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Basic Digital Audio Setup Advice

Greetings! Looking for some feedback on a wired digital audio setup. My primary goal is to play hi-res (up to 24/192) lossless files bit perfectly in a plug and play fashion.

Here's my current (modest) arrangement, my iMac is too far from the DAC to hard wire, forcing use of Airplay and downsampling to 16-44.1...

2014 iMac w/ external HDD (~4TB of FLAC/ALAC files) > Audirvana 3.5/Roon (both on trial currently, migrating from iTunes/Music) > Airplay (via Airport Express) optical > Cambridge Audio DACMagic Plus > Rega Brio > Q Acoustics 3050i
I'd like to add a server/streamer next to the DAC that I can access remotely to take the iMac out of the chain. Initially was looking at a headless 2012 MacMini >  DAC using Audirvana/Roon but I know not truly dedicated to audio.

When going down the Roon rabbit hole I was intrigued by the Nucleus in place of the Mini. I would likely look to move the file storage to a 2-4 bay NAS accessed by either the Mini or Nucleus.

It feels a bit askew to spend more money on the server/storage than I'm into for the DAC/Receiver/Speakers but the ease and cleanliness of the Nucleus has a lot of appeal.

Are there any simpler/less expensive options I'm overlooking that might help me accomplish my playback goals, keeping in mind my audio component level? I'm not very keen on having to assemble so the NUC/ROCK option isn't something I've considered. I also looked at the Bluesound Node2i but feedback on the OS is poor and sounds like some challenges with being actually Roon Ready.

Thanks much!
travisnordgren
steakster
1,878 posts
 
" . . . There is so much else going on in a PC. System monitoring and all sorts of stuff that you don’t realize. . ."

This is where Fidelizer and/or Audiophile Optimizer comes in. They shutdown or re-prioritize computer processes specifically for audio playback. The results are a lower noise floor and improved tonality. They can be used separately or together. If together, Fidelizer provides settings for a handshake. Still with anything digital, good LPS’s with good power cords are required to get rid of digitus completely. A PC requires a different kind of LPS than a router/modem. (It’s more than a voltage issue.)
travisnordgren OP
5 posts
 
If I continue to run the Roon Core on my iMac but it is connected to the network via WiFi (not Ethernet), will the signal sent to a Roon Ready endpoint be bit perfect? Unclear as to the integrity of the signal being sent to the endpoint over WiFi. The files would be connected to the iMac on an external HDD.
georgehoffmann60
58 posts
 
The Roon/Nucleus solution looks appealing; I agree wireless options and headless Mac minis are undependable. One cheap solution: a long toslink cable to your MacBook if it's one that still has the optical out, or to a HMDI splitter if it's a new MacBook without the S/PDIF. Not perfection, but less than $100...
ddude003
161 posts
 
As long as you have a reasonable WiFi between your MacBook your WiFi basestation and WiFi between your basestation and your Roon Ready Endpoint, yes, you have bit perfect transfers/streams...  If you have WiFi dropouts then you would most likely get dropouts and errors...

I assume you are connected to the internet via WiFi from your laptop to a WiFi basestation...
Ag insider logo xs@2x
dbphd
1,628 posts
 
My perhaps flawed understanding is that the Google MESH system generates a distributed Ethernet.  The master MESH unit plugs into the router.  The cables from the MESH units appear to be Ethernet cables that plug into Ethernet ports.  When I plug the cable into my iMac, it shows Ethernet as being connected.

In any case, I run two setups with Roon core running on a Mini downstairs.  The router is upstairs.  One setup is what appears to be an Ethernet cable to an ultraRendu that outputs USB to an Ayre Codex DAC then balanced analog to an Ayre A7e integrated driving KEF LS50s.  The other setup is an Ethernet cable from the master MESH unit to an Ayre QX-5 Twenty digital hub (and Roon endpoint) that outputs balanced analog to 5-Twenty series Ayre preamp and amp that drive KEF Reference 1s.  The sound in each case is excellent to superb with no dropouts.  With the appropriate files, the QX-5 displays 192 or DSD.  I subscribe to both Qobuz and Tidal.
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