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? :DThe 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.

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.

2011?

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....4,203,200_.jpg

:D

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.

I know :yes:

Im intrigued by what I’ve read about Innuos (not heard, but on the list). May not have the Roon oomph you seek.

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.

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.

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.

The new Mac mini is not that expensive where it would be cost effective to try to upgrade the old one. Even with extra memory and ssd it would not come close to the new and much better performing new mini. :no:

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