[Zelkop]

Setting up a Roon ROCK server is not that difficult. I went into this direction and have had no regrets. I purchased a slim fanless NUC case (Akasa Plato X7D) and NUC parts (board, processor, memory, SSD), then downloaded free server software from the Roon Web site and installed it using their guide. A temporary monitor is needed during the installation process, otherwise it operates headless similar to any other appliance. It is very quick to boot, can stay on for days or months and even updates itself. Once installed, Roon NUC server requires very little attention or maintenance.

Roon ROCK is automatically discovered by any Roon client software, which can sit on any network PC, phone or tablet. My Roon ROCK NUC is connected to the home network via a network cable and to the dac via a USB cable, but I plan to add a dedicated network player to this setup. I am not a big fan of USB audio, so I will probably experiment with I2S connection between the player and the dac.

I was using both JRiver and Roon from my PC directly to the dac earlier (USB cable). I could not hear the difference between JRiver and Roon when installed on the PC, but a dedicated Roon server has made a small but audible difference; it completely removed the PC from my audio chain and added some nice user-friendly features.