Isn't the Samsung QVO an internal drive? I need an external one. Following your advices, brand/no need for speed, the Crucial X6 would be a good option, I think.
Which external SSD for music streaming?
My new music streamer has a USB socket to connect an external Solid State Drive. I am thinking of getting one with 2 or 4 TB storage capacity to store my whole CD collection on it. What I don't know is how fast such an SSD needs to be. I was thinking of a Crucial X6 (up to 800 MB/s), or X9 (up to 1050MB/s). Or is any SSD fast enough to stream music smoothly? Thanks
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What kind of USB protocol does your streamer use? Is it 2.0 or 3.0 or 3.2? I would confirm what USB protocol the streamer uses and check that against the SSD drive you intend to buy. I made the mistake of buying a Samsung external SSD that uses the USB 3.2 protocol and my Cambridge CXN V2 uses a 2.0 protocol which meant it couldn't read the SSD. So I ended up getting a 2TB HDD and instead use that as my primary drive for my digital collection. The portable SSD is my back-up drive so if something happens I won't lose all my music. |
@stievus fair question. The difference between an external drive and an internal drive is generally that an external drive is sealed inside a case that converts SATA or NVME to USB, whereas with an “internal” drive you select one of many empty 2.5” SATA or M.2 drive cases (or open connectors) that contains the chipset to convert the same. Only difference being an external drive is generally not separable from the case it’s built into and you can’t always be sure which version of a manufacturer’s drive is inside said case. QVO is Samsung’s space/cost efficient version that can work as an internal or external drive. I mentioned it because it was already discussed in this thread. I would imagine most every streamer will be using USB 2.0 protocol as that’s standard for audio. Higher version chipsets should be backwards-convertible, but you may need to change the USB cable accordingly as there can apparently be difference in protocol there (depending on the device receiving the data). Whether external drives or external cases for internal drives, best to use something that is bus-powered by the streamer. I would not recommend a USB 2.0 external drive as these will all be HDD’s and sacrifice the benefits of an SSD. If you use a SSD for backup, it is probably a good idea to power it up periodically, given the concern over data integrity if stored at length in unpowered drives of this format. |
@benanders So then I assume that any current SSD will work as they all are 3.0 or higher, while audio devices have 2.0. I counted my CDs, 2tb will suffice (my vinyl collection is larger). Cheapest around here is the Crucial X6. Not sure if I will need a better usb cable, as with everything in audio and in life, opinions go in all directions. Thanks |
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