Any hardware NAS product that runs Windows Home Server (or even FreeNAS, as Molly suggests) can run network audio 'NAS' software as an add-on.Įscient's frontend products claim to stream FLAC from their backend products, but I've no idea whether their backends work with non-Escient products, or whether they support UPnP.Īcer's easyStore H340 is a network storage 'NAS' that runs Windows Home Server on an Atom230 processor.

UPnP+FLAC is another matter since the DLNA standards don't require FLAC, it is up to the hardware manufacturer to provide or the end user to add on support. Note that most claims of 'streaming FLAC' are just marketing-speak for 'plays FLAC files from network share'.Īny network storage 'NAS' devices will support FLAC - all they're doing is sharing files. There are lots of frontends that claim to support streaming FLAC, either from servers in the same product line or from general network storage 'NAS' devices, but not many network audio server products specify streaming FLAC and supporting UPnP. I think what you're asking for is a product that provides both.įrankly, I don't know the product space well enough to suggest anything in particular. Network audio server 'NAS' is a software problem with software solutions. Network storage 'NAS' is a hardware problem with hardware solutions.

This is an important distinction to recognize, because the latter NAS is the traditional usage, and most NAS products are mainly file-servers, not media servers. It also sounds like you're seeking a Network Audio Server 'NAS', not a Network Accessible Storage 'NAS'. From your question, it sounds like you are looking for a UPnP-capable backend for streaming FLAC to some unspecified frontend(s) for playback.

Best nas for home music streaming