QLMS, QNAP NAS and the Allo USBridge Signature Player

QNAP HS-453DX: Silent but Powerful Fanless Multimedia NAS with Hybrid Storage, 10GbE connectivity and 4K HDMI.

Resuming A Dedicated Music Server Journey (Part 7)

I last posted in 2012 about my ongoing experiences with running a music server and managing all my music playback within my home via LMS (Logitech Media Server - previously known as Squeezebox Server). It's been 7¼ years since I last posted specifically about it! Time flies - and to be fair I have neglected my love of music in the most recent couple of years too - and only recently have started actively listening again.

However after 8+ years of running a Vortexbox Music Server for LMS, I am now migrating to a new NAS based configuration, Utilising the Media Centre orientated QNAP HS-453DX (with 8GB RAM); and a separate standalone network hardware player/transport to provide the USB output (to my Oppo Cirrus ESS Sabre32 DAC in my BDP-105D). This will replace my existing Vortexbox Server with it's internal USB output to the DAC.

The QNAP HS-453DX NAS has QLMS installed (QLogitechMediaServer for Qnap - a customised version of LMS specifically to run on QNAP devices), which provides the full current version and functionality of LMS as an App in the QNAP environment (at the time of writing the current stable community supported version of LMS is 7.9.2 which is what I am running - the current Logitech officially supported version from at this time is 7.7.7). This allows implementation of the full range of plugins, including for full native DSD support (for example), Spotify streaming, and so on.

QNAP HS-453DX NAS rear view showing outputs.

Implementation has been easy and initial performance very good, although I have only been testing it in my secondary system with a Squeezebox Touch and some Focal XS Book speakers.

Initially I started my quest looking at hardware players such as the SOtM sMS-200 Neo & sMS-200ultra Neon; Sonore microRendu & ultraRendu; and Raspberry Pi 3 or 4 custom builds, however it was then that I was pointed to the Allo USBridge Signature (which also has an accompanying Linear Power Supply called 'Shanti'; which means peace, rest, calmness, tranquillity, or bliss in Hindi). The USBridge Signature is a highly customised implementation of the Raspberry Pi, with a heavily modified board.

You can also purchase the board only (the USBridge Sig) to build your own system/custom case, and it can be 'stacked' with the DigiOne or DigiOne Signature to provide S/PDIF Output in the same case as the USBridge Signature (should you require S/PDIF). The Shanti LPS even features 2 power outputs, the second being a 5.2V / 1.2A one specifically designed to the power either DigiOne independently of the USBridge Signature's power, or any similar device configuration (the main output is a 5.2V / 3A designed for the latter or any similar device; e.g. a Squeezebox Touch or a vanilla Raspberry Pi box).

A related post to my music server series from 2014 discusses Ethernet vs. USB for Streaming.

 I will post more when on this in the near future...

[EDIT Jan 2024] Work, Health and other matters (like COVID) subsequently got in the way of posting here and reviving TAA. But this project has been a big success since Jan 2020. I hope to resume posting here on The Auricular Antipodean about this and music soon sometime over 2024...