2019 Mac Pro vs. Roon

Thanks much everyone.

I'm going to look at the Uptone Audio gear. I read the Roon white paper. I didn't read anything about USB noise. My system (Levinson 585, Contour 20i, SACD 30n, etc.) seems deserving of the best signal I can't send to it.  The Levinson and SACD 30n each seem to have solid dacs, so would they address that issue?

I'm still wondering whether using a USB drive via a Marantz SACD 30n (which I already have) would provide the same SQ benefits as a server. Streaming isn't really my thing. I just want to be able to play my downloaded files as best as is possible.

“I just want to be able to play my downloaded files as best as is possible.”

If that’s your goal then your Marantz 30n is upto the task. How well your Marantz can curate your library will depend on the size of your library. Go ahead and try it and report back your experience. 

For best possible user experience and optimal sound quality of your downloads, consider a streamer like used Aurender N100H and iPad. It’s a modest investment, comes with 2TB of internal storage for your files and you will enjoy the app that’s easy to use. 

Roon was designed as the best music library organizer in the world ,nothing is even close ,as far as it’s organization ,and information per artist ,include QObuz, or Tidal you have millions of songs at your disposal ,together nothing is better.

your computer is a different topic ,it’s a server - computer ,a computer has so many sub directories and programs in the background and not the quietest place for music ,and power supplies are noisy , that’s  why people use dedicated music servers ,that use regulated linear powersupplies  and a lot of other programs even Roon has a dedicated Linux  program you can use .

I recommend you borrow a good quality streamer… like an Aurender, Aries, Linn or some other audiophile streamer. That will make the difference clear. They sound significantly better… assuming you buy one at the appropriate level for your system. 

I used a Mac… which I unplugged to get power supply out of the equation… as well as PCs, with different software. There is just no comparison. Streamers built from the ground up as streamers are different animals. Forget white papers or theories…take a good one home for a test drive. If you have a good DAC and system, all your questions will be answered. They sound better.

I resisted for years because it didn’t sound right that this real expensive box should make a difference. I now own a $22K streamer and consider it to be one of the best values I have ever purchased in audio.

Dave and Troy- I’m guessing those 2 servers that you found to be the best, you probably sell those too, correct?

“Roon has a dedicated Linux  program you can use”. Roon provides software for many different OS’s. 99% of computer users don’t know linux, so it would be difficult for these people to build a Linux server. I prefer linux myself for enterprise servers, but I will not use any server with a tainted linux OS, which most music servers use. For example, who is going to support the linux OS of say an Aurender or Aries server if the company goes out of business?

Apple, Ubuntu, Red Hat, and many other OS companies have a better chance to be around for the long run.

What I normally see are people concerned with SQ but they use USB. Most 3rd party servers claim they have better sq using usb. Better than terrible, sure, it’s still bad.

You can configure a server using linux/apple to minimize processes that aren’t needed for a music server. Audirvana for example for a dozen years has documented how to shut down processes that are not needed.

I’ve been streaming (local and remote) for the past 16 years. I did go to 1 of those dedicated music servers described above around 4 or 5 years ago and went back to running on a Mac using Roon and have better sq. But at the same time, my server is in a different room than my dedicated audio room and I use Ethernet to the dac.