Devialet AIR working (mostly) on QNAP virtual server...and a few questions

[Zappydev]

Chris, Gary, thanks for the responses.  I'll probably give a NUC a try in the coming couple of weeks to see whether I can achieve reliable "ultra" hi res streaming as you have via AIR.  I have a feeling the NAS server would be rock solid using the Win 10 virtual server setup I described above if it was one of the higher end QNAP models with an i5 or i7 processor.  As you've alluded to, Win10 is a game changer. 

There's still a part of me that doesn't trust AIR at all and I'm half expecting to blow my speakers one of these days when it finally kicks in! The safer option would be to use my Slim Devices Transporter (which is now supported by ROON) and hook it up via AES to the D200...but AIR sounds ever so slightly superior.

Hi, and thanks for sharing your interesting approach. My system is similar to Gary's, and I am extremely grateful to him for all the tips and suggestions he has shared on this forum over the months. Following his advice, I got my NUC system to be about 95% reliable most of the time using AIR2.1.3 but the final step was to install FW 9.0.1 in my D400 about 3 weeks ago. Since that time, I have not had a single BSOD or other issue, even with leaving the system playing for days at a time, and assuming it stays that way, I shall not be looking to add a RoonReady device, since AIR is doing all I need for now.

Please keep us informed of your progress, and good luck.

Thanks for the thoughtful response.  Reviewing this forum and the ROON forums leads me to believe that most, but not all, users using an Intel NUC setup have managed to get AIR working to a high level of reliability.  

I'm going to continue to tweak the virtual server environment for a bit and see if I can coax a little more performance out of it.  One of the advantages of this setup that I did not mention in the OP is the ability to dedicate one of the four LAN ports on the NAS to the virtual machine.  In essence, ROON and AIR have a dedicated 1000Gbps connection to the router.  The throughput on this segment of network is insane.

I'll certainly keep the forum apprised of any progress.

So much for my hopes and dreams. After 2 weeks or more of 24/7 fault-free operation with AIR I foolishly powered everything down for a short trip away from home, and now I have had 3 BSOD  in the space of 45 minutes. I am SO glad I didn't have 30k to drop on a pair of copper door-stops. This French software sucks, and I will be investing in a RoonReady device pretty soon. Pile of merde.