How to get USB Output from NAS to DSJ?

I’d like to experiment with streaming from my NAS to DSJ via USB. I’m currently running Logitech LMS Server on my NAS but can’t figure out how to direct its output to the USB port (rather than the Ethernet port.) or is that strictly a function of the software? If it is which NAS-installed software can send output to the USB port?

Thanks
Kofi

Usually the USB ports an a NAS device are for external storage or a printer. I don’t think you can send files through the USB ports. I am referring to Synology. Others may be different.

Two ways that I hnow about:

  1. If you have a Squeezebox Touch install the Enhanced Data Output app. This uses the USB port for output,

  2. Buy a Sonore microRendu. It plays nice with LMS.

This does not answer your question directly but are ways to convert Ethernet to USB while using LMS on a network attached storage (NAS).

I don’t believe you can do what you are trying to do. A NAS is, by definition, a network device that communicates over the network. Some have a USB port to communicate with a computer directly, but that port will always require a computer.

Even if you had just a simple USB hard drive that can never attach directly to a DSJ. The DSJ USB port is designed to connect to a computer or server (same thing) and that requires server software that’s either (a computer) built into the drive
or an actual computer.

Paul, the NAS I’m referring to (Synology) is a computer. It runs streaming software like Logitech Media Server, and it can read from and write to a USB hard drive connected to one of its USB ports. Its operating system is probably Linux, and I thought there’d be a Linux driver for the DSJ USB port (much like PS Audio has written a Windows driver for the DSJ USB port.)

-Kofi

To amplify what Paul said, I have had a Synology DS412+ for 5 years. If you go to the web page for your NAS and click on the ‘Main Menu’, then ‘Control Panel’ you will see an icon labelled ‘External Devices’. This lists what is connected locally to the USB port on the NAS. It is not another connection to a network but is there (primarily) to allow backup of the NAS storage. A ‘Printer’ tab is also shown but I’ve not tried to add one. I connect a USB desktop disk for regular, automated, local backups of my critical files on the NAS (music, photos and videos). This backup process is done by the NAS processor: in the ‘Control Panel’ there is a ‘Task Scheduler’ icon that I use to setup this backup process.
I also have another removable USB desktop disk, connected to a computer on the (ethernet) network, to which I copy the same files and store remotely.

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I have a Synology DS109 and I do exactly that (I have a USB hard drive connected to one of its USB ports for automated backup using Task Scheduler.) I assumed that there is a way to stream from one of those USB ports, but maybe that is a function of the streaming software (like I think Foobar is able to do on a Windows PC/laptop.) Perhaps there exists a version of Foobar that will run on Synology?

But why do I want to stream over USB rather than over Ethernet? To see if I’ll get better sound from DSJ and DLIII. I’m still very surprised (and perplexed) at how slight the sound quality difference is between the DSJ and my 10-year-old DLIII using digital coax (I have trouble telling them apart.)

Here is kind of an older forum post about using a Synology NAS with a direct connect via USB to a DAC:

Looks like maybe you need to install the Audio Station app on the Synology to test (though maybe you already have or maybe the app has been deprecated by now). Also, don’t see much re: hi-res files over that USB connection so it might not work for you if it’s rate limited in some way.

Thanks for pointing me to that very useful discussion! I do have Audio Station on my Synology but have never bothered to try it. I didn’t know that it also has a remote control app. I’ll give it a try.

Good deal! Let us know how it goes.

I looked at the Audio Station package on the Synology NAS when considering which server to use for sending my music over the ethernet network and decided that I preferred Minimserver. As you can see from the help page for this package it is possible to do what you want:

Given your aim to find better sound quality I’d doubt that you will get it from a setup with the NAS in close proximity, connected by USB, to your DAC. OK it will require expenditure but you should be able to do better by separating source and player via a network, which gives better isolation.

Right. Makes sense, unfortunately two things get in your way: first, the USB port on the DSJ is only for updates and does not connect to the internal player. Second, I am not sure any streamer can directly connect to the Synology port as you describe.

But, in any case, it un fortunately cannot on DSJ.

That’s a definitive answer, Paul. I thought that since the DS DAC (Sr.) could use USB as a music input, so could the DSJ. The DLIII, on the other hand, does use its USB port as a music input (I have verified this using the Audio Station server running on the Synology NAS directly connected via USB to the DLIII.)

Well, sorry, that’s not what I meant. Yes, of course, the DSJ (and all our DACs) connect via USB to a computer. I apologize, because I thought you meant the USB A connector on the back of the DSJ. Like this:

All our DACs have the USB B connectors like this one:

And this will accommodate a computer/server. So, sorry if I got you off track.

But I still can’t get the DSJ to play through the USB input port when connected to the NAS USB output. As I mentioned before the DLIII plays fine via its USB input when connected to the NAS USB output. Is it the case that a USB driver (Linux?) is required for the DSJ but not for the DLIII? The DSJ displays a sampling rate/sample width of PCM 48k/16 bits (which is incorrect, it should be 44.1k/16 bits) along with the * lock indicator.