Just to be clear, I’m running Roon now using my MacBook Air as the core.
Anyone been able to compare the SQ of Roon Nucleus vs. MacBook Air?
For the last several years I've wanted to reclaim my MacBook Air laptop for laptoping! I was thinking of 2 options. Trade my Mytek Brooklyn in plus $1200.00 for a Brooklyn Bridge or spend approximately the same money for a Roon Nucleus. My laptop has been plugged into my DAC via USB. I believe the Roon Nucleus could be hooked up the same way. Anyone been able to compare the two? It would seem a dedicated device would have less noise issues and time out issues. Is there a better way to connect the MacBook Air? Would a Mac Mini offer any advantages? Any advice is always appreciated!
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I think the point everyone is trying to make is... Do NOT plug a DAC directly into a Computer, including a Nuc... Find a Streamer to go between your Computer and your DAC for better SQ... Re-Read rule #1 Suggested by Roon Labs... Linked here for your convenience... https://kb.roonlabs.com/Sound_Quality |
I went @tuberist route. I just migrated off a 5 year old Mac Mini to an ST i5 and Roon Core. Nice piece of hardware and super easy setup and config. The endpoint is a Bryston BDP Pi with Manic Moose & MPD. The jury still out on Roon SQ. I listen to a lot of RadioParadise (RedBook FLAC resolution). At this point Roon SQ literally pales in comparison to MPD in MM, when playing RP. I am still researching configuration options to hopefully get it dialed in. I need to do some testing streaming my Qobuz content to see if Roon hold up against MM & MPD. If it doesn’t there is going to be an ST i5 for sale on here next year. I’m not going to give up my SQ for an immersive interface. I will just fudge that with multiple browser tabs open looking at (Wiki’s , Discogs, AllMusic etc). |
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