, As it was selling with sonos thought may be good, So really then netgear seems the one, i take it pc doesnt need to be on for me to use sonos with the netgear, This is also my router make,What size you recommend, I am up to 26gb still have approx 300 cds left!! also can pics from camera can go on it, Do i remove from pc once backed up?

No PC doesn't need to be on Netgear connects to router, I've ripped my collection almost 900 CD's in FLAC (Another Lossless format) and Photos and currently using about 460GB. Yes all your photos / videos can go on NAS also. When I bought mine I bought with 1 x 500 GB with free 1TB - Transparent computing but do a google and see whats current.

Edit: I use Picassa and keep my Photos on PC but just copy them occassionally to NAS for backup. Planning to get 1TB external USB to backup NAS and store off-site but not a priority as it seems depressing to be worrying about house burning down!!

 

[Juzzie Wuzzie]

Kena - FYI I back up to NAS AND to an external HD which I keep at work away from home (for the exact "house burns down" scenario"). Just hope that the fire doesn't spread to work ....

 

[The_Lhc]

iamthetimberman: So any of the storages are ok just go for personal choice,cost etc

Pretty much, Sonos is largely storage agnostic.

The 3 zones,

Front room has home cinema set up

Ok, a ZP90 there then, you could add an additional DAC but personally I'd try the ZP90 using a digital input on the HC amp (if you have any spare, what amp is it?) first and see what you think, you could always experiment with DACs if you can get some for demos later, saves you a little cash in the meantime.

Bedroom has nothing but will be putting speakers in ceiling as this is new extension,Can i have speakers in new bathroom and connect to this player aswell?

Yes you can run two sets of speakers from a single ZP120, although you need to make sure they're all 8ohm speakers to ensure the total impedance doesn't drop below the ZP120's minimum.

Dining room has nothing (this will be a main listening/entertaining room) So will want good sound here

You'd probably want a ZP90 with a half decent stereo amp there then, you could try a ZP120 but I don't know if it'll be up to the quality you're look for there, and if the amp isn't of the digital integrated variety then you'll need an external DAC here (I don't rate the internal DAC on the ZP90 much to be honest), although it's always worth testing it using the analogue outputs first I suppose.

The router is in office of which i can access lounge via cable or i believe Zone bridge

Yes, one device must be wired to the router (Sonos also strongly recommend the storage is wired to the router as well, so bear that in mind), this can be a Zonebridge or any one of the ZPs. A Zonebridge is extra cost of course, but it is only about £70 so might be worth it for the convenience.

Boombox, I already have bose sound dock, Does the s5 link to the rest of sonos via hand controller?

Not via the controller no, the S5 is a fully formed Zoneplayer in its own right, so it links in via the Sonosweb wireless network in exactly the same way any other Zoneplayer does, it's simply a ZP120 with speakers really, that's the simplest way of looking at it.

 

[Anonymous]

Thats great guys, Thanks for all your help,

I have ordered the netgear duo with free upgrade so thats that sorted, Will be here tomorrow, Wahay more cd transfering

Sonos is now next step, my local sevonoaks have the 250 kit for £500, Old controller tho

Should i go for this then as i upgrade have old controller for upstairs and a new for down, or will i regret trying to save a buck now,

I take it you can have more than one controller?

It just all spend spend spend at moment

Again tho many thanks these forums have been a so helpful to me

 

[PJPro]

Juzzie Wuzzie:Kena - FYI I back up to NAS AND to an external HD which I keep at work away from home (for the exact "house burns down" scenario"). Just hope that the fire doesn't spread to work ....
Backups for photos/videos of the kids are absolutely essential. I use two drives in my PC and periodically backup to an external hard drive which I keep in the garage (detached from the house). Hopefully, that will be adequate!

 

[JamesPianoman]

Very useful thread all... like timberman, I have a Netgear ReadyNAS duo and will (prob) be Sonos-ing when I've started my new job.

the_lhc... thanks for the tips on suitable partnering equipment for the Sonos. I'm starting a hi-fi from scratch: would a ZP120 adequately drive Wharfedales 10.1/ B&W685 level speakers? I suppose I'm looking for something the equivalent of a budget separates hi-fi.

I suppose I'll try a budget amp Marantz/NAD/Cambridge Audio for the ZP90... and the same speakers as above. At least that's the equipment I can easily demo in shops close to me. Any comments on this plan? As I'm blissfully new to hi-fi, I'm sure 'budget' kit will sound fantastic to me!

timberman ; for info I'm looking into an internet radio (eg Pure Evoke Flow £150 or Sensia £250) as these can also stream wirelessly directly from a NAS drive... so where sound quality is not so critical for me eg kitchen or bedroom I can use the Pure as a cheaper option than a 3rd Sonos ZonePlayer (I think!).

Thanks again all, might share some pics when I start making progress.

 

[kena]

iamthetimberman:

Thats great guys, Thanks for all your help,

I have ordered the netgear duo with free upgrade so thats that sorted, Will be here tomorrow, Wahay more cd transfering

Remember and upgrade its firmware to latest version if needed. and give it a static IP address

 

[The_Lhc]

iamthetimberman: Sonos is now next step, my local sevonoaks have the 250 kit for £500, Old controller tho

Pardon? If it's the old controller it is NOT the 250 bundle! The only difference between the 150 and 250 bundles is that the 250 has the new controller, so don't let the dealer fool you into thinking you're getting something that you aren't. Having said that 500 quid is a fair price for the 150 bundle I think.

Should i go for this then as i upgrade have old controller for upstairs and a new for down, or will i regret trying to save a buck now,

I don't think you'll regret it, the new controller is something like £279 I think, so adding any additional controllers is going to cost (it is actually cheaper to get an iTouch and use that instead).

I take it you can have more than one controller?

You can have up to 32! Same for zones.

 

[The_Lhc]

JamesPianoman: the_lhc... thanks for the tips on suitable partnering equipment for the Sonos. I'm starting a hi-fi from scratch: would a ZP120 adequately drive Wharfedales 10.1/ B&W685 level speakers? I suppose I'm looking for something the equivalent of a budget separates hi-fi.

I couldn't give you an honest answer to the question I'm afraid my ZP120 currently drives a pair of outdoor speakers, a friend got one with some MA BR1s and that sounded pretty good, so I wouldn't have thought it would have any trouble with the 10.1s.

I suppose I'll try a budget amp Marantz/NAD/Cambridge Audio for the ZP90... and the same speakers as above. At least that's the equipment I can easily demo in shops close to me. Any comments on this plan? As I'm blissfully new to hi-fi, I'm sure 'budget' kit will sound fantastic to me!

I'd probably recommend a DAC for that setup but other than that, yes should sound fine.

 

[JamesPianoman]

Thanks, very helpful