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Do I have to use a streamer/renderer to play music from an NAS?

I apologize for the basic question. But, I can’t seem to find an answer online. I would like to put all my CDs on an NAS and play that music through my system. I have a Rotel RC/RB-1590 set up. I know some NAS boxes come with DLNA software installed, and I am looking at Synology because I read their software for finding and selecting music to play is pretty good. Eventually, I will probably end up with something like a Cambridge Audio CXN or 851N to stream tidal and digital radio, as well as the music on the NAS. But, do I have to have the Cambridge or some other device to just play the digital music from the NAS to start? I would like to do the purchases in steps so I can get better units as I can afford them.  Also, any advice on alternative solutions would be much appreciated. Thanks.
kumakahn
rsf507
405 posts
 
Of the different software out there to use what do you think is the best? Jriver? Roon? Something else?
oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948
146 posts
 
“Best” depends on your equipment, wants, and needs.

  • For my setup, LMS was best for my whole house stereo needs because I had a mix of Squeezebox and AirPlay end points.  
  • I switched to Roon because of its DSP and music management capabilities, and I now have Roon ready and Chromecast end points.  
  • I tried Jriver, but didn’t like the interface or complexity so I didn’t spend much time using it and I didn’t want to use a computer to run it.
  • I believe HQPlayer is another option, but I have no experience with it.
With my setup, Roon is best. Roon is also the most expensive to setup and use.  You will need a fairly powerful computer/device or NAS to run Core, not to mention the annual fee or lifetime membership .  I decided on a lifetime membership.

LMS is probably the most flexible and is free, and works with about every thing.  LMS can be a little tricky to setup, but it works great.

oldschool1948's avatar
oldschool1948
146 posts
 
@itsjustme.  Regarding jitter, I found this article on Audio Myths on the PS Audio site quite interesting:  https://www.psaudio.com/article/audio-myths/
Digital audio has a unique type of timing deviation called jitter, but with all modern sound cards jitter is so much softer than the music that you’ll never hear it.
My takeaway from the article is, while jitter exists in all digital music and can be measured, with modern DACs jitter is irrelevant.  I've read other articles that have reached that same conclusion, as have my ears when listening to my system.  


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