Teac NT503 Networking DAC

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by mds, Aug 1, 2018.

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  1. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    Hello all - I’ve got the NT-505 all set up, and I have a simple question regarding HR Streamer: Anyone know why when one song ends, it doesn’t automatically play the next song in an album? Seems strange to me! I can’t imagine that’s the way it works. Any suggestions? I’m running the latest firmware and HR Streamer on iOS. My server is Minimserver on Synology.

    Thanks!
     
  2. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    OK - still learning... Looks like you need to put it in a playlist in order for songs to auto-advance to the next track. Oh well, HR Streamer isn’t the best, but it’s only my first day with the unit, so I’m mostly enjoying the soundstage and quality of my music through this awesome streamer!

    I know all about Roon... but since the latest version has not been compiled for Synology, I’m ruling it out (for now). Does anyone have a favorite iOS app besides Roon (and HR Streamer) that you’d recommend me trying?

    Besides that, I have to say it was dead-easy to setup, update the firmware, and get it to see Minimserver. It’s good to see all the pieces working together with minimal effort. I had started with Plex as my DLNA server, but it was a little spotty with the Teac... switching to Minimserver has been rock solid.

    Sound is wonderful, but since I’m the only one still awake in the house, it’s not gonna get cranked until tomorrow!
     
  3. vinylvark

    vinylvark Forum Resident

    I've owned the UD-501 and upgraded a year-or-so-ago to the NT-503. Spotify support completely sucks, most of my mobile and Linux devices/pc's don't see the NT-503 available for streaming. Once I start streaming from a Windows PC, the Android and Linux devices pick it up and I can control playback from those devices too. However, after a few songs, usually halfway through a song, it just stops playing and all devices loose the info on what was playing and I have to start it over. This happens from any device, Windows hosts too.

    I have a host of other issues with Spotify so I moved away and am trying out Tidal. I noticed the 505 has MQA and Tidal support via firmware update, but my 1,5 year old NT-503 has never seen a firmware update, not even for the broken Spotify support (which might not be Teac's fault, admittedly).

    I dropped Teac Support a mail but going by my previous experiences, this isn't going to help. How many NT-503 owners do we have here? Maybe if we all complain something happens.

    I can't upgrade hardware each time something is fixed or changed what should/could be provided in a firmware update. The device isn't cheap!
     
  4. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    When I first bought my TEAC DAC I had some issues in configuring the unit. TEAC help through an email inquiry was non existent then I found out that in the US Onkyo was handling distribution and tech support. I contacted them and they were much more responsive. I might suggest going that route. With all this said I cannot speak about issues with the NT-503 but can say that the NT-505 works fantastic, was extremely easy to configure and works seamlessly with Roon, all after the latest firmware updates. I have briefly used TEACs HR Streamer interface and found that it does work but not as smoothly as Roon and therefore I really cannot give much info on its configuration and long term use since I just moved over to Roon and never looked back.

    This link might be helpful if you live in the USA.

    Customer Care Hotline | TEAC | USA
     
  5. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    I’ve switched over to Roon, and will very likely not leave it. It works too well, provides excellent metadata and technical info, and has very good Qobuz integration. Roon Radio is fantastic, pulling from both my local library and Qobuz. There’s no way Teac’s control app will get to where Roon is.

    I’m watching a lot less TV and listending to tons of music instead, and that, perhaps, is the best advertisement.
     
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  6. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    I agree Roon works really well with the TEAC NT-505. The 505 is a very nice player with all its features and Roon allows them all to work beautifully. I do not subscribe to any of the streaming services like Tidal due to my vast digital collection but once I have tired of listening to my music I am sure I will subscribe and then really appreciate how well it integrates with these services.

    The one area I haven't explored completel with the 505 is playing music from the front USB port with a thumb drive. I am not sure how to integrate this with Roon. Have you figured this out and if so what is the trick?
     
  7. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I don't see any equipment listed in your profile. What do you use as a Roon server and how is it connected to the NT 505 DAC?
     
  8. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Are you using the "Ethernet port for wired connection to a home network" option? I assume you could use the thumb drive in your networked device and have Roon automatically scan it.
     
  9. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    I will give that a try. When I originally scanned the thumb drive wasn't in the TEAC.
     
  10. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I'm not sure Roon shows the TEAC USB drive as a network storage device, it might be possible as a network share (Roon option). I am unsure how you are connecting the Roon server (your computer?) to the TEAC. I am assuming USB, but perhaps Ethernet cable? Ideally, I would like to use a Wi-Fi extender for my Router and connect to TEAC using Ethernet cable. So... NAS (Roon server)>>Ethernet cable>>router>>wi-fi>>router extender>>Ethernet cable>>TEAC>>amp>>speakers. I am not yet sure of the best set up, and it is delaying a purchase of the TEAC NT 505. [Note--I would prefer to use Ethernet cable direct (router to TEAC) without extender, but the household cabling would be difficult.

    Also, I was assuming, in my above comment, that you would ideally use the thumb drive on the Roon server (your computer?). Sorry for any confusion on my part.

    best...
     
  11. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    Roon client is on my main PC in my office which is above my music room. My files are on a NAS drive in that room. The NAS drive and PC are all connected to my router, which is also in that room. All are hardwired through cat 6 cables to the router. The router is hardwired to the music room, again using a cat 6 line dropped through the wall to the room below. The DAC plugs into this cat 6 line through a wall plate. My thumb drive would plug into the front of the TEAC DAC. When I do this the manual says the DAC should be set for Network, which it is for streaming and I guess when also using the front USB port. The issue is the thumb drive files do not show up on my Tablet when I run the Roon App, however as I mentioned in an early post I have not run up to the PC and on the client made a search for that connection. This might be how it is accomplished, but not sure. All ideas / suggestions are welcome. I plan on trying this over the weekend.
     
  12. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I have Roon Server installed on a QNAP NAS (per profile). I have the Roon client running on a PC, Android, and iPhone. All Roon clients have access to Roon server settings on the NAS. The Roon Client automatically accesses the shared server folders wherever Roon was installed and is (IMO) substantially more powerful than a windows network. I have Roon installed on a QNAP NAS and can access all shared folders on the NAS. QNAP has multiple applications for networking and sharing/linking files/drives, e.g. I have an older QNAP NAS and a USB drive synced/linked for backup. I have been using QNAP servers for about a decade now, their flexibility is remarkable. I was formerly accessing my NAS music through a cloud link on my android phone using the QNAP Music Station application. Once I installed Roon, I tightened the NAS security and ditched the cloud link. So, I guess it depends on the tools available on your server which would enable network sharing.

    BTW, I cannot image using a USB thumb drive for music (in my own setup), I would probably dump the music into Dropbox (versus a USB thumb drive) and access it from a shared folder via Dropbox (Roon supports Dropbox, Tidal, and Qobuz services). I am curious though--I have a Denon amp for visual media with a USB port on the front. I assume I'd access it through the same networking used to access the TEAC USB port.

    Thanks for the information on networking the TEAC--it was very helpful. I'll likely take the TEAC NT 505 plunge soon.

    ...best
     
  13. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    BG, I haven't filled out my profile yet, but I run Roon Server on my Synology DS916+ (8GB RAM). That device, as well as the NT-505 are hardwired via Cat6 onto the same network. The Synology is located down in the basement and the Teac is in the AV credenza in a different room upstairs (I ran four Cat6 from the AV credenza down to the basement as part of a remodel). I use an iPad, iPhone, or MacBook Pro (all on the wireless network) to browse and control Roon. I also have Qobuz, and I access that service via Roon as well. Wireless is provided via an Orbi system, which is very robust.

    I personally have not used the front USB port yet.
     
  14. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin

    Awesome, as "mds" confirmed in above post, it looks like Ethernet cabling is a requirement. Our setups seem similar--I am missing the cabling (I use wi-fi currently) and use a QNAP NAS. Roon should behave identical. I'll likely switch from Tidal to Quboz after I purchase the TEAC DAC.
     
  15. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    Regarding the USB ports, they are the only way to play back the ultra-high-res stuff (384/768kHz or DSD 256/512).
     
  16. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    Yes - Ethernet is a REQUIREMENT because the NT-505 has no WiFi capabilities.
     
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  17. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    Good information. Thank you!
     
  18. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    The thumb drive would be useful for when friends come by and want to play their songs/albums that they own and I don't and want to hear them on my system. Probably the only reason to use it but people wanted to use it and I haven't figured it out yet.
     
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  19. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    The TEAC NT-505 has Bluetooth capability and it works really nicely.
     
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  20. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    You can connect using the front USB "B" port (USB Flash Drive) or "A" port in the rear of the unit. The "A" port would connect to your PC or Laptop. Other options are connecting using the LAN (RJ-45) connection (Network), or coaxial form a CD player or transport, & there is also an optical connection, lastly you could connect using Bluetooth. This DAC is pretty rich in features and employs pretty high end circuitry, power supplies, DAC (VERITA AK4497 DAC chip) and design elements such as filters and upsampling and conversion to DSD. If you want to go overboard they even have a very high end stand alone clock that you could purchase and connect to override the internal one. The unit can be used as a preamplifier but if you have a high end preamplifier already I would continue to use that one. Lastly it has a very good headphone amp built-in. This is a lot of features I hope I represented them all correctly.
     
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  21. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    Yes! The headphone amp is actually outstanding. I have a few Grace m903s at work, and the Teac can go toe-to-toe with that one.
     
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  22. Blue Gecko

    Blue Gecko Peace

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    @mds and @cje

    Teac NT-505 should arrive tomorrow. I am going to attempt a wifi network bridge with ethernet out to the NT-505. Hard wired ethernet is possible in my home but would be a lot of work. Did you happen to consider this option, I know you both are hard wire connected, so perhaps not.

    Also, for upsampling files, do you use CPU of the server Roon is installed on, or the Teac NT-505? Which sounds better?

    I'll be testing the 505 extensively as soon as it arrives.

    ... best
     
  23. mds

    mds Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    PA
    No I did not try to WiFi Network Bridge to the unit. When I first had the NT-505 I used it as a DAC and my CD player as a transport. Sounded fantastic. Once I had the cat five brought down I set up a NAS drive which is connected directly to my Router. My PC is connected directly to my Router. My PC has 12 gigs of RAM and uses a Core i7 chip set so Roon plays and manages my music effortlessly. The router is directly connected to the NT-505. I use Roon as my interface and I directed Roon to only look for files on my NAS drive. I have other hard drives with music files on them but they are back-ups so I did not want Roon to add them to their file management system. Roon quickly found the files and began to pull them into their database. When this was first set up the TEAC had not been approved by Roon so the music was streamed using i-Play which sounded OK but nowhere as good as a CD played through my transport to the DAC. Once the TEAC was certified by Roon and the firmware updated Roon used their streaming protocol and wow what a difference. My flac files sounded identical to my CDs. I do not subscribe to any streaming services such as Tidal nor do I have any HiRez files, just flac and mp3s so I cannot address if streaming HiRez sounds better than the CD played through the transport but I can say you would be hard pressed to tell any difference between the flac and CD. I have used the Bluetooth feature on the TEAC and it sounds great and works nicely. I did not do any comparisons between the Bluetooth, Streaming and CDs so I cannot speak to how the Bluetooth compares to the other formats. I think you are going to be very impressed with the unit and its flexibility. You are fortunate that you are purchasing after the TEAC has been Roon certified, that is if you plan on using Roon. If you are going to use Roon make sure you have that latest firmware update, this is critical. TEAC's APP to interface with the DAC is not good, a real pain, which is a shame and a missed opportunity on their part. I have heard that some people who do not use Roon have used other interfaces with great success.

    Keep us informed on your progress and thoughts.
     
  24. cje

    cje Member

    Location:
    New York
    My DAC is actually hardwired to the same network as ny NAS, which serves as the music repository as well as the Roon core. I prefer to use the TEAC to do the upsampling, and right now, I have it set to DSD512. The sound is amazing. You’ll find people split, some preferring to have Roon do the upsampling, and some opting to have their DAC do it. Obviously, your DAC may or may not do a great job, but the TEAC certainly delivers here! I don’t plan on switching to using Roon for the upsampling.
     
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  25. DaleClark

    DaleClark Forum Resident

    Location:
    Columbus, Ohio
    Does the teac display show “MQA” files are being played?
     
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