2. digital
  3. 136896-74445

Roon Nucleus

I have now read 2 reviews of this hardware, in Stereophile (John Atkinson) and in Hi Fi News.
Both reviews fail to address two central questions.
1) what is the need for this?  Since Roon cores can be placed on virtually every playback device around ( PCs, mobile devices, kitchen toasters, etc), why does some need to shell out $1.5 to 2.5K for another piece of Hardware?
2) There was no sonic comparison.  Namely, do files played back on from a device with Roon loaded on it sound different than the same files played from a Roon Nucleus, if all other variables are minimized.
Thought
mahler123
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

I did a direct comparison of Roon to Linn Kinsky using a Raspberry Pi and Digione board.  The board can do both Roon RAAT and DLNA. Linn Kinsky was superior IME.

I think the main reason to use Roon is the tight integration with Tidal.  You can still do this with Linn Kazoo and other players using DLNA renderers.

I use a DLNA UPnP renderer and the SQ is the best I have ever heard, using Linn Kinsky, Minimserver and BubbleUPnP for playback.  12psec of jitter at the end of the coax cable at all sample-rates, measured.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

mahler123 OP
3,362 posts
 
I am glad that there are a lot of happy Roon users out there.  All I’m saying is that I seem to suspect that there also people like me, where it doesn’t so smoothly....it’s a big mother of a program, after all.  And I still haven’t seen an explanation as to why Roon is now selling hardware.  I seem to recall their CEO in their early days stating that their goal was partner with as many hardware companies as possible, but not to compete with them
clio09
3,355 posts
 
@audioengr - I have had my eye on the DigiOne player. Do you have any experience with wireless operation? I am interested more so in connectivity and whether there was any issue with dropouts, as a hardwired ethernet connection would be logistically difficult. My Aurilac Aries has always worked fine in wireless mode. I am also curious about set up. The instructions posted on the website seem a bit daunting but not impossible to deal with.
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

@clio09 - I only used the RPi and Digione wired Ethernet. I did have problems with reliable 192 and 176.4 playback. Even after modding the boards, still has problems. My DAC is picky about errors. Maybe yours isn’t. I have read about flakey WIFI behavior of the RPi, but have not tried this myself.

The thing to do is download DietPi and put this OS on the SD card using your laptop. Then, just plug it into the RPi and power it on and use the laptop to talk to the RPi using PuTTY on the laptop. Free download. Configure the RPi to accept the Digione using the menus that come up on power-up in the PuTTY window.

It’s a $150 way to get S/PDIF coax output for DLNA players and Roon.

BTW, I don’t get 10psec of jitter from the Digione, more like 70psec. I use my own DLNA renderer, the Interchange. The Interchange delivers 10psec of jitter:

https://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=156409.0


$3K with fast LPS supply.

I can also use my own WIFI adapter with special LPS with the Interchange. This has no problems with dropouts, assuming strong WIFI location, and supports 192 error-free. It sounds identical to the wired Ethernet. Cost is $1K for the WI-FI add-on.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

audiotroy's avatar
audiotroy
3,807 posts
 
Personally I don't get this product at all. It is not that we don't love Roon we love Roon, the issue is the high price for what seems to be very ordindary hardware.

A high quality server absolutely sounds better, we have been doing digital transport comparisons for years.

The first time we compared an Aurender to a modified Mac mini there was no doubt that a dedicated server outperforms even a modded computer, let alone a stock computer,  but that is the rub with the Roon Nuclues products they don't seem to be particularly well built or designed to maximize the sound quality of the data stream. 

We sell many different servers, we sell the Baetis, the Naim Core, the Aurender products, the Lumin products, the NAD servers, and lastly the Innous servers.

The Innous offers a custom motherboard, custom OS, a specialy designed digital output board, and massive power supply upgrades especially the Zennith model which weights about 25lbs!

When you compare that to the Roon Nucleus it doesn't appear that Roon is really engineering a solution to how best to run there software other than perhaps a Linux core designed to maximize the playback of the Roon software.

So my question is why would anyone buy this thing?

Dave and Troy
Audio Doctor NJ  
More to discover