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[sot13]

I have been using MC for some years now, in the following setup: All my music FLAC files have been residing in my Synology 216+ NAS. My laptop was connected via a USB to my DAC (relatively low quality compared to the rest of my sound system) and that in turn to my pre amp. Fairly straight forward!
Early next week however, I have my new hi-end Network Player which includes streamer and DAC (the old DAC will obviously be replaced). As such I could eliminate the use of JRiver and allow the "direct" link between the Network Player and Synology which holds my music. BUT I don't want to do that for obvious reasons - I want to keep JRiver in the loop. I am planning therefor to have my laptop which holds the library, connected in the network and through DNLA "see" my new Network Player and feed it with music.
The question now: will the quality of my laptop influence in anyway possible the Sound Quality? I think not, since the bits will "travel" from my Synology to the Network Player directly, without passing through my Laptop! Is this correct? So in other words my laptop will function as a command center only - without interfering with music itself - right?

[F Ribeiro]

I have been using MC for some years now, in the following setup: All my music FLAC files have been residing in my Synology 216+ NAS. My laptop was connected via a USB to my DAC (relatively low quality compared to the rest of my sound system) and that in turn to my pre amp. Fairly straight forward!
Early next week however, I have my new hi-end Network Player which includes streamer and DAC (the old DAC will obviously be replaced). As such I could eliminate the use of JRiver and allow the "direct" link between the Network Player and Synology which holds my music. BUT I don't want to do that for obvious reasons - I want to keep JRiver in the loop. I am planning therefor to have my laptop which holds the library, connected in the network and through DNLA "see" my new Network Player and feed it with music.
The question now: will the quality of my laptop influence in anyway possible the Sound Quality? I think not, since the bits will "travel" from my Synology to the Network Player directly, without passing through my Laptop! Is this correct? So in other words my laptop will function as a command center only - without interfering with music itself - right?

No.
Your network player will be the renderer (and digital to analogue converter) and your laptop will be the server / controller.
Your laptop only sends the data to the renderer.
As long as it keeps a bit-perfect stream and without dropouts, it really doesn't matter.
Keeping a bit-perfect stream, means not processing it (or processing in a bit-perfect way, ex: flac to wav).
Wait for the eventual supra-dupra-ultra-audiophile solution telling you I'm wrong.
 

[sot13]

Thank you for your answer!
However, I am not sure I understand it! (Sorry I am trying to get my head around it...). When you say "No", what question does this answer? When you say "your laptop only sends the data to the renderer", what data are you referring to: what track to play, OR the track itself?
Effectively what is the signal (music) path when I choose a track to play:
1 - NAS (Synology) -> Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player), OR
2 - Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> NAS (Synology) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player)

Please remember that the Laptop will NOT be connected to the Renderer directly, but all units are communicating via ethernet!
Thank you

[F Ribeiro]

Thank you for your answer!
However, I am not sure I understand it! (Sorry I am trying to get my head around it...). When you say "No", what question does this answer? When you say "your laptop only sends the data to the renderer", what data are you referring to: what track to play, OR the track itself?
Effectively what is the signal (music) path when I choose a track to play:
1 - NAS (Synology) -> Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player), OR
2 - Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> NAS (Synology) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player)

Please remember that the Laptop will NOT be connected to the Renderer directly, but all units are communicating via ethernet!
Thank you

will the quality of my laptop influence in anyway possible the Sound Quality?
No

since the bits will "travel" from my Synology to the Network Player directly, without passing through my Laptop! Is this correct?
No
The bits will "travel" from your Synology to your laptop (were JRiver is installed - the controller). JRiver will pull the bits.
Than, JRiver will send the bits to your network player (the renderer)
JRiver will not interfere with the bits (in a proper setup)
--
You can put your network player pulling the bits directly from your Synology (not as a renderer), but you loose the possibility to use your PC and JRiver as a controller.

Anyway, your laptop and JRiver (in a proper setup) will not interfere with the bits.

[sot13]

Thank you - understood!

[F Ribeiro]

Effectively what is the signal (music) path when I choose a track to play:
1 - NAS (Synology) -> Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player), OR
2 - Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> NAS (Synology) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player)

Please remember that the Laptop will NOT be connected to the Renderer directly, but all units are communicating via ethernet!
Thank you

the path will be:
1 - NAS (Synology) -> Server/Controller (i.e. Laptop) -> Renderer / DAC (Media Network Player)

- NAS will be a generic server, were you store your files (music, movies, photos, MS Office documents, etc)
- JRiver will be a media server (Media Center) for your music (or movies, photos, data - depending how you setup JRiver).
- Your network player will be the client

The client can:
    a) pull directly the bits, with it's own interface
    b) receive the bits from a controller as a renderer (in this case, from JRiver with a stronger interface - usually, much stronger).

I hope my English will be enough to explain.