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Roon Core Server Player

I'm thinking about upgrading from my Innuos Zen MkIII.  Although there's been a lot written here about what sounds best, I've not seen a discussion of what higher end server/streamer/renderer will work properly as a Roon Core as well as a Roon Endpoint.  The Roon Labs website is terrible at helping you find an answer to that question.

I'm looking in the $4k - $8k range and am considering the Innuos Zenith MkIII, the Auralic Aries, 432 EVO Aeon, etc.  But I'd prefer to have the Roon Core and Roon Endpoint in the same box.

Roon is somewhat glitchy on the Innuos, but running the Innuos in Roon "Experimental Mode" clearly gives me better SQ than Innuos Sense, their proprietary software.  The Auralic reportedly sounds better than the Zenith but it doesn't look like it can be a Roon Core.  There's little written about the 432 EVO.  Don't want to spend the money for a Grimm.

Anyone know of a brand that has great SQ (in that price range) and runs as both Roon Core and Endpoint?

 

dougthebiker
rikkipuu's avatar
rikkipuu
241 posts
 

Doug,  I am surprised you find Experimental Mode with Roon better than Innuos Sense.  As soon as I heard Innuos Sense I stopped using Roon with Experiment Mode.

There is a general opinion that Sense sounds better than Roon.  You might download the latest version and give it another go before you move on.

I used my Innuos as a endpoint and ran the Roon server on an Antipodes Core.  It worked and sounded better than running both on the Innuos.

I found all the DSP functions in Roon degraded the SQ especially running the core on the Innuos.

I do miss Roon as a database server but not enough to go back.

dougthebiker OP
190 posts
 

I’m currently building a Nuc to run the Roon Core on.  Will be I interested to see whether the Zen Mk III sounds better as an endpoint.

 

Definitely liked Experimental mode better than Sense.  May just be the synergy with then rest of my system.  Sense seemed veiled and lacking some treble to me.

sns
3,003 posts
 

@dougthebiker Roon is designed to sound best with separate server and endpoint/streamer. I'd expect NUC with Zen as endpoint will be superior to what you had previously.

 

For those running Roon, I've found best sound quality achieved by turning off all dsp, no software control of volume, no volume leveling, track analysis off, every possible processor sapping Roon process OFF.

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yoby
538 posts
 

Hi sns: Your posts are always helpful to me.  In regards to ROON, when you say "turn off all DSP" do you mean set everything to the default settings? Jeff

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