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Roon core or Auralic Aries G2/ Lightning DS to make music files easier to manage.

TheDecameron

TheDecameron

Unicorns fart glitter.
Been using Melco N1 for a couple of years and I find third party apps and Melco’s own app unsatisfactory for searching and playing music files. I need something really simple without requiring computing knowledge. I very much liked Lightning DS with an Aries mini I have and want that ease of use with the Melco N1/Devialet Pro440 set up.
Question is which hardware do I invest in to meet this aim and any additional benefits that come with them- Aries G2 or Roon Core?
 
Roon is way ahead of Lightning in terms of functionality. After an initial familiarisation period I find it easy to use.

To use Roon you need a Roon Core. Many run this on a PC, laptop, etc somewhere on their network. I tried many methods. Without doubt Core running on a dedicated NUC type device, using Rock, left always on, produces the best result in terms of SQ and stability. I use a Nucleus.

An Aries G streamer will almost be certainly be 'better' ( SQ, ease of use and stability) than using the streaming functionality of your Devialet. Your Devialet is Roon Ready, so you could just use Roon & the 440.

If you have an Aries G1 or G2.1 then you can use Lightning. You can also use it with Roon, you could then use either Roon or Lightning.

You could also directly connect a Roon Core to your 440. However, best SQ is to have a separate "end point', ime.
 
Hugh,

Having used Aries and Lightning and now Roon I strongly recommend Roon as the superior interface and user experience. Hardware for the Roon core can be very cheap or a bit more expensive for dedicated NUC / Rock Roon core.

I will give you a call to discuss the ins and outs.
 
Colin L said:
Hugh,

Having used Aries and Lightning and now Roon I strongly recommend Roon as the superior interface and user experience. Hardware for the Roon core can be very cheap or a bit more expensive for dedicated NUC / Rock Roon core.

I will give you a call to discuss the ins and outs.
Click to expand...
Roon on a NUC over Lightning +1

Happy to help Colin with the IT side
 
Daft question maybe, but if you liked the Lightning DS with an Aries mini why not go back? I've heard at lot of positives about Roon, and occasionally ask myself why not to try it, but never follow through.

I remain completely satisfied with Lightning DS on my Aries mini, the only upgrades I could imagine is are on the DAC side and in a bigger SSD.
 
Stick Roon on any available hardware - a pc, Mac, laptop or NUC and give it whirl through the free trial offer. Connect to your DAC with USB, and put up with any inconvenience while you try it out. Maybe take a Qobuz trial too, if you haven’t already, as Roon really starts to pay off with a streaming service. The most important thing is whether you find the software meets your needs, both the control point and the Core. Then if you decide it is for you, you can address the hardware issue separately. If you decide to go with it the issue then becomes whether you run it on a device that is both the core and endpoint - like a pc/Mac/Nucleus - or you separate out the Core and endpoint functions for which there are different options, such as Stack Audio Link II, varieties of Raspberry Pi, and others. Plenty possibilities on the Roon partners page:

https://roonlabs.com/partners

ps If you are only interested in managing your own ripped CDs, and don’t care for artist biographies and flash artwork, then J River Media Centre has some good features for managing a library.
 
Another vote here for Roon (plus streaming service). I have Roon on a family PC and am now considering getting a separate NUC to run this (and Plex server), with the library stored on a separate NAS. Definitely worth the free trial as suggested above.
 
raysablade said:
Daft question maybe, but if you liked the Lightning DS with an Aries mini why not go back? I've heard at lot of positives about Roon, and occasionally ask myself why not to try it, but never follow through.

I remain completely satisfied with Lightning DS on my Aries mini, the only upgrades I could imagine is are on the DAC side and in a bigger SSD.
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I’m giving my Aries mini to my sister and have started ripping some of her recordings for her. Her dac (Benchmark dac1 hdr) doesn’t run DSD and she doesn’t have DSD files so the Aries will do nicely as a starter for her.

It looks then like I’m going to give Roon a go and get dedicated hardware for the core. It’s the user interface and idiot proof functionality I’m after and that I don’t get with the Melco and other control apps where they can’t find my Goldberg Variations on the Melco but suddenly another app does find it. I’m afraid songkong etc is beyond me and it still hasnt fixed my classical catalogue.
 
TheDecameron said:
I’m giving my Aries mini to my sister and have started ripping some of her recordings for her. Her dac (Benchmark dac1 hdr) doesn’t run DSD and she doesn’t have DSD files so the Aries will do nicely as a starter for her.

It looks then like I’m going to give Roon a go and get dedicated hardware for the core. It’s the user interface and idiot proof functionality I’m after and that I don’t get with the Melco and other control apps where they can’t find my Goldberg Variations on the Melco but suddenly another app does find it. I’m afraid songkong etc is beyond me and it still hasnt fixed my classical catalogue.
Click to expand...
Roon’s classical search was appalling in the past - there is a huge thread on their forum about it - but they have done a fair bit of work on it recently, so now if you are charitable you might say it is “idiosyncratic”. Still doesn’t find simple classical searches sometimes, but if you are tolerant you can find ways round it. Best to wait till you aren’t too grumpy before using it in earnest.
 
Perhaps I can offer one more thought, though I might get flamed for it! Sonos user interface is one of the best available IMO, so on one of my systems I use a cheap Sonos connect unit (with digital output) and then use their app to search music from music stored on a NAS drive. It really works very well. Clearly doesn’t have some of the other functionality of Roon, but then it doesn’t have the price tag either.
 
Silver Birch said:
Perhaps I can offer one more thought, though I might get flamed for it! Sonos user interface is one of the best available IMO, so on one of my systems I use a cheap Sonos connect unit (with digital output) and then use their app to search music from music stored on a NAS drive. It really works very well. Clearly doesn’t have some of the other functionality of Roon, but then it doesn’t have the price tag either.
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SONOS is great but no Hi Res support means it’s not up there for an enthusiasts Hi Fi system, imho obvs.
 
AndyU said:
Roon’s classical search was appalling in the past - there is a huge thread on their forum about it - but they have done a fair bit of work on it recently, so now if you are charitable you might say it is “idiosyncratic”. Still doesn’t find simple classical searches sometimes, but if you are tolerant you can find ways round it. Best to wait till you aren’t too grumpy before using it in earnest.
Click to expand...

Strangely enough I can type Goldberg and get all the Goldbergs I have in their many guises. What you doing wrong Andy?:D

Screenshot-2022-01-17-at-16-48-52.png
 
Sound from melco varies wildly depending on app used, presently I use Linn Kazoo. Melco’s own app is pants.
Don’t know if there’s a workaround but unable to use Roon as I only have iPad Pro and it won’t run Roon, anyone have or solved this problem.
I’ve been told by dealer that Roon is sonically compromised, anyone directly compared?
 
Frizzy said:
Sound from melco varies wildly depending on app used, presently I use Linn Kazoo. Melco’s own app is pants.
Don’t know if there’s a workaround but unable to use Roon as I only have iPad Pro and it won’t run Roon, anyone have or solved this problem.
I’ve been told by dealer that Roon is sonically compromised, anyone directly compared?
Click to expand...
Tried loads of stuff, no idea where “sonically compromised” comes from, sounds like bs.

You need a computer type device to run the Roon Server App - PC/Mac desktop or lappy or a NAS like QNAP or a dedicated unit like the Nucleus. An iPad isn’t any use - it’s your control point/client - it needs a Roon Server to talk to.
 
The dealer must be hiding something. Perhaps he could offer a detailed explanation of sonic compromise with Roon. Unless you engage the DSP options - it merely outputs the file it is playing - no sonic compromise to be seen - there is no 'audio' involved - it is a digital data handler.

Anyway -

Ipad pro will run the Roon remote app, as will a regular IPad too. But for Roon CORE you must have something with computing power and external interfaces. So anything PC or laptop style. Or anything Mac (I use a rather ancient Mac Mini, bought through this very site). Cost very little - and it ssits there 24/7 doing a sterling job. Music is on a USB hard drive hung out of the Mac Mini, and other music streams in from a Quboz subscription. A simple Pro-Ject DAC/Pre is attached by USB and feeds the amp via phonos from there.

I use a laptop for control, or the wifes Ipad if she is not looking.
 
Colin L said:
Strangely enough I can type Goldberg and get all the Goldbergs I have in their many guises. What you doing wrong Andy?:D

Screenshot-2022-01-17-at-16-48-52.png
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I am not doing anything wrong Colin. I didn’t say all Roon searches fail, I said there are still issues, particularly with some classical searches. Just go to the forum and check the many posts there documenting egregious failures. Right now the very first post is entitled “Search is broken, it is indefensible” and the second post documents another search failure. There are many others.

https://community.roonlabs.com/

Just because you don’t have problems with your searches doesn’t mean other users don’t have problems with theirs. One problem Roon has is the difficult one of integrating searches from streaming services with searches of the users local library, so different people have different problems.
 
As I’ve asked before, diff apps sound different on melco. I’ve tried 5, all sound different from each other, the two Linn apps are chalk and cheese.
Unless you’ve tried don’t shout about about things you have not personally used.
 
Frizzy said:
As I’ve asked before, diff apps sound different on melco. I’ve tried 5, all sound different from each other, the two Linn apps are chalk and cheese.
Unless you’ve tried don’t shout about about things you have not personally used.
Click to expand...
I've tried and personally used most of the streaming Apps and hardware platforms, if you hear a difference fine, I don't. What seems to be common is many Control Point Apps are crap to use. Roon doesn't sound different unless you apply DSP.
 
My Aries G1 is in the classified section as we speak. I ran it with both roon & lightening DS. Both are excellent with roon taking the title. The lightening ds is very good though for a built in UI
 
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