Roon/Bluesound Node - adding new DAC (non Roon-Ready)

Roon core organizes your streaming services and local music files.

Depending on your core computer, it will output digital music over Ethernet, or it may include an onboard DAC and output analogue.

typically roon core resides on a computer or roon nucleus computer, on your network.

your node is both a streamer and a DAC.  It can output usb digital music to another DAC, or it can output analogue.

if the DAC (roon endpoint)  is roon ready or tested, the endpoint will show up on the roon interface and be selectable.

I have never used a non roon ready DAC, but I believe it will work fine from your usb output of your roon ready node streamer.

hope that helps.

 

 

Sorry for the underlines 

If the Node is connected over the network, it seems to me that Roon will see the Node as the endpoint, and it doesn’t matter what is connected to the Node’s digital outputs.

I have an Auralic Aries in my network and Roon recognizes it as Roon Ready, despite the Aries's digital output going to a unit Roon knows nothing about.

Creating a list of Roon tested devices is a 2 edged sword. It is nice to know some devices have been tested but it gives the impression that those on the list won't work. For example, the Schiit Bifrost II isn't on the list yet but I know it works fine. However, if your DAC is so old that is isn't "plug and play", i.e., you have to load drivers on your computer to make it work, then it won't work with Roon. I experienced this with a very old W4S DAC. new W4S dacs work fine with Roon but I don't see any on the Roon tested devices list. So if your DAC is less that 5 years old, and in most cases less than 10 yrs old, it will be recognized by Roon. +

If @painter24 is connecting his new DAC to the Node, and the Node (not the DAC) is connected to the Roon Core by networking, it is irrelevant whether the DAC itself is Roon-Ready. Roon-Ready applies to devices that Roon will control directly. In this case, it's the Node, not the DAC.

The only thing necessary is that the DAC not have any quirks that make it incompatible with the Node. That is unlikely, but one could ask the maker or try it to be sure.