If one does not have a SSD installed into one of the K50 drive bays, is it possible to play music files from a SSD inserted into one of the USB inputs?
If so, please explain the process.
Thank you.
I just want to make sure you haven’t made an error here, because reading your post I suspect the possibility that you may have. How many folders are you showing under Roon storage? You should only have one file marked “Music Folder” & that’s it. The library location is pre-set on your K50 & any music sources such as USB drives, external SSD’s etc are added via File Manager on the server dashboard. If they don’t immediately show on Roon then go to storage as you did. All you should then need to do, assuming you added them correctly, is force a rescan by clicking to the left of the 3 vertical dots in line with the Music Folder. Here you will see the option to re-scan, along with disable & edit. Do not under any circumstances add any watched folders in ROON because that will overlap with the preset folder & will eventually lead to overheating & maybe even damage. Don’t worry if you have, you have plenty of processing power, but you don’t need to do that. Just get any new watched folder you’ve added, deleted.
O.K then maybe that’s something to do with the current issue you’re having. You’ll need to talk to Mark. However whenever this gets sorted remember not to add any watched files in Roon. Doing so can form a sort of loop.
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I’m probably stating the obvious with regards to the SSD, but it requires a very firm push to locate it in place. Are you 100% sure it was actually located properly (Power down fully & turn the unit off before attempting again). If you removed the SSD easily first time, there’s every chance it wasn’t fully in place. That’s why some of the other forum users not recognising what the enclosed tool was for have resorted to using pliers etc when trying to remove it.
There you are, that sounds about right. I said I was probably stating the obvious, but thought it was at least worth checking. Whilst a list of box contents certainly isn’t a bad idea, I’m still a little surprised that some didn’t realise what the tool was for, I think it took me about 30 seconds. With no other physical interaction needed besides plugging in a few leads, it’s not as if it could be for anything else. Good luck with getting the storage issue sorted. 
FWIW
I like to use bookmarks to point to folders on my ssd. To make this work I disabled the Music Folder path and then added watched folders to each of my sections (folders) on the ssd. I believe this also prevents the dual watching of folders. This may allow pointing to an attached usb. I used this method for a couple years with my EX.
I never thought twice about it when I moved my ssd to the K30 as the restore of the backup had my old scheme.
The user guides actually being finished would help & even the less than 50% that are, leave a little to be desired. Despite being on my second K50, I’m still fairly new myself & personally, I think the lack of instructions & excuses for not having finished the guides to be a little pathetic. These are by no means cheap units & it surely isn’t too much to expect that Antipodes customers be instructed how to use them properly.
The pitiful piece of A4 printed paper I received with my last unit told you very little other than to refer to the guides, which as I’ve already stated & after months on end, still aren’t completed. The users on the forum will generally go out of their way to help, but for a new user having to troll through the comments is awful.
They can’t possibly find all of the answers they seek on the forum & it’s just not realistic to expect them to be able to do so. This is also evidenced by the number of new user queries that appear on the site, including those from myself.
Whilst you can’t cut that out entirely, the current level of instructions for new users is the wrong side of dismal.
It needs sorting.
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Linking, playing or copying music from a USB is covered off in the Library video in the Guides section
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This is not recommended.
Also covered off in the Roon video in Guides
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Thanks Mark. I have deleted all watched folders and re-enabled the Music folder. I was able to recreate my bookmarks through the use of Focus as Roon intended.
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Hi Mark, it’s not there.
There are 4 ways to add music mentioned in the video: CD rip, drag and drop, NAS, and via copying with File Manager / Finder. No external USB thumb stick or external SSD / HDD drive procedure is mentioned. Maybe I’m missing something. Are there any size, format or any other requirements?
For USB the external should be formatted as EXFAT, this offers the most inter OS compatibility.
You can use File Manager or Finder/Explorer to move music internally.
It does take some time for File Manager to scan the external.
Any USB device should be added to an Antipodes while the server is OFF.
Personally I still find moving music is easiest using Explorer.
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Hi Mark,
On a K50, can I play music directly from a USB or do I have to add it to my SSD music folder first, either with the File Manager copy function from USB1 or using Windows Explorer? I have watched the Library section video of the guide but I can’t find where this is covered.
Thanks.
Hi there, Yes it is possible, sound quality is not as good as local storage.
It is best if the USB is formatted as exFAT or NTFS.
Turn the server off, insert USB, turn server on, go to File Manager, include in library
Thanks very much, Mark; all done successfully.
Yes, I understand that the sound quality isn’t as good. I have a large library on on my Melco external drive and wanted to access it before I get another SSD and copy it across.
Really enjoying my K50, Neil
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