SSD would be a type of hard drive. As the initials suggest, SSD is a solid state drive so there are no moving parts. Other drivers have a mechanically spinning disc (e.g., SATA drives). SSD drives were once MUCH more expensive than the SATA drive and its predecessors. But, cost have come down so they are reasonably priced too. The SSD drive can be expected to be more reliable (less prone to failure). Even so, it makes sense to have back up drives to save your music so that if the drive goes down you have not lost your music.
My local audio dealer who was also a computer guy, said that SATA discs might be less electrically noisy, and therefore better for music storage, but, that was quite a while ago and I would bet the SSDs are better now.
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The cost of storage is very low compared to what it was even 5 years ago. When it comes to disc drives I will say that some disc drives are much quieter than they used to be but I prefer solid state drives. I use two Samsung Evo’s in my server and haven’t had an issue.
Samsung Evo SSD
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An SSD drive is very likely to sound better than a hard drive. But a high quality streamer will gather the music off the hard drive and shut it down when playing.
With a high quality streamer there should be no difference in sound quality between a streaming service like Qobuz and using music from your internal SSD drive. So if you have a high quality streamer I would not put a lot of effort / cost into internal memory. Less and less are ripped or downloaded music used at all. I only have some on my streamer for emergencies when the internet is down… at this point less than once a year for a very short time.
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Unclear question. Do you mean the diff between SSDs and spinners?
SSDs plug right into sata transport protocols. There is no such thing as a "sata drive". You can plug an old IDE spinner into sata with an adapter. SSDs plug into USB with a $9 case.
SSDs are like USB flash drives except faster. And at 512 Gb or larger they are cheaper. Faster. than spinners too. When you load 10K+ files you will appreciate speed.
Noise is not an issue unless you live in a cave.
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Go with SSD. Keep at least two or more copies of your music files. If needed You tube will show you how to install.
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If your streamer has a buffer in it, there won’t be any noticeable difference. If your streamer doesn’t have a buffer, then definitely get the SSD. But most likely your streamer has 4 gig of memory and you’ll be fine with either. Oh, one more reason to use SSD memory it the chance of it dying is very small so losing your library is very small.
All the best.
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A more common issue is size constraints.My first streamer did not support any greater than a 1/2 Tb SSD.
All memory could go at any time. When your PC freezes it's a warning
For warranty they make you send it on your dime and then it's gone forever. I. hane been stiffed by more than one mftr.
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Whoa, a topic with general consensus! That never happens here. OK, Spinning disks are the past. SSDs are the future. No moving parts so less power, less heat, longer life, and absolutely no SQ difference.
Spinning disks deserve a special place in history for helping put the modern world online. The original iPod used a postage stamp sized Toshiba 4GB spinning disk that was the pinnacle of technology 20 years ago. Today I keep my iPod full of 160 and 320K MP3s as a reminder of how fast technology moves. My current phone has 256GB of SSD full of uncompressed FLAC files.
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SSDs' are quicker, zero moving parts, and less power draw. As time goes by, even the larger drives' prices continue to edge down. Smaller than a SATA as well.
Considering swapping all drives over to SSD, but don't forget to max out your RAM.
Spouse just punched her desktop up and the change was immediately noticed.
Shop around like you do for your 'anything else'... ;)
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To answer your specific questions:
So what is the difference between an internal hard drive and an SSD? Is one preferable? ----- SSD can be external or internal, the comparison is a spinning disk or a SSD (explained above quite nicely). I prefer SSD for music, no possible noise at all. In theory SSD are more reliable, but you should have backups anyway.---
The manual suggests using either a 3,5" or 2,5" drive. Does size matter ? ( no pun intended) -----No. However 2.5 are even more expensive then 3.5, so unless there is a technical/space reason given by the manufactor (maybe you can fit two 2.5's and only one 3.5 for instance) than get the 3.5 SSD.----
Are there sonic differences in the different available brands? ----I've used many brands, I have not heard a difference, and there shouldn't be one with an SSD. I just go with the one that has the best warranty and specs for long life.----
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The failure rate of a mechanical HDD is greater than that of an SSD. That would be number one concern as I don't believe the sound quality of an SSD vs mechanical is any different. And ALWAYS keep at least one complete back up of your digital music. Storage is inexpensive. I use Samsung SSDs for all storage in my DACs and music servers. $120 for a 2TB internal drive. $204/4TB, $360/8TB all on Amazon.
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Enterprise grade spinning drives are ideal for backup.
Good hygene is to have a bakcup of your backup stored in a different location.
The downside of enterprise grade drive is that they can be noisy so I don't use them any computer that needs to be quiet.
SSDs are faster, dead silent and the preferred solution for pretty much any form of computing.
NMVE drives are faster than conventional SATA SSDs and ideally suite for storing the computer OS - provided the motherboard supports it. However, its worth noting that some motherboards have an M2 form factor drive slot but it may not be NMVE compatible.
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As others have noted, HDD (hard disc drives) are yesteryear gear and SSD (solid state Drives) are current technology. Another bonus of the SSD is that it is pretty much impervious to outside interference like vibration. Stick with good brands like Western Digital, and Samsung and look for read rates at least 560 mb/s for smooth playback and faster access. SATA and IDE refers to the type of cable connection that the internal drive requires and you want to make sure the drive you choose is compatible with your DAC. Since your DAC does support an internal drive, it will be set up internally to mount either a 2.5 or a 3.5 and the cable may already be installed. The DAC manufacturer may have support videos on their web site for installing an internal drive. You can usually find "How To" videos on YouTube as well.
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Ok I am assuming that you bought a streamer with an internal SSD slot... Buying one and putting it in is a waste of time because when you burn more music you have to now find a way to put it on the SSD drive that is now screwed into the slot provided by the streamer or figure out how to connect it to your computer to do it which is terrible...... you have a USB slot also I'm assuming... if so buy an extension that fits into the usb port (from ebay or Amazon) move it to around to the front where it is easily accessible... once you've done that buy a flash drive whatever amount of GB you need (flash drives are essentially SSD drives) and then put your music on there. It allows you to remove it easily and change your media around without difficulty.
There are basically three types of SSD drives which have been explained very well above... two are internal and one external and yes size does matter in this case. If you are going to use the slot provided by the streamer, it has to fit correctly and usually has a hard cover around it. The second type is open and usually are used in computers... so get the correct one.
Finally if you decide to buy the internal one (I did at first and took it out), you will realize what a hassle it is to deal with and then you probably should move to the method I use.
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... a streamer with an internal SSD slot... Buying one and putting it in is a waste of time because when you burn more music you have to now find a way to put it on the SSD drive that is now screwed into the slot provided by the streamer or figure out how to connect it to your computer ...
I use an internal SSD in my streamer which is connected to my LAN via ethernet. Both it and my PC are on the same network so moving files is simple. I can't imagine an easier way.
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All very helpful responses.
Thanks so much!
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Sounds like your streamer is compatible with both a 3.5” HDD/SSD and a 2.5” SSD. Both connect internally via the SATA interface (which is just the standard for connecting internal storage). I prefer 2.5” SSD cause I like the smaller form factor and I think it’s much more common. You’ll likely find a better selection of capacity and speed with the smaller form factor. Buy the best quality, largest, and fastest (read/write) you can afford that is compatible with your streamers requirements. They are incredibly cheap now, relatively speaking. +1 @cleeds, if your streamer is connected to your network and it does not have an internal optical drive to rip CDs, you should be able to copy things to it from another computer easily (this is where read/write are important as well). You should also get better performance connected internally than an external connection via USB. I’ve had good luck with Samsung SSDs but there are many quality manufacturers. Western Digital is good as well.
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+1 @deadhead1000
"I just go with the one that has the best warranty and specs for long life.----"
SSDD drives are not "forever" drives they only have a certain amount (big number) of read/write operations. So, yes go with SSDD, but don't go cheap...take deadhead1000's advice.
Regards,
barts
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