Why Serious Podcasters Are Moving to 10GbE NAS

If you’re a podcaster still moving files over Google Drive, Dropbox, or a USB SSD, you’ve probably felt it:

• Multi-camera episodes take forever to copy

• Editors complain about download times

• Backups happen eventually (or not at all)

• Your “studio storage” is a pile of drives and folders

This is where 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) stops being a networking flex and starts being a production upgrade.

The Synology DS1522+ is one of the most interesting NAS options for podcasters right now—not because it’s flashy, but because it’s built to move large media files fast and reliably.

This article breaks down what podcasters actually need from a 10GbE NAS, where the DS1522+ shines, and where you need to be careful.

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The Real Podcasting Problem Isn’t Recording — It’s File Movement

Modern podcasting isn’t just audio anymore:

• 4K or 6K video podcast recordings

• Multi-track audio sessions (Riverside, SquadCast, local WAVs)

• Project files moving between hosts, editors, and producers

• Redundant backups that must be trustworthy

Gigabit Ethernet caps you at ~113 MB/s.

That means:

• A 200 GB episode = ~30 minutes to copy

• Every revision compounds the delay

• Editors wait on transfers instead of editing

10GbE raises the ceiling to 1,250 MB/s, which fundamentally changes how a podcast team works.

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Why the DS1522+ Is a Better Fit for Podcasters Than Older Synology Models

A CPU Chosen for Throughput, Not Transcoding

The DS1522+ uses an AMD Ryzen Embedded R1600, instead of the Intel Celeron chips found in older “media-friendly” NAS units.

For podcasters, this is actually a win.

• Better handling of large sustained file transfers

• More reliable network I/O under load

• ECC memory support for long-term archive integrity

You lose hardware video transcoding—but podcasters shouldn’t be transcoding on the NAS anyway. Your NAS should store, serve, and protect media—not process it.

This design choice makes the DS1522+ much better suited for:

• Shared project folders

• Large sequential reads/writes

• Editor pull/push workflows over 10GbE

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How Podcasters Actually Get 10GbE on the DS1522+

The E10G22-T1-Mini Upgrade

What matters for podcasters:

• Single 10GbE port (RJ-45)

• Works with CAT6 / CAT6a

• Supports 2.5G and 5G if you’re mid-upgrade

This isn’t a “fake” 10GbE slot—the PCIe bandwidth is sufficient to saturate the link if your storage can keep up.

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Real-World Podcast File Speeds (What Editors Will Actually See)

With a properly configured setup, podcasters can expect:

• 600–800 MB/s typical large-file transfers

• 900+ MB/s reads in optimized scenarios

• 6–8× faster than 1GbE

What this means in practice:

• A 200 GB episode copies in ~4–6 minutes

• Editors can pull entire projects locally without waiting

• You stop “planning around transfer time”

This is the difference between:

“I’ll send it overnight”
and
“I’ll grab it and start cutting now.”

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The Hidden Bottleneck Podcasters Miss: Drive Count

Here’s the trap: 10GbE doesn’t help if your drives are too few or too slow.

A single HDD tops out around ~250 MB/s.

That means:

• 2–3 drives → wasted 10GbE potential

• 5 drives → finally enough throughput

Best RAID Choice for Podcast Production

RAID 5 / SHR-1

• Best balance of speed + capacity

• ~700 MB/s writes with 5 drives

• Ideal for large media libraries

RAID 10

• Faster writes, better latency

• Loses 50% capacity

• Awkward in a 5-bay unit

For most podcasters:
👉 5-drive RAID 5 is the sweet spot.

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NVMe Cache: Why It Helps Podcasters (and When It Doesn’t)

The DS1522+ includes two NVMe slots—but they’re not magic speed buttons.

Where NVMe does help podcasters:

• Faster browsing of large episode libraries

• Quicker project file open/save operations

• Smoother experience over the network

Where it doesn’t by default:

• Large sequential video/audio transfers

Synology skips sequential writes to protect SSD lifespan. If you want NVMe to absorb incoming episode uploads at full 10GbE speed, you must:

• Use a read-write NVMe cache (RAID 1)

• Disable “Skip Sequential I/O”

This is optional—but powerful for studios ingesting footage daily.

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Reliability Matters More Than Raw Speed for Podcast Archives

This is where the DS1522+ needs honest discussion.

Heat Is the Biggest Risk

The 10GbE module uses a Marvell (Aquantia) chipset that runs hot.

Under load:

• 60–70°C idle

• 90°C+ sustained transfers

If unmanaged, this can cause:

• Speed drops

• Network disconnects

• Forced reboots

Podcaster fix:

• Set NAS fans to Cool Mode

• Keep the unit well-ventilated

• Don’t bury it in a soundproof cabinet

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Best Practices for Podcast Studios Using the DS1522+

If you’re building this as your podcast “source of truth,” do these from day one:

• Use a static IP for 10GbE (avoid random dropouts)

• Fully populate the drive bays

• Use CAT6a cabling

• Enable Jumbo Frames end-to-end

• Treat the NAS as storage, not a media server

• Back it up to a second NAS or cloud

This turns the DS1522+ into:

• A shared studio vault

• An editor handoff point

• A reliable archive for years of episodes

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Final Take: A 10GbE NAS That Actually Fits Podcast Production

The Synology DS1522+ isn’t trying to be a Plex box or a toy server.

For podcasters, that’s a good thing.

Configured correctly, it becomes:

• A fast, centralized episode library

• A friction-killer for editors and collaborators

• A serious upgrade from drives and cloud folders

But it demands intent:

• Enough drives

• Proper cooling

• A real network

If your podcast is growing into a media operation—not just a hobby—this is the kind of infrastructure shift that pays dividends every single episode.