Best Server To Run Roon Core

I doubt you'd notice a difference in SQ among the major choices**.
It comes down more to price, ease of integration and use, along with what else (if anything) you might want to do with the machine besides run Roon.

Options include:
* raspberry pi (probably the cheapest option; many users seem to be quite satisfied with them; involves a little DIY setup)
* Nucleus (a little pricey, but probably the easiest turn-key solution for running Roon Core)
* Nucleus alternatives such as the sonicTransporter, which tend to be a little cheaper than the Nucleus, possibly with faster processors, plus support for a few music-related applications besides Roon Core (such as HQ Player)
* Mac Mini (possibly a good choice if you might want a full-featured computer for tasks unrelated to Roon; compared to a Roon Nucleus, you'll probably pay less to get more, including faster processing, but this choice goes against some recommendations to dedicate a computer only to Roon processing)

** BACCH-SP not only can be configured to run as a Roon Core or endpoint, but also applies sophisticated "audiophile 3D" processes that do affect the SQ (soundstage/imaging) significantly. Very expensive, though.  

Te yes these devices do sound different one day we did a test in our 150k reference system 

We compared a 15k baetis reference an innous statement a memory player

Each server sounded different and had a unique sonic favor

Lalik the 432 evo was compared to the Pink faun and found to outperform it

And in one of our sound rooms we have 4 different servers

We have a roon nucleus
A lumin u1 mini
a 432evo standard and a 432Evo aeon

Again the top server the aeon sounded the Bestand produced a more musical sound out of the dac

If you look at the design and build of the aeon it has been enginerred to provide a pure data stream to the connected dac

Very few servers use two completely seperate power supplies isolating the cpu and the sound card and clock

If you want to hear rhe Best sounding reference grade server
You have to hear an aeon

Dave and troy
Audio intellect nj
Us importer 432evo music servers

Check out mini Computers from Azulle if not going for a crazy server .  Very similar to the NUC that Roon builds .  Without multi processors will do the trick for a fraction of what all are speaking about here.  Roon is absolutley ripping off people selling an Intel NUc for stupid prices.  The Nucleus is an I3 4GB and the Plus is I7 8Gb .  All they are are mini computers from Intel/  .  I beleive Azulle discoed the I7s but the i5 should do just fine.  $400 add a drive all set. Could just go buy INtel Nuc also for 25% of Roons cost

More excellent Ideas. Thank you.

BACCH-SP appears to have preamp and dac capability as well. It is intriguing but I would be interested in how well it does all the things that it is designed to do.

Wolf Audio will definitely be a consideration.

Some of the recommendation above already have inbuilt server / rendered capability. For this, a Nucleolus was originally my frame of reference.

Consensus from above however, seems to be to keep the server and renderer separate, so thinking for server -to set up a NUC, powered by an external LPS (I might actually have a matching Paul Hynes for this) - total cost for the server with LPS is about $1500. - A separate NUC / PH LPS for rendering would run another $1500 -> for a total of $3500 with cables.

So assuming music storage cost aside, and this setup will be done correctly, thinking if there is a better way to go (SQ wise) for SAME Money with Roon? Or can one get the SAME SQ, but less expensively with Roon?