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Can anyone advise on this please?

 

I have a lot of Sonos components - two Connect:Amps, 4 Play 1s and 3 Play 3s.

 

Everything is running on Sonos S1 as most of them won’t support S2, and all my music files (about 50,000) live on a 10 year old Buffalo Linkststion Duo LS-WXL NAS

 

The NAS also has video and movie files that are accessed by the various TVs around the house

 

The whole home network is wired so nothing, including the Sonos, is wireless (except for iPads etc).

 

It looks like my NAS is failing - I’m still working out if it’s a failed drive which would be easy to replace or if it’s the whole unit. If it’s the whole unit that needs replacing then I can do that but my question for anyone here is, what replacement NAS do it get?

 

I need it to run with Sonos S1 or I’d have to replace my entire and expensive Sonos system, which I don’t want to do as there’s nothing wrong with it.

 

Im not en expert in these things but I gather there may be an issue with SMB versions with a new NAS and Sonos S1.

 

Can anyone advise on what the best options are please?

 

Sonos S1 requires SMB v1 to connect the Music Library to your NAS.

SMB v1 is old and a bit insecure so it is usually not supported by default these days but if you check the NAS user's manual to confirm it can be enabled you should be fine.

Worst case you can get whatever NAS you want and then add an SMB v1 to v2 gateway to provide the required v1 connection. I used a Raspberry Pi for that.


I use Synology NAS drives these days. They switch off SMv1 by default, but it can be re-enabled.

However, I only enable SMB v1 on the NAS that only has music files - the other NAS has the rest of my data.


I also use Synology. I recommend avoiding My Cloud.


Just as a comment, the term ‘most’ is inaccurate. I run several PLAY:1s and PLAY:3s using S2, which supports higher versions of SMB. It is possible that you have the early versions of the CONNECT:AMP which only support S1, due to limited CPU speed and memory availability. 


I had a very old Buffalo that was being quirky. It was an odd, intermittent failure, suggesting a duplicate IP address. But, I’m too smart for that … right? I finally swallowed my pride and checked for duplicates … darn!! A few weeks prior I had slightly redefined my network and forgotten about a palm sized, intermittently used device hidden in a cabinet. It was now using the same IP address as the Buffalo. Easy fix.


Hi All

 

Many thanks for all the suggestions. Obviously replacing the NAS is a last resort but I need to consider it.

 

At the moment it’s rebuilding the array (it’s set up as RAID 1) which seems to be taking forever which is possibly another sign that it’s shot. But once it’s done I’ll see if I have the same issue and check for duplicate IPs etc.

 

If the issue isn’t solved can anyone recommend a good NAS as I remember when i set my system up over 10 years ago there were ones to avoid as they weren’t compatible with Sonos?

 

Certainly Synology gets decent reviews and a model recommendation would be great from anyone here. I’d be looking for a dual drive to set up as RAID 1 again and I’ve got 2 x 3TB drives in my existing one. So any pointers would be great.

 

Also I’d be very happy to move to S2……is there an easy way of checking whether my components, especially the CONNECT:AMPs would run on it?

 

 


If memory serves, it listed per device when you look at your account devices at www.sonos.com.

I don’t think, at the time, there was any recognition by Sonos that updating the electronics in a device, without making a good way to identify it, was an issue. History has proven otherwise, now on ‘gen2’ updates, when they have to, they label them. Unfortunate growing pains. 


The first four digits of the serial number gives the manufactured month. Units prior to 1501 are S1 only.


@PhilJW 

Just a word of caution….

Only buy a 2025 model Synology NAS at this point in time if you are willing to only use Synology branded drives. Synology drives command a higher price point.

As of 2025 Synology has placed new certification requirements for 3rd party drives to be used in their 2025 product line. To date NO 3rd party drive manufacturer is certified to work in a Synology 2025 model NAS. If so Synology has not yet placed it on their list of compatible drives. Click this link to locate a Synology NAS and its compatible drive(s). If only Synology drives are shown for a particular NAS then it’s a  2025 model.

That’s not to say that 3rd party drives won’t work in a 2025 model; but when inserted a warning will flash that it’s not a certified product thus voiding all performance guarantees. It’s the same procedure HP uses with their LaserJet printers when using generic cartridges. 

There is one caveat. Anyone owning a pre-2025 Synology NAS with 3rd party drives installed are afforded a one-time grace transfer. The 3rd party drives can be moved to a 2025 Synology NAS as they are; but no new configuration will be allowed. Meaning you can’t reconfigure the drives to a different RAID or add a new pool.

I own a Synology DS925 (2025 model). I paid the higher price for Synology branded drives as I just preferred Synology. However, there are other reliable NAS brands that allow the use of less expensive 3rd party drives that perform on the same level as Synology drives. 

You might explore some of the NAS devices in this link. Each manufacturer listed will have budget, mid-range and high-end price point models that are not shown. Prices typically vary based upon number of storage bays.