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Music servers and other computer based digital audio technologies.

why not just try and see if you like it. I'm with Ryelands: it's a perfectly valid alternative.

Hi Golo,

Well Cics is right. Any extra activity in your cMP setup that is not needed too process your digital audio stream will most likely affect sound quality because these extra activity’s use hardware, use PC and processor resources, involved hardware produces noise, causes voltage sacks, ect. So when LAN is not needed: don’t use it and disable hard- and software.

But I red your question like this:
* What too do when my SSD is too small too store (a copy of) all my music files?

Your question probably arises from having not enough storage capacity on your SSD. Otherwise you just could simply copy all your music files too the SSD and your problem was solved. But probably your SSD has not enough storage capacity, so you are considering other options.

Best option of course would be a bigger SSD or an extra SSD, but that is not what you are considering. You are considering the option of connecting a HDD through LAN.
But you are worried about the negative affect this LAN connection will have on the sound quality of your cMP setup. You are right. Using LAN will impact sound quality negatively very slightly.
But every other option, will also impact audio quality negatively.

If adding more storage capacity through extra SSD capacity is not an option, I read your question like this:
* which option for extra HDD storage capacity will least impact sound quality of my cMP setup?

You can connect extra HDD storage capacity through:
1. a second SATA channel on your mobo (internal sata connection port)
2. eSATA (external sata connection port)
3. USB
4. Firewire
5. LAN.
All these 5 methods will impact sound quality of your cMP negatively.
But which of the above 5 options will least impact sound quality of your cMP setup?

Option 1 and 2 are out of the question since you already know how big the negative impact on sound is when you connect a HDD through SATA in your cMP setup.
Leaves options: 3, 4 and 5.

The whole point of my previous post was that I don’t see why a HDD connected trough LAN should be such a bad choice for sound quality. Method 3 and 4 also use I/O chips and logic which generate noise and pollution, also use processing resources, alsoo draw current which causes voltage sacks, ect, ect. I never read any detailed articles that paint a bigger picture on why and how a HDD connected through USB or Firewire is superior for sound quality than when connecting it through LAN.

So just trust your ears when choosing between option 3, 4 or 5. So why not try it and listen for yourself? I’m with Ryelands on this. It's a perfectly valid alternative. So just try it and see if it meets your sound quality standards.

* Some tips when you use a LAN connection too connect your HDD.
One ingredient in the cMP-recipe is lowering speeds of chips and logic so too decrease the noise these circuits generate, too make them less current hungry, too reduce voltage sacks ect etc. Same applies too the LAN chip on your MoBo.
1. So I use my Realtek PCIe GBE family controller with these setting (in ‘Device Manager’, view: ‘Devices by connection). In ‘properties’ under the ‘advanced’ tab:
- I put it at fixed (low) 10Mb/s speed (so not 100 or 1000Mb/s)
- I disable all automatic energy savings options
- I disable all automatic Wake On ‘etc, ect’ facility’s

2. The PCIe channel in my MoBo has 2 root ports. Only one root port is used by the Realtek LAN controller. So I disable the PCIe root port that is not used by the Realtek LAN controller.
(BTW: I also disable channel 1 on the Serial ATA storage controller. I use my SSD on channel 0 so Serial ATA channel 1 can be disabled both in the BIOS as well as in the device manager)

3. Cics describes very well which devices NOT TO DISABLE in the device manager when using LAN. So I will point you too cicsmemoryplayer website for that.

4. However Cics is not so clear on his website what services are minimal needed when using LAN.
A cMP setup can run with only 2 services enabled: ‘Plug & Play’ + Remote Procedure Call (RPC). For LAN you only need one extra service: ‘Workstation’.
You don’t need too use the ‘DHCP client’-service if you assign a static IP address by hand yourself.
(you only need too assign this address once)

N.B. This is not mentioned as a detailed ‘how to’. I just wrote it too roughly guide you. After reading this you now know all area’s in a cMP PC that need attention. Exact details as where too click and look and also how too configure your IP settings between your PC and NAS, you will have too study yourself. But also that is rather easy not very hard too accomplish.

Succes

Mark



Edits: 06/14/11

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