The DS Audio app provides Synology NAS owners with a comprehensive music management and playback system.
DS Audio is available for both iOS and Android. If you make sure that all your ever downloaded music files are neatly stored in the system folder music on the Synology NAS (like this one, for example), the fun can begin. However, keep in mind that it can take some time to index a large collection of freshly copied music in that folder. Once that’s done, you can quickly search by artist, album, genre, folder and so on. The app is very easy to use, you can also create playlists and the like.
DAC support (for as long as it lasts)
Synology was once active in supporting all kinds of USB DACs. Unfortunately, such peripherals are no longer kept up to date in terms of drivers. Fortunately, many standard DACs will do just fine, but then probably with a maximum quality of 24 bit / 96 kHz. Chances are that the upcoming version of the Synology operating system – DSM 7 – will no longer support DACs. Too bad, because if you are using such a DAC paired with a NAS, you could easily switch between streamed playback to the mobile device from the DS Audio app, or listen directly through the connected DAC.
Well, as a stand-alone app it also works fine; especially when combined with a portable DAC connected to your mobile. Some advice by the way: via the account icon in the top left of the screen you can also access the settings. There things like transcoding and caching are adjustable. Worth taking a look at.