Music files from external SSD

Audio Systems
1

I have lots of hi-res music files on my external Samsung SSD. I connect the SSD to the Nucleus+ and the Nucleus to the Rossini Apex DAC using Nordost ethernet cable through a Nordost Q-Net switch. I wonder if there is a way to get even higher SQ out of these files

2

Hi Antonis,
welcome!

  • you can build the SSD in the roon Nucleus (instead of USB attached). I have this as a playground…don’t like that much…
  • you can try to use your SSD via USB connection to Rossini directly
    Ideal: buy a Melco or Innuos and put the data there connected everything to the Q-Net switch and you’ll get best SQ.
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3

Can the external SSD be installed to the Melco or Innuos, or should it be connected via USB?

4

Innuos or Melco don’t allow you to install your own SSDs but you can connect these via USB to both vendors . If you don’t care about specialized audio type NAS systems, you may of course buy a Qnap or Synology “commercial grade” NAS and use your SSD BUT (!) - if you do so- their file system will erase your data on the SSD. By the way…same applies for building it into your Roon Nucleus!

5

Thanks again! I guess one can not download music to the internal SSD of a Melco or Innuos directly from the internet, correct?

6

Yes- that works at least for Melco (from memory, they’re supporting some music provider like highres audio)

7

but again- be careful- when you put your SSD as media into Qnap or Synology or Roon they will erase your files and write over it their filesystem.

8

I had a Nucleus+ (it died) but found that a dedicated transport sounds much better - Aurender N20 in my case. They are quite expensive but the Grimm Audio music players are supposed to be fantastic and they also serve as Roon Cores.

This is probably not the answer you are looking for but hopefully informative in any case.

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9

Andrew, is there really a step forward SQ wise when comparing Nucleus vs Grimm? I never tested it…

10

I do not plan to put my SSD as media to Qnap or Synology.
I download my music from
https://theaudiophilesociety.com/,
https://www.nativedsd.com/
https://www.highdeftapetransfers.ca/
ideally I would download it to the internal SSD of a Melco.

11

you can’t download from these providers you mentioned directly I’m afraid. But let’s look at the other way around. You download your music via pc/mac and then transfer it to a NAS over LAN or via SSD import. From NAS, you stream to Rossini via Mosaic or Roon!

12

Interesting! In this case I only need a NAS, correct?

13

Right- and it gives you the best possible SQ in the dCS world.
(PC/MAC download music--------transfer to NAS via USB attached USB or directly via LAN------NAS-----Switch-------Rossini)

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14

I’ve never heard Grimm

15

Although there is a facility to download music directly to Melco this is limited. The last time I checked only a handful of download vendors were supported; the German Highresaudio and three Japanese customer only sites.

Of course most users do not use this way of writing downloads to their Melcos (or other storage systems). For a start any vendor will not offer everything and it is necessary to be able to use several vendors to access a variety of genres or albums across a range of time periods . Further as it is a retail business prices also vary from vendor to vendor. Virtually all download vendors make you install their download manager application to your PC or mac anyway - this is how downloads work. So the process is download to your computer then paste and copy to your storage unit whatever it may be. I do this wirelessly from my laptop to my Melco.

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16

Thanks! This last sentence of your post is most helpful!

17

I had this idea previously as it seemed to me the absolute shortest signal path, which therefore also seemed to me to be beneficial.

However, someone at dCS–I believe it was @James–instructed me that the USB port in the back of the Rossini was meant only for low volume storage devices, e.g. 10 songs you want a friend to hear on a thumb drive
E, pre-Qobuz, and not a good connection pathway for large libraries. In other words, you can run USB to connect devices (though Ethernet is preferred), but you shouldn’t plug an SSD directly into the Rossini USB.

If I have this wrong James, please advise

Thanks!
R

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18

Plugging the SSD to the Rossini was the first thing I did, but it did not work at all (for whatever reason)

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19

You can download directly to the melco from qobuz as well.
This is what i use, and it works well.
Plus if you have the sublime qobuz subscription, this gives you a nice reduction on download prices.
You can choose the size and format as well.
But the sublime subscription could easily pay for itself if you downloaded a lot in the first year like i did to build up my collection. I now just have the normal qobuz hires subscription.

But as said it work’s faultlessly and removes that noise pc from the mix, and that’s a good thing.

20

I had issues with a usb memory stick at first but playing with the formatting, it did eventually recognise it, so I wouldn’t write it off yet.

Files from that stick flow much better than from an i5 fanless NUC I have, running Roon Rock.