Marantz M-CR603 + NAS system

[admin_exported]

For a some time I've wanted to have all my music in one place, accessible through a good quality output system, preferably with some easy way to navigate and play.

I'd not done anything about it until I read the review of the M-CR603 here recently and wondered if there was some easy way of streaming from a NAS controlled by my iphone/pad without having to have my PC turned on.

The simple answer is yes. I bought a Synology Diskstation DS211j, added 2x2TB drives set up in RAID1, which stream my music to a Marantz M-CR603 with a pair of Monitor Audio BX2's. Music control is directly via the excellent DS Audio ipad app - no need to have a pc on.

It's amazingly easy to set up and worked pretty much out of the box once I'd configured the NAS and set up the media server. I'd thought that perhaps I'd have to pay for the airplay upgrade, but the built in media server works just fine.

Organising tags, images, filename has taken a lot longer though Musicbrainz Picard and Mp3tag have been a great help in speeding up the process. Currently re-ripping my CD collection to FLAC to replace older mp3s.

The DS audio app is great - quick easy control and access. Playing music while I organise and upload more to the DS211j:

/sites/whathifi.com/files/images/ds%20audio%20app_0.jpg

 

[Xanderzdad]

Hi Mimas

Sounds like a great setup.

Can you confirm then that if I had the Synology NAS and the DS Audio app on my iPhone - that I could output the sound to my Apple Airport express without my PC involved at all?

Would it recognise all the file names and info that I input via iTunes?

 

[Anonymous]

I expect so yes, but the only setup I can confirm works is what I have.

On the phone app, I see the option to output to the cr603 as well as my tv and the tags are recognised through both.

/sites/whathifi.com/files/images/photo.jpg

 

[Xanderzdad]

Looks like it might work - thanks.

 

[motley]

Mimas, have you found a way to load album artwork on to the files held on your DS211J, I also have one which holds my iTunes library, however the only album artwork displayed when using DS Audio are those which were purchased from iTunes and none which I ripped from my own CD collection?

 

[Anonymous]

So far the only way I've been able to do that is if I have a jpg of the cover in each music folder (also needs to have a simple name - anything more than one word and it doesnt work) as it doesnt seem to recognise the embedded image in my flac files.

 

[motley]

Is your screen shot of DS Audio?

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, both ss are of the DS audio app on the ipad/iphone.

 

[Anonymous]

I also bought a Synology Diskstation (DS411slim) and want to serve my music files to the Marantz. Mimas you talk about the "the built in media server" on the Synology but what do you mean? I've put my music files on the diskStation (in the 'music' directory) but the Marantz can't see them yet (Marantz says "(Empty)" after connecting to the network).

Is there something I need to do on the diskstation to set up the media server?

BT.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Answered here