Best setup for Roon using Sample rate Conversion

[david_leitner]

What would make the best Core?

1. Late 2013 Macbook Pro dedicated wired
2. C.A.P.S. V3 wired but also endpoint in main system.
3. 2024 Mac Mini wired to a Google Extender, so basically WIFi.

I have Google Fiber 1G internet service.

Thank you for the advice

[Cuong_N]

Wired all the way…unless you have good mesh system, something like Netgear Orbi.

[Daz_Davies]

I’ve tried both an M2 Pro Mac mini and a dedicated NUC as my Roon core. I’d suggest using a dedicated machine running Rock as your core. I have mine (Intel NUC) connected directly to my router and tucked away. I mainly control it from a M2 Pro mini in my office which is connected to the same Orbi Netgear mesh network. Works flawlessly and I don’t have to worry about the core needing any updates other than Roon updates. I generally upsample my CD rips to 24/96 and it doesn’t miss a beat.

[David_Snyder]

I agree with @Daz_Davies that a dedicated server running Roon OS will provide the best experience. Some of the advantages over using a general purpose operating system (Microsoft Windows or Apple macOS) include:

• Makes more efficient use of hardware resources by minimizing other background tasks
• Very little effort to keep running due to appliance-like behavior. No need to fuss with updates.
• Runs “headless”, so no display or keyboard needed. Just connect power and Ethernet
• Uses very little power…typically under 10 watts
• Boots and shuts down extremely quickly (seconds), although you can leave it on if you want.

If you don’t mind using hardware that’s not officially supported by Roon Labs, this inexpensive and easy to set up solution may meet your needs:

MOCK Success Report - GMKtec Mini PC N97

I can confirm that the GMKtec Mini PC N97 appears to work fine with the latest (as of this writing) Roon ROCK factory reset image. I almost always stick to officially supported NUC part numbers when installing Roon OS. I picked up the GMKtec during the Prime Day sale and figured why not give my a try? There was no need to change any BIOS settings. Just flash the image to a thumb drive, insert it, boot the image by pressing F7 within 3 seconds of power-on, and follow the prompts. YMMV, but t…

CPU power is about 80% of my 11th generation Intel Core i7 NUC, so it’s fast enough to perform DSP operations on DSD64 and DSD128 files. Operating on PCM files at any sampling rates is a piece of cake for this device.

The cost of entry is minimal at around $140. You just need a USB keyboard, HDMI display or TV, and a spare USB thumb drive to set it up. In operation, again, just power and Ethernet. Tuck it behind your Google Fiber router and forget about it.

[david_leitner]

Thank you for guys for your advice.

David that sounds awesome I am looking into it now.

Thank you