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Roon itch needs scratching.

H

HarryB

pfm Member
I'm really keen to try Roon but I only use an iPad and phone. My Bluesound Vault2 will act as a Roon endpoint but as I understand it I need a laptop or computer to run Roon Core.

I'm a computer hater but realise this is my only option.

I want to spend as little as possible and would prefer new. I find PCs baffling but used Macs for many years and can find my way round a Mac.

What are my options? I want as little faff and as little expense as possible.
 
Hi, I've recently moved to roon also. You don't need a computer in the chain to run roonserver.
I can highly recommend a QNAP TS251+ NAS with 8GB RAM. This is how i have my system setup:

QNAP/roon >switch/router< Devialet 220 Pro >EWA LS-25s< ProAc SM100s.

Controlled via an iPad with roon remote app.
 
You could have a system rejig and look at innuos? Either the zen or the zen mini.i use the zen mini as a nas/ streamer/ roon core and end point all in one box. Controlled by iPhone and iPad.. £699 tho for the mini mk2
 
I managed it very cheaply with a Minix PC (Amazon £159) as my Roon core. It comes pre-loaded with Windows 10 - you just need to download the Roon core from a browser onto the PC. I then set the PC up 'headless' i.e. no monitor/keyboard and put Roon into the startup routine (so if you switch it off and on or if there is a power cut it auto-boots Roon). I did not have a clue how to do this but after half an hour on Google I figured it out....

The PC is my endpoint too feeding via USB into a 2Qute Dac. Music is on a NAS on my network.

Alternatively any used Mac Mini will do I guess?
 
HarryB said:
I'm really keen to try Roon but I only use an iPad and phone. My Bluesound Vault2 will act as a Roon endpoint but as I understand it I need a laptop or computer to run Roon Core.

I'm a computer hater but realise this is my only option.

I want to spend as little as possible and would prefer new. I find PCs baffling but used Macs for many years and can find my way round a Mac.

What are my options? I want as little faff and as little expense as possible.
Click to expand...
What's Roon got that something like Foobar hasn't?
 
Or ROON’s own ( rock) software is free, load that on to an inexpensive intel NUC, there is lots of information on the ROON forum.
Keith
 
As you have storage on the Bluesound, the Minix sounds like a cheap and easy solution. As long as your Ipad or IPhone can run the software as a controller - my Ipad 1 can't but my Ipad air 2 can. However I doubt if DSP would be possible on the Minix - Roon recommend a more powerful processor (i5). I'd love to move off my i5 pc onto something smaller, quieter and headless but I want to explore DSP and don't want to spend £600 to replace something I already have.
 
HarryB said:
I don't know what an Intel NUC is. How would I load the software?
Click to expand...
Here you go,
https://kb.roonlabs.com/ROCK:_Getting_Started
The Intel NUC is a small form factor computer quite inexpensive , you would dedicate it to Roon replay
The ‘Big Lewbowski ‘ I believe, uses one with the ‘rock’ software, I am sure he would help.
Roon are also releasing their own hardware but it is essentially the same just pre configured and more expensive.
Keith
 
Purité Audio said:
Here you go,
https://kb.roonlabs.com/ROCK:_Getting_Started
The Intel NUC is a small form factor computer quite inexpensive , you would dedicate it to Roon replay
The ‘Big Lewbowski ‘ I believe, uses one with the ‘rock’ software, I am sure he would help.
Roon are also releasing their own hardware but it is essentially the same just pre configured and more expensive.
Keith
Click to expand...
I've explored this route. Please correct me if I'm wrong. ROCK will run an instance of Roon server so does not have a UI as such. This means to configure some of the options you'll need an additional PC on the network. Which I do but with OP claiming to be a "computer hater" he may not.
 
RankingRoger said:
As you have storage on the Bluesound, the Minix sounds like a cheap and easy solution. As long as your Ipad or IPhone can run the software as a controller - my Ipad 1 can't but my Ipad air 2 can. However I doubt if DSP would be possible on the Minix - Roon recommend a more powerful processor (i5). I'd love to move off my i5 pc onto something smaller, quieter and headless but I want to explore DSP and don't want to spend £600 to replace something I already have.
Click to expand...
Same here. I'm running 4th gen i5. It's actually really quiet but would prefer something both smaller and completely silent. Like yourself I'd hate to replace it with something potentially more expensive and offering less performance. I'm sure I will one day but for now it works.

I am using DSP which considering you can do on each endpoint is a massive feature, even if I only use one for now. I got rid of Minidsp for that reason. DSP functions of Roon are excellent but do make sure you get a UMIK-1 and use Convolution. FIR filters are far more powerful. Unless you DSP on DSD files you don't need a powerful machine. Convolution on PCM isn't that resource sensitive.
 
muzzer said:
Exactly this, it offers nothing over a OSX player like A+ .
I had Roon for a year on a special offer but decided to stick with A+ as it is cheaper and of equal SQ.
Click to expand...
Does A+ offer an architecture where you can run all things separately or together however you decide on Linux, Windows or OSX (server, file storage, endpoint)? With either being remotes that also include Android ans iOS? Which can be expanded however you like. Are you able to run multiple zones with each having different DSP, sampling rates, run on different endpoints? Does it have its own transfer protocol like RAAT that can switch bitrates instream?

I'd be quite interested if it can do it as it's a fraction of Roon and if it offers the same it would be silly to pay more. I believe A+ is half of Roon annual subscription.
 
insider9 said:
Does A+ offer an architecture where you can run all things separately or together however you decide on Linux, Windows or OSX (server, file storage, endpoint)? With either being remotes that also include Android ans iOS? Which can be expanded however you like. Are you able to run multiple zones with each having different DSP, sampling rates, run on different endpoints? Does it have its own transfer protocol like RAAT that can switch bitrates instream?

I'd be quite interested if it can do it as it's a fraction of Roon and if it offers the same it would be silly to pay more. I believe A+ is half of Roon annual subscription.
Click to expand...

Luckily, I don't need (or understand) any of that so A+ is just fine.
 
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