I am interested to know what dCS DAC users are using, to obtain the best SQ from their stored music library.
My Roon Nucleus which has just died, contained a SSD, with my music file stored on it. The SSD is safe, plus I had three additional back up portable drives.
A Nucleus is a computer, and computers do fail, just like desktops and laptops.
I’m interested to know what proportion of members use a Mac Mini, a NUC, or a Nucleus?
At the moment I have transferred the Roon Core to my M4 iMac.
I have an idea to go in a slightly different direction and try a Mac Mini with Audirvana.
I am not interested in Minim Server. It aged me by 10 years trying to set it up!
Your thoughts and comment would be much appreciated.
I have been using a Roon Nucleus for the past two years, but I store music on a Melco N1S 38, configured as a NAS drive. The Roon Nucleus also serves systems in three other rooms. This has worked well for me.
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NUC fitted to a fanless Akasa case, running Roon Rock.
Its been faultless for 5+ years (touching wood)
Music on 4 SSDs (14 TB total capacity) in a USB connected Orico cradle (all backed up to NAS and separate HDDs outside the house)
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Hi, I use a Qnap silent NAS for the last 5 or 6 years, no issue, excellent sound, it works 18h a day, every days…Roon is quite fast, and Minimserver was very easy to install, but for streaming Tidal or Qobuz, Roon is enough…
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M4 Mac Mini for me running Roon Core. Fast. Quiet. Very inexpensive.
Perhaps the best value in compute these days. We are talking not that much more than an Intel Nuc back in the day and cheeper than many entry level streamer end points!
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Hello,
Roon Rock fanless NUC for me, same room as my Bartok, both connected via Ethernet
+Synology NAS upstairs with 8TB disks, all connected together via Orbi WiFi mesh.
Flawless since the installation a couple of years ago, all remaining powered 24/7.
Hope this can help,
Erwan
PS: I was using a Mac mini before with Roon server running on osx, but was bored constantly updating the os or solving transient issues (crashes).
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Ripped files on a Samsung SSD connected to a downstairs iMac running Roon Core and MinimServer. I do not use Roon but rather Mosaic
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Thanks @Urbanluthier
What size SSD has your MM got? The entry level one has only got 250gb. Can you use the USB to attach another SSD drive?
Cheers
Is that as big as it looks?
My Nucleus+ also died some time ago. After a brief period of frustration I moved on from Roon.
I now use an Aurender N20 as transport via AES/EBU and it’s phenomenal with the Bartok!
TBH I also AirPlay a lot to the Bartok, via Apple Music or Bandcamp or Hearts of Space.
But the Aurender + Bartok is super sweet. I have about 1.5 TB of music files, and growing.
I don’t miss Roon at all (I have a lifetime membership, so I could go back anytime).
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I have a 4gb external nvme drive. Even a cheap HDD will work
Hi Andrew
Wow! That is a change in direction. Is the N20 not doubling up against the Bartók? Or is the streamer section of the N20 superior to the Bartók?
The N20 serves local music files to the Bartok–that’s the transport part. That’s really all it does. If I stream Tidal or Qobuz it’s through the Bartok most of the time.
I needed an alternative to Roon and the Nucleus to get local files to the Bartok.
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I am on my second Nuc running Roon Roc. My first died after about two years. I have only about 150 GB in music files that I have on two 250 GB thumb drives. One drive is in my car and the other is attached to the Nuc. I also have those files back upped on my desktop and laptop. I am strictly a headphone user. I like Roon because I can use all my devices (main system with Rossini Apex, DAP and desktop) as roon endpoints. I am a lifetime member.
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Thanks Charles.
My library isn’t big either, probably about 350 albums.
My rack configuration remotely controlling the Roon setup to my main system comprise Intel based i7 NUC running Roon rock with Synology NAS - RAID 1 with weekly NAS backups to separate drive. Also there is a Sonaire UPnP bridge ‘Roonifying’ a Legacy Chord DAC as the front end to a secondary Chord system . This rack also houses a fanless PC (Intel i7 using Samsung SSD’s), with fanless switch and a Fibre based router.
At the time I did purchase a Akasa fanless case but the NUC back panel did not fit the casing cutouts. Later investigations showed that NUCs are (sorry were) very variable in their configurations. I’ve had this remote rack configuration for over five years now.
I would just go and a buy a second-hand melco.
Make sure it’s not to old and has the EX upgrade.
But just use it for storage like i use mine for.
Great sounding, it will work with ethernet, so great for dCS.
Plus it can give your Internet network isolation to the dac, using the player port.
Just not sure if you can load the old disk on to the new disk easily as never tried, but sure someone will know the answer.
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Is the N100 worth looking at, against a Silent Angel Z1Plus?
Cheers