Wiim doesn’t do storage
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David
Exactly what problem are you trying to solve with all of this equipment?
You’re right Duncan it doesn’t. That’s that out!
Morning Gregg
I have had a change of system recently. New rack, new amp, so I would like a quality Music Server Transport to complement the Bartók. I want Just a Server Transport, to use their UI and app, leaving my Bartók purely as a DAC.
I have recordings that I have purchased previously from HDTracks etc and also recordings given to me by friends…which all sit idly on a WD Elements drive. I would like to utilise that music. Plus, Qobuz does misbehave now and again. (Like now)
Having had a bad experience with a Melco server, which was mostly my fault! I am eager not to repeat that same mistake.
I don’t really care for servers with large screens (Rose, Aurender), so the Innuos ticks most of my boxes. I am told the Innuos app and UI are fantastic. I have heard the Zen Next generation at my dealer which sounded great. (I wasn’t able to do a stored files vs streamed Qobuz, in store.)
My goal is, Gregg, to have the stored music on the Server Transport SSD, to sound better than the Qobuz streams, either via Mosaic or Qobuz pre installed on the Innuos, or what ever Server I decide to purchase.
However…Listening to comments, which have been incredibly helpful, that may not be able to be achieved?
Looking forward to fill that middle level! 
Looks and Sounds better already, no Noise Floor at all !
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I don’t think you will be adding any benefits over streaming as long as you have a goog quality network in place.
I personally feel you are worrying about nothing and just looking for a solution to no real problem. I see your need for a storage device, plus it nice to have a back up. But any sonic gains are for me so small if any at all, and I certainly couldn’t tell one over another.
Maybe something from eversolo would fit the bill as you can add storage cards to them and look nice on the rack or just get a decent server and hide it away and just connect to the network and use mosaic to control it all.
I wouldn’t be interesting any big money into this these days and if it was worth more then I would sell the melco, have an extra shelf space on the rack and buy a nice storage server and put it under the staioutvthe way by my second network switch.
You can buy my lovely melco if you want. Lol.
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I will add to @Dunc. Having a backup is more than nice, it is essential. Given robbery, fire or flood and you risk losing that music some of which may not be available even if you wanted to buy replacements.
I suggest making at least two backups, one to be kept somewhere other than your premises. A friend who lives not too far from you had his sole USB HDD stolen. Goodbye to all of his wedding and holiday photos and the videos of his kids growing up.
What is ( your backup strategy ?
PS. My Melco is staying where it is 
.
From the wall I have a chord c stream Ethernet cable (5m length ) that runs into a melco s100 switch . From the s100 I have an Amphenol sfp + cable (2m length ) into the melco n1s38. From the melco n1s38 I have a 0.5m unshielded cat 5e cable connected directly to the Rossini apex .
So stored music on the melco or music from a streaming service pass through the melco n1s38.
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So to give of its best, the sequence here would change so the switch is connected to the Rossini via your short cable. This should improve the sound quality of both streamed and stored music.
Wall - n1s38 - s100 - Rossini, last link being the shortest.
I previously had the Rossini connected to the switch as you suggest but the sound quality is better via the direct connection between the melco n1s38 and Rossini .
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Funnily enough Duncan, I think you’re serious! Great hardware, but the UI and App on the Melco are not the best in the world.
One of the reasons I ask advice on here, is because the advice received is mostly unbiased.
I have literally just come off the phone from a dealer, after a 42 minute conversation, asking him about Innuos. Within 10 minutes, he is trying to sell me £600-900 a meter speaker cable. I would need two 4 metre lengths! Ching! 
We all know that cables are a dealers biggest earner!
I hear what you say about Servers. There are so many options. I have been down the Roon Nucleus and Qnap NAS route. I mean, it would be great to get a Server with storage, a good UI and a good App for £1500, but it needs to compliment the Bartók and SIA-025. No point in putting a Gibson Les Paul through a £49 Chinese made amp! I am just trying to get a nice balanced system.
Anyway, how much do you want for the Melco? 
In total, I have four on WD USB back up drives, In fact, I have five if you include my iMac.
Don’t worry there Pete, you’re safe there!
Hi David
Before commenting may I send you to a post I made last week which received 9 likes
May I first suggest you start with a base reference point and install MinimServer on a Mac (or Windows) computer. As we all know this is dCS’s recommended UPnP server. Next connect your external hard drive to the computer and use Mosaic to play back your ripped/purchased/stored files.
Once a base line is established you can then bring in a third party server and connect it, preferably, to the network (ethernet not USB) so the file transmission protocol remains the same between the two different scenarios. Now you can evaluate how your ripped/stored files sound between two different sources.
As I quoted your post above, and linked to my earlier post,
“to have the stored music on the Server Transport SSD, to sound better than the Qobuz streams”
the only way you will be able to see if you are comparing apples to apples (and not to oranges) is to determine if the Qobuz stream of a song which you already have as a ripped/stored file IS THE EXACT SAME. As I stated in my earlier post - this is virtually impossible. You have no way of knowing if the track supplied to Qobuz is the same provenance, mastering, etc. as what your stored file is.
Part 2
As for comparing a Qobuz stream played back via Mosaic or Qobuz Connect
vs.
the same stream played back via a Innuos streamer and their own proprietary software
I will maintain (subject to your testing) they are the same. I will even say that perhaps the Innuos stream may be the same…….or even inferior….compared to a Mosaic or Qobuz Connect stream.
Please keep in mind if the only way a Innuos can be connected is via USB, you will not be able to make a like for like test (as Mosaic and Qobuz Connect connect to your DAC via ethernet), AND, please remember once again that dCS states Ethernet is the superior and preferred method of connection to the DAC
As always your mileage may vary
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David, ( @Merlot52 ), GRegg makes the point:
I have taken a ( superficial) look at the current Innuos range. A major Cranage over earlier generations is that the output is now made by a selectable board. You obviously will not want the DAC types, but there are two digital output types, USB or S/Pdif and AES. I am not so keen on USB ( also see Duncan earlier) but the S/Pdif or AES board could be good <192K or DSDS64 by DoP , the spec. of Bartok ( if the innuos has DoP provision which I do not know at the moment). Unfortunately there is no network version as far as I have been able to see. Double check before you jump.
Please give one of your WD backups to a friend to look after 
. There is no merit in several backups at home in the case of a home fire or a serious flood.
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Thanks Gregg
A bit to unpack there…I do actually have a Minim Upgraded account, so I will do that tomorrow morning and will report back.
I’m sure it doesn’t make any difference Gregg, but I was comparing purchased, downloaded HDTracks, FLAC 24/96 files, not ripped CDs.
Thanks for your kind help and advice. Catch you tomorrow. 
P.S. Innuos can be LAN, USB or SPIDF
Hi Pete
Apparently, the PhoenixUSB board is meant to be very good. Innuos do in fact, recommend the USB connection to a DAC, as it is direct.
Speaking of which, I had a 42 minute phone call to a dealer today, he recommend Coaxial over LAN and USB. The caveat being it only works with up to 24/192
But dCS do not 
Stay away from the dealers 
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So no DXD or DSDx2 upsampling . Back to the drawing board.
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The melco app is poor, it works but that’s about it, it certainly needs a huge overhaul.
But it don’t use it as i don’t use the streamer and you can access all the storage from the mosaic app, and it works great doing so.
But are you wanting to use a different streamer to the one in the bartok? Or is it just about storage?
I personally wouldn’t recommend a roon nuke as I didn’t like how it sounded compared to mosaic.
For about a grand you can get an eversolo T8, streaming transport that you can add storage too. Ment to be good, but can’t see it sounding any better than the streamer in the bartok. But if you just want a nice bit of kit that will work by ethernet into the bartok to play your stored music when you like then a secondhand melco N100 would be fine. I know you had a moment with your last melco but for storage play back then it all works fine and sounds justvlike streaming. Lol.
Easier said than done
Is this where the saying, “Piggy in the middle” comes in? 