Sonic differences between servers

Ironlung

At the time, I was running Roon Core on an optimized Mac mini and using the Auralic Aries G2 streamer. I had (at the time) both Tidal and Qobuz though I’ve since dropped Tidal as Qobuz sounds better and their library is satisfactory.  

I honestly don’t recall if I compared files off of my Mac Mini hard drive over Roon and Lightning DS (“LDS”), but music streamed from Qobuz sounded significantly better on LDS than via Roon.

I haven’t an explanation, but have theorized that LDS manages the substantial buffer in the Auralic better than does Roon.  In usage, I don’t really care why as even though Roon as a library management system is better, LDS is plenty good enough.

  

Roon isn‘t anywhere near the sound quality of the Squeeebox server InnuOS uses: all the plug-ins are detrimental to SQ. This has been covered on quite a few threads on this forum. And I am talking of InnuOS servers running Roon, never mind the Roon Nucleus which is barely better than a PC.

OP

I would look at Melco.  Half size components, excellent player/server, and a Roon endpoint

I haven’t an explanation, but have theorized that LDS manages the substantial buffer in the Auralic better than does Roon.

When using Roon Qobuz content is requested by the Roon player on the Core, and then multicast to Roon endpoints (like the Auralic) using RAAT as a protocol on the network.

When queuing Qobuz content using the Auralic Lightning app the Auralic Aries' built-in player software requests the content directly, so it is a much simpler process, with fewer hops, and no concern for the overall quality of the upstream hardware (since the Qobuz content is spread across servers no one knows exactly where it is coming from).

OP, it sounds like what you are looking for is an improvement in sound quality by replacing the Roon Core you are currently using (Nucleus) with a better one. As far as I am aware the best products for this job are the Antipodes line of music servers. You can purchase just the server to run Roon Core for Roon endpoints on the network, and they also offer both separate endpoint hardware (players) as well as music servers with integrated players.

Also what would help to guide you in the right direction is whether or not you are using the Roon Nucleus as a Core (server and player) connected directly to your DAC via USB, or if you are using the Nucleus as a Core with endpoint (i.e. Roon Ready) hardware built into your DAC, or with some other endpoint hardware other than the Nucleus.