NAS recommendation - silent / fanless QNAP HS-251+

[markush]

I have long been looking for the perfect NAS. It should be absolutely silent (fanless, no moving parts at all) and have a great build quality / look.
Finally found it - the brandnew QNAP HS-251+ is really great (all information at https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=197 )
There are absolutely no moving parts and it has a stylish brushed metal aluminum body. They say it has been made with the needs of audiophiles in mind.
Using this either with a SSD will enable to be 100% silent or when using really big storage a Western Digital Red drive is also a good match as these are specialised for NAS and running very smooth / low noise as well.

I am currently testing various ways of playing music - either accessing the music files via the USB audio of the QNAP or accessing via network.

[AaronG]

I have long been looking for the perfect NAS. It should be absolutely silent (fanless, no moving parts at all) and have a great build quality / look.
Finally found it - the brandnew QNAP HS-251+ is really great (all information at https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=197 )
There are absolutely no moving parts and it has a stylish brushed metal aluminum body. They say it has been made with the needs of audiophiles in mind.
Using this either with a SSD will enable to be 100% silent or when using really big storage a Western Digital Red drive is also a good match as these are specialised for NAS and running very smooth / low noise as well.

I am currently testing various ways of playing music - either accessing the music files via the USB audio of the QNAP or accessing via network.

I love mine.

[markush]

Nice! The new firmware is also a great step forward in usability and comfort. Really enjoying this much better than my previous Synology.

[markush]

Breaking News!! JRiver Server for QNAP will be released within the next days. So along with the dedicated USB Audio Out of the QNAP this will provide perfect listening quality and convenience (selecting music via mobile apps)

[Mohmm]

I have long been looking for the perfect NAS. It should be absolutely silent (fanless, no moving parts at all) and have a great build quality / look.
Finally found it - the brandnew QNAP HS-251+ is really great (all information at https://www.qnap.com/i/en/product/model.php?II=197 )
There are absolutely no moving parts and it has a stylish brushed metal aluminum body. They say it has been made with the needs of audiophiles in mind.
Using this either with a SSD will enable to be 100% silent or when using really big storage a Western Digital Red drive is also a good match as these are specialised for NAS and running very smooth / low noise as well.

I am currently testing various ways of playing music - either accessing the music files via the USB audio of the QNAP or accessing via network.

Interesting recommendation. I am just wondering if 2TB (using two 1TB SSDs) isn't a bit restricted. How could I expand this QNAP thing to 4TB?

[brownzen]

+1 

I've Baught a QNAP 251 with two 2 Tb Disks WD Red in Raid 1 and it works perfectly !

[teddlesdee]

S'pose I am a bit lucky. I have had a 251 for about 8 months and yes, it is a nice bit of kit, although restricted to 2gb memory.

I now also have a 435 mini which is a 4tb beast with 8gb memory, but fits nicely in the rack, and supports Virtual machines. It does have a fan, but it is whisper quiet and I have not noticed and difference in sound or interference.
Now I use to 251 for backups of music and other media, home stuff etc...

[Mohmm]

+1 

I've Baught a QNAP 251 with two 2 Tb Disks WD Red in Raid 1 and it works perfectly !

So you are using the QNAP with a mirrored RAID, which results in 2TB effective storage. I understand that this piece will then also work with a total of 4TB e.g. as a JBOD. But this runs the risk of SSD failure without backup. Perhaps I need to wait for 3 or 4TB SSDs, which may take some time.

By the way, can you hear the spinning of the WD Reds?

[Mohmm]

Does it run hot while playing music files?

[markush]

Does it run hot while playing music files?

Not at all! I am using 2x6TB WD Red in the HS-251+ and even when doing some performance demanding operations like streaming HD Video with High-Definition Audio it's running very silent. The WD Red drives have been explicitly developed for NAS requirements - also streaming video / audio files.
Along with the QManager tool you can easily check via your smartphone or tablet all the relevant resources of the NAS including temperature of the System / Processor / Harddrives. I'd really recommend the WD Red drives as they provide great performance, running very silent and reliable.