Cambridge Audio - Stream Magic 6 - Upsampling Nework Music Player

[ChuckCanning]

robmooij,

My first stab at piecing together a music server also involved pairing a SM 6 with a DS213 loaded with dual WD Reds. And I had precisely the same problem: the music would stop playing in the middle of a queue, almost always at the end of a track. I did eventually find, however, that punching the next track button would get thing things rolling again, at least for a few additional tracks. Frustrating.

As an alternative, I also tried using the Synology Audio Player package to play a batch of songs and, in that environment, it would cease playing after a single track, after which the SM 6 returned the "End of Queue" message.

Contacted both Synology and Cambridge Audio. Synology wanted to run some tests, which I have not yet attempted. CA came back and admitted that the DS213 >SM 6 combo is not stable and that they are working on a fix. They recommended several options for a stable stream and I opted to switch to WD My Book Live (single). And now my SM 6 streams music from the server flawlessly.

 

[Peter_Klim]

Your post was on the 15th but the next day Cambridge Audio came out with a firmware update, so you probably already installed it. Did it help out? Depending upon your settings, when you turn the Magic 6 on, the display will ask you if you want to install the firmware, or you can get it from their website.

From their website:

"Improve occasional track skipping seen when using certain Synology NAS devices"
"Other miscellaneous bug fixes"

It listed additional fixes too. Not quite your issue, unless the last one covers it.

I've never had any issues with mine so far. Are you using the wifi or, like me, the LAN cable? That may make a difference.

Allthough this is a slightly older post, I have a related setup in which I experience some problems.
I use a synology Diskstation 213 with a 3TB Western Digital Red harddisk. For streaming, I use a Cambridge Stream Magic 6 connected to a Onkyo TX-NR609.
The stream magic is a real piece of work, and streams 24 bits/96 kHz gapless (which is why I added it to my system). The onkyo has streaming audio support to, but not gapless, which is a pain. I looked at Sonos and squeezeboxes as well, but choose the cambridge for the high resolution audio support and the look.
Anyway: my problem. Sometimes during playing music, the playback stops, and the display on my Cambridge just says :end of qeue. When i try to reconnect, it reports that my library is empty. I think for some reason the Synology doesn't "see" the cambridge, and goes into sleep mode, because this only happens when nothing else is active on the diskstation.
Anyone has a similar experience?

 

[ChuckCanning]

Peter,

Thanks for the information. I will download the firmware update this weekend and report back after I have taken it for a spin.

 

[ChuckCanning]

Update:

Downloaded the new CA firmware on Saturday and reconnected the Synology DS213 to the router.

Dropped three random Beatle albums into the Stream Magic 6 queue.

Played just fine for well over an hour. Gapless on Abbey Road was perfect. Accidentally closed the queue before it completed while setting a new internet station.

Set up another extended queue and the music ceased playing after 4 or 5 songs. Pretty much the same result on subsequent attempts.

Disconnected the DS213 and will stick with the Western Digital My Book Live.

The SM 6 works great with a basic NAS running Twonky. The Synology box involves such complex configuration and proprietary protocols that it is almost impossible to get them to operate seamlessly with a SM 6. There might be a way to get the settings right, but I sure haven't found it - and it seems the folks Cambridge Audio haven't done so either.

 

[Peter_Klim]

I have the same Synology and WD Red (2TB X2) as you do.

Exactly how are you setting up playback to get it to fail? If I'm not listening to the internet radio, using my iPad (or iPhone) I usually go into: Media>UPnP Server>DiskStation>Music>By Folder>(then I pick a folder by file type - examples Music_FALC, Music_WAV, Music_MP3)>(Artist)>(Album). Then I just play the entire album. I only have about 350 albums, so maybe size has to do with the issues? Tell me what you do and I'll test it out.

 

[ChuckCanning]

Peter,

Thanks for the tip.

I was actually referring to the system configuration on the Synology (rather than the steps for programming the queue). When originally setting up the unit, I messed with so many settings that I lost track of what I did. So factory reset seemed like a good idea. In fact, I did a complete reformat and reload last night. And even then, the same problem occurs. The queue streamed from the Synology ceases playing at random points (but always at the end of a track). I have also noticed that when setting up a queue from the Synology, the random play setting does not always function.

When I switch back to stream from the WD My Book Live, none of these issues occur. In fact, I am currently three hours into a queue of a half dozen albums. With my Denon directing the music to two zones, I can listen both in the living room and out on patio. And it sounds fantastic!

Anyway, back to your suggestion on the steps for entering a queue, I do it slightly differently: Media>UPnP Server>DiskStation>Music>Album>*hold down any album icon*>Add to queue

I then repeat the last two steps to build a queue. When running from the WD, the exact same steps apply except "MyBookLive-Twonky" is substituted for "DiskStation". Both are connected through the router now.

I think the differences relate to how we have set up our folders on the drives. Not sure whether that could be the cause of my problem with the Synology - but who knows!?!?!?!

 

[amey01]

I was actually referring to the system configuration on the Synology (rather than the steps for programming the queue). - but who knows!?!?!?!

Sounds like one of two things.

Network performance - Are any parts of your connection wireless? If so, then the connections can be affected by a multitude of things, and something as simple as your 'fridge turning on can be enough to cause enough issues in a highly intensive activity such as music streaming. Does the CA allow you to perform a network test to eliminate this side of things?

Secondly, the files themselves - more than likely, it sounds like the CA is stumbling on a part of the file itself. Try testing the same files that worked, and the same files that didn't work to confirm this, as they could be corrupt in a particular part.

 

[Peter_Klim]

Chuck, I will try out your queue method when I get a chance and report to you what happens.

But Amey01's reply above reminds me of a question I asked previously that I believe you left unanswered: Are you connecting the Magic 6 wirelessly, or via ethernet cable like I am?

Peter,

Thanks for the tip.

I was actually referring to the system configuration on the Synology (rather than the steps for programming the queue). When originally setting up the unit, I messed with so many settings that I lost track of what I did. So factory reset seemed like a good idea. In fact, I did a complete reformat and reload last night. And even then, the same problem occurs. The queue streamed from the Synology ceases playing at random points (but always at the end of a track). I have also noticed that when setting up a queue from the Synology, the random play setting does not always function.

When I switch back to stream from the WD My Book Live, none of these issues occur. In fact, I am currently three hours into a queue of a half dozen albums. With my Denon directing the music to two zones, I can listen both in the living room and out on patio. And it sounds fantastic!

Anyway, back to your suggestion on the steps for entering a queue, I do it slightly differently: Media>UPnP Server>DiskStation>Music>Album>*hold down any album icon*>Add to queue

I then repeat the last two steps to build a queue. When running from the WD, the exact same steps apply except "MyBookLive-Twonky" is substituted for "DiskStation". Both are connected through the router now.

I think the differences relate to how we have set up our folders on the drives. Not sure whether that could be the cause of my problem with the Synology - but who knows!?!?!?!

 

[ChuckCanning]

Thanks for the additional insight, Peter & Amey. Connected via Ethernet, as I plan to include 24/96 in the library. But Amey's suggestion (flipped around) actually made me wonder if a wireless stream might offer a better result.

It is not a specific track causing he problem. I often use Abbey Road as the first queued album for system tests, as it helps evaluate gapless playback. The Synology freeze ups can occur on any track, and sometimes the album will play completely and the failure will occur somewhere further into the queue. Also the same rips play without interruption from the Western Digital NAS.

CA tech support indicated there are/were stability problems with certain Synology servers. I had hoped the most recent CA firmware update would have solved the problem. Not so, in my case at least.

I have wondered if CA's iPad app might be the culprit. A while back, I tested the Synology music player and remote app - but those programs had their own flaws. Perhaps I will give that a go again.

 

[amey01]

It is not a specific track causing he problem.

So let's make this clear - you can play the same file, sometimes without issue, and other times with problems?

Perhaps a network issue then - is there something else running in the network that could be causing bandwidth issues.

If connected by ethernet - maybe still try to run a bandwidth test to ensure the network is capable of delivering the required bandwidth.

 

[ChuckCanning]

Yes, same file will play fine multiple times and later might become the bottleneck.

It is worth adding the tracks will play in their entirety. The seize up occurs in the transition from one song to another. It is as if someone pushed "stop" or "pause", as clicking the "next track" button gets everything rolling fine again - or at least until the queue stops again.

I am running home-based Internet through the same router, an Airport. I have tested the Synology alone and off net through a Belkin router, with the same problem. The Ethernet cables are brand new.

Not sure how to conduct a network bandwith test. But running a speedtest on the Internet connection returns 34.6 down, 9.9 up.

 

[amey01]

Not sure how to conduct a network bandwith test.

The Cambridge should (may??) have a function to do this?

But this is strange? I am lost on this one.......anyone else?