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CD Players, Digital Music & Servers Aurender, dCs, Esoteric, Lumin. |
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#1
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I Love Roon But... No Wallwart Thank You Very Much
So I have had a Aurender music server which sounded great but I like Roon better than the Conductor app. . I can play my other zones (have 5) with Roon which I can’t do with the Conductor app. Roon is more engaging at finding new music to me. The Roon Nucleus plus with a wall wart power supply just seems like a not very audiophile solution . I know I can add a linear power supply and then add a internal hard drive, this just seems putting lipstick on a pig, right? The Aurender is built much better than the Roon Nucleus +. I know about Silenzo which people love and is built like a tank. Any other suggestions out there. I am enjoying using my Mac mini as a Roon Core but have to say the processor is slow by today’s standards as it’s a i5 from 2011.
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#2
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When you run the OSX Activity Monitor, what percentage of the CPU capacity are you utilizing? I’m running my Roon core on a Mac Mini with no issues at all.
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#3
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Ivan FLORIDA MX136, MC1.2KW(10) MC2KW(2), MCD1100, MS750(2) MVP881, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, HT-2 SUBS(2) HT3F(2) WS350(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) XCS350(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" MOTORIZED SCREEN, CINEMA-TECH SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES Reference System: ACCUPHASE A300 AMPS, C3900 PRE-AMP, DP1000 CD/SACD TRANSPORT, DC1000 DIGITAL PROCESSOR, DG-68 DIGITAL EQUALIZER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, PS1230 POWER SUPPLY, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, WW PLATINUM CABLES CAPE COD MX150, MC501(2) MC1.2KW(10) MC2301(2) MR88, MVP881, MCD1100, MDA1000, C1000C/P/T, MPC1500, ESOTERIC K-01X 30th ANNIVERSARY (BLACK) SACD/CD PLAYER, G02-X CLOCK, HT3F(2) XRT2K, XCS2K, XR27(2) JL GOTHAM v2 SUBS(2) JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(4) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) KALEIDESCAPE STRATO & TERRA SERVERS 80-TB, LUMAGEN RADIANCE SCALER, SONY VPH-G90U 4K PROJECTOR, STEWART 120" SCREEN, SONUS FABER STRADIVARI, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, FORTRESS SEATING, WW PLATINUM CABLES Analog Rig: CLEARAUDIO INNOVATION WOOD, UNIVERSAL ARM w/ Da VINCI' CART, 2nd UNIVERSAL ARM w/ GOLDFINGER STATEMENT CART, HRS-MXR REFERENCE RACK-GLOSS BLACK w/ M3X SHELVES, AESTHETIX RHEA SIG PHONO-PRE, BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, WW PLATINUM CABLES Reference System: BURMESTER 911MK3 AMP(3), 088 PRE-AMP, 089 CD PLAYER, 100 PHONO PRE-AMP, 948 POWER CONDITIONER, ACCUPHASE DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, AVID ACUTUS REFERENCE SP TT, GRAHAM PHANTOM II SUPREME ARM, BENZ MICRO LP-S CART, GRANDIOSO P1X/D1X STACK, G1X RUBIDIUM MASTER CLOCK, N05 NETWORK PLAYER, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS-SXR CUSTOM RACK w/ M3X SHELVES, SONUS FABER AIDA SPEAKERS, JL FATHOM F113v2 SUBS(2) SOUND ANCHOR STANDS(2) WW PLATINUM CABLES Library System: GRANDIOSO M1 MONOBLOCK AMPS, C1 LINESTAGE PRE-AMP, K1X CD/SACD PLAYER, G1 MASTER RUBIDIUM CLOCK, E02 PHONO-PRE, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, AERIAL ACOUSTICS 20T V2, AERIAL SW12 SUBS(2), CANTON REF K1’s, VPI HRX TT w/ SDS POWER SUPPLY, ORTOFON CADENZA BLACK CART, KLAUDIO RCM, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2, SHUNYATA OMEGA QR’s, WW PLATINUM CABLES Esoteric/Bryston System: ESOTERIC C02-X PRE-AMP, P-02X TRANSPORT, D02-X DAC, G02-X CLOCK, BRYSTON 28B3 CUBED MONOBLOCK AMPS(4), BRYSTON BHA-1 HEADPHONE AMP, SHUNYATA DENALI 6000/S v2(2) EVEREST 8000 POWER CONDITIONER(2) ALTAIRA CG & SG HUBS, AMR-DP777-SE DAC, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, TAD REFERENCE ONE MK2 LOUDSPEAKERS, QUADRASPIRE RACK, WW PLATINUM CABLES Accuphase/Canton System: ACCUPHASE E800 INTEGRATED, DP570 CD/SACD PLAYER, T1200 FM STEREO TUNER, DG-68 VOICING EQUALIZER, PS530 POWER SUPPLY, CANTON REF K3’s, CANTON REF K5’s, SILENZIO MUSIC SERVER, HRS MXR REFERENCE MAHOGHANY RACK w/ M3X2 SHELVES, WW GOLD CABLES |
#4
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There are many options. Sonictransporter from Small Green Computer, Sonore UltraRendu, Auralic, Linn, etc. check the Roon Labs “partners” page for a list of the various manufacturers that make Roon compatible DACs and servers.
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Tony D'Agostino Momentum S250 MxV & HD pre; Linn Klimax Organik DSM, SonicTransporter, EtherRegen; Acoustic Signature Typhoon Neo, Koetsu RSP, Boulder 1108; Sf Il Cremonese; Shunyata Everest, Altaira, Sigma & Alpha v2 |
#5
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#6
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Im intrigued by what I’ve read about Innuos (not heard, but on the list). May not have the Roon oomph you seek. |
#7
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The new Mac Mini have Quad and 6 Core CPU with up to 4.6GHz which is way more than you would ever need for a Roon core.
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#8
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I use a Roon Nucleus+ connected to an Analog Domain DAC1 through USB.
In the early days I thought I heard a difference with the Weiss MAN301 (AES EBU XLR), but during blind A/B testing I really couldn't tell them apart. My initial impressions probably some kind of "USB device with SMPS cannot be good" bias. BTW, If the Nucleus+ is not connected directly to a DAC (USB) but only acts as a server on the network (Ethernet), the power supply of the Nucleus simply cannot impact sound quality...if one thinks it does, one probably has far more serious issues in his/her power setup. I'm so satisfied with the Nucleus performance that I'm on the fence whether to purchase the Roon Nucleus LPS or not, if ever it materialises. Nevertheless, it would probably make for good power hygiene so we will see. I discussed USB / LPS vs SMPS with several electronics engineers active in the audio industry and all pretty much confirmed that the implementation of the USB input circuit, in particular the galvanic isolation, at the receiving part (DAC) keeps out the unwanted stuff to a level where it simply gets lost in the thermal noise of the circuit. It all comes down to design, implementation (parts) and build quality. Some Switch Mode Power Supplies will outperform Linear Power Supplies which present their own kind of issues. Those familiar with the Henk Beeckhuyzen channel will have noticed that some of his reviews mention that a well designed product has very little (to nothing) to gain with a third party PS, be it Linear or Switched Mode. Although I have a degree in electronics engineering (a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away), my talks with these successful and well respected people rekindled my appreciation for the complexity and intricacies of circuit design within a given budget. As with so many things in life, the reality of circuit design cannot be captured in black or white statements, but is very fluid and nuanced with trade offs and compromises to be made so products can be brought to market from the very affordable to those qualifying as unobtainium. But as always, trust your ears. |
#9
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This may end up being my best option , I’ll have to configure one and see the price. You don’t hear about too many people making Mac mini into dedicated music servers these days. I thought about upgrading to 8 gig of ram as mine is only 6 gig. and putting a ssd hd in to replace the mechanical one but then I think putting money into a 8 year old machine doesn’t make sense. |
#10
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Whether the Roon core actually benefits from massive cpu power and memory above and beyond the “reasonable” is a different question. Still, if you are spending money, it would probably be money better spent for a new machine that will last you another 10 years at least |
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