Is Roon Nucleus the best choice for Roon Core and as server?

I LOVED the Roon software but was having stability issues running from my PC. I have built my own amps and I started a speaker company and was moving into the audio business.

I never thought about building my own server like the Rock above. I reached out to Roon for a discounted unit to use at AXPONA and I was talked into becoming a dealer and running a Nucleus+.

The only value to the Nucleus+ over the Nucleus is processing power and two things make a difference. The Nucleus+ is required if you want to run a DSP on DSD rather than on PCM, or if you have more than 120K tracks in a library.

I don’t know if it is the best available. I hear amazing things about units from Antipodes and Rockna but it is definitely the best in its price range. 

I wish Roon would update their site for the new 10th generation NUC's

Look into a Salk Streamer.

Better Bang for the buck.  

Hi guys, i’m also looking at different alternatives for Qobuz streaming only and perhaps little local storage.Would a Roon Rock server be up to the task in a 180K reference level system or should i look at more expensive streamers like Innuos or Antipodes ?Right now i’m using a dedicated fanless NUC with SOTM external USB reclocking and Daphile for Qobuz streaming in my headphone rig.

Building your own Roon ROCK server is a great way to save some money and still get an top-notch product. My configuration used the following parts:

Intel NUC8i7BEH (i7 gen8): $659
Crucial 8GB DDR4 x2: $58
Transcend 128GB PCIe SSD: $29
Samsung 860 1TB SSD: $130
Samsung 128GB Thumb Drive for backups: $18
Akasa Turing Fanless case: $175
ZeroZone 100VA 19V Linear PS: $175

Total: $1199

This is the same CPU, twice the RAM (probably not necessary), twice the boot/database drive size (allows much larger library), Linear power supply (the Nucleus+ comes with a SMPS), and 1TB library storage (not included with the Nucleas+) at half the price.

The NUC comes with a SMPS, so you can use that if you don't want to upgrade to a LPS. 

It did take about an hour to set up the NUC with ROCK, and another hour to install the NUC in the Akasa case, but it's relatively straight-forward and has worked great since I built it in January. 

The NUC is pretty quiet in its standard case, so even if you want it in your listening room, you might be satisfied without the fanless case which saves some money and time.