Chaps. Confused of DerbyshireUK here…
Kit list : -
Directstream
Synology DS415 - hooked direct onto network switch, as is Directstream.
Bridge 2
What do I do to get this singing without any PCs etc having to be left on ? Just want simple app on my android phone, windows laptap , or ipad that’ll be simple and easy to setup and use.
Thanks guys.
ken
Hi,
suggestion: install the MinimServer (and MinimWatch on your Windows laptop) plus BubbleUPnP Server “on top”, then mark the Bridge II as an OpenHome renderer via the web interface of Bubble UPnP Server.
Apps for iOS: Kazoo or Lumin, Android app: BubbleDS Next
I will expand on Holzohr’s good advise;
MinimServer is hopefully already on your Synology NAS, all you should have to do is enable it and update to current firmware via MinimWatch.
You will have to install MinimWatch on your PC or Mac, it will give you a point of control for MinimServer, instructions are very easy to follow on the MinimServer website.
BubbleUPnPServer will need to be installed and enabled on your Synology NAS ( if it is not already ) just google it and you will find the instructions on how to install it on the Synology NAS.
If you are going to use an Android device as a means of control, you will have to have a BubbleUPnP app installed on it. I recommend buying the licensed versions vs the free versions.
If you are using an iOS device, Linn Kazoo / Kinsky and Lumin are nice control apps.
I will not comment on the possibility of Roon.
If you are not too tech savvy you are in for a learning curve, do not worry, there are a lot of great people in the forums that are more than willing to lend a hand to help you work through the process.
Patience, perseverance, a few shots of whiskey and you will be in audio nirvana!
I agree that MinimServer is the best way to go. It’s wonderful (IMO) to play your music without having to keep a Windows machine or a Mac running. Just to clarify a couple of things:
MinimServer did not come on your NAS. You will have to install it, which is easy (along with MinimWatch on a PC somewhere). What’s a little harder is getting the right version of Java for your Synology; this varies depending on the kind of processor your unit has. MinimServer requires Java in order to run. The MinimServer website has very clear instructions for this. Simon, the developer of MinimServer, is very helpful if you have problems; see the Minim forum or ask here, where there are quite a few people who use Minim.
After you have Java and MinimServer installed, you will configure MinimServer via the MinimWatch app on a Mac or PC. Once this is done, you don’t need the PC any more. The main thing is to tell Minim where to look on your Synology for music. Make sure that your music is stored on the Synology in shared folders, which you create using a different step in Synology’s Disc Station Manager than for generic folders. There are many other Minim options you can explore later.
You do not have to install BubbleUPnP Server, although you may wish to; but if you are new to all this, it’s an extra layer you can skip for the moment. If you just install Java and MinimServer on your Synology, you can use mcontrol or Creation 5 control points with iOS, or BubbleUPnP on android devices. (Note that BubbleUPnP, the control point, is totally different from BubbleUPnP Server, which is not actually a server; the latter is a confusing name for an excellent piece of software.) There are other control points, but I have had the best experience with those.
The Linn company came up with its own extension to the standard UPnP way of doing things, which they refer to as OpenHome. Some control points, notably Linn’s Kazoo and the Lumin app, require an OpenHome renderer. You can get this by installing BubbleUPnP server – and Kazoo and Lumin are very nice apps – but as I said it’s something you can skip for now if you wish.
This stuff is not really hard but can certainly be confusing if you are new to it. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it and you will end up with a very nice setup.
If you want to Really Simplify, with the right router you don’t even need the NAS. I’m using an ASUS router, which offers DLNA file server function, and delivers my music files from a thumb-drive on its USB3 port.
Such a router, the Bridge, and a cheap Android tablet is all that is required to play your streaming services from the Internet (including Tidal CD-quality), and your local music from the router. The Android tablet would run BubbleUPnP from the Play store for a few $, and that’s it: that’s all you need.
You can’t get much simpler, and it is very stable, with little or no software twiddling required. There is a tutorial on BubbleUPnP setup on the site here somewhere…
This is interesting, since simplicity is often a very good thing. But I am confused: where is the server located? Is it actually built into the router? This would give the user no choice about a server, which I think is important – particularly for serious classical listeners. I’ve tried some different servers and none of them can hold a candle to MinimServer when it comes to displaying information and selecting music as one wishes, based on carefully constructed tags (not much of an issue if one listens exclusively, or mainly, to non-classical music, I admit).
There’s also the question of storage capacity. I notice that a 1TB flash drive on Amazon sells for $700, which is about the same price as a new Synology DS216+ with two WD Red 3TB drives. But for people who listen mainly to Tidal and don’t have a large library of their own files, this wouldn’t matter, I suppose.
Many routers have build-in NAS functionality nowadays, every external disk that you connect to usb instantly gets handled as a server. I use a Netgear Nighthawk which has 2 usb-ports. No need for flashdrive, a simple 2.5 inch usb-3 HDD will do the job (got several 4T disks for about €140,- a piece). Very stable, both with BubbleUpnp (+Tidal and Qobuz HiRes!) on Android and mconnect (+ Tidal and vTuner) on Apple I-pad. I never got drop-outs or things like that and no need for a pc / switch in the system 