Looking for the best possible setup for my system. I have a fairly audiophile setup - my Nucleus is connected via USB to a Denafrips Venus II, then a balanced connection to a Luxman L-595 which powers Harbeth M30.1 speakers. While I’ve determined that the Nucleus can connect directly to my DAC via USB and sound good, is this the optimal way to listen to it for best SQ? Wondering if I’m better having the Nucleus connected to the network via ethernet then using a streamer to the DAC? If it’s the latter would appreciate streamer recommendations as well. Thanks!
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Splitting core and output is roon’s recommendation for sound quality.
Scrolldown to find
Rule 1: Core and Output on separate devices
With a good USB DAC you just need a lightweight digital streamer. Ropieee is popular (and my recommendation) if you can manage to find a Raspberry Pi. But sure others will be able to make recommendations.
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I prefer an ethernet connection…just because. I use an ethernet connected Oppo 203 for one system and Raspberry Pi 4 running RoPieeeXL for another. Even when away from home for a couple weeks, I use another WIFI connected RPi4 with my laptop. I don’t know if it sounds better, but my ears think it does.
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Well, let’s quote with a little more context:
Our Recommendations
Rule 1: Core and Output on separate devices
Now we see that’s a recommendation, not a “rule”. I question Roon’s choice of words. Looking for “optimal” in audio reproduction can quickly turn into a Holy Grail quest. If it sounds good to you, keep your setup and enjoy the music.
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I feed my Headphone DAC/Amp directly from the NUC Core over USB and I cannot find anything to complain regarding Soundquality. Dont overthink things! USB is imho the best input option for a dac these days.
Onlz one small issue occurs to me: I need to have my Focal Arche DAC powered up BEFORE i start the Nuc, otherewise it wont be found. Or i could unplug the usb for a moment then plug in again to make it work…thats a bit annoying but sq is fine
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Well, you have to try both ways and determine it for yourself. Personally, I think it sounds better separated, although I keep my server outside of the listening room.
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Define “optimal”. If the direct USB connection is convenient for where all the equipment is, it it should be as good as anything (I believe Denafrips is a decently engineered DAC and the semi-mythical “noise over USB” should not be a concern). If the placement is an issue and/or you want to run, say, HQPlayer on a powerful machine before sending signal to the DAC, then a network connection might be better. SQ-wise there will be no difference apart from whatever DSP is applied.
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I’d say it depends on how much you want to spend
You’ve got some tasty gear there so you obviously don’t mind indulging in the hobby 
I used a PC via USB, and I was surprised to find the cables make a significant difference. I tried a cheaper AQ one and was rather shocked vs a ‘computer’ one, I then got a Carbon, now I’ve got two Diamonds
Two, because an SOtM USB Ultra also improves the SQ, but then so does the SMS200 Ultra Neo - and that’s upstream via Ethernet from the Nucleus
So, in my experience, you can beneficially improve USB and adding a streamer also helps significantly
I happened to go a long way down the SOtM route (I think my box count is 8) but I have friends who’ve have great success with Aurelic, and of course there are plenty of other brands to try
Very exciting 
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I am pretty sure the USB Implementers Forum, not to mention pretty much any real manufacturer of real computer hardware would pay a LOT of money to anyone who could show that a USB cable, unless it is broken, has any influence on sound, let alone explaining exactly how it does it.
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Aw, you’re killing the excitement!
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Having tried various options, I now mostly use USB from the Nucleus to my Nagra DAC, but I also use a Sonos Connect (re-clocked by Magna Hi-Fi) as a streamer, and I have used in the past a dCS Network Bridge. Whatever digital theory dictates, there are, as far as I’m concerned, clearly audible differences. The USB connection gives a very clear sound, with lots of detail including spatial cues. I prefer it for listening to any recording that I would consider “hi-fi”. The Sonos sound is softer and slightly fuller. There is some loss of detail, but it takes the edge of harsh recordings (60s Motown, for instance). The dCS sound was somewhere between the other two.
I know some will think this is heresy (and/or that I’m delusional), but I think it’s worth exploring the options if you can.
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I thought for some reason that you couldn’t use the USB connection from a NUC to a DAC. Although I knew that a nucleus could.
Was I just plain wrong?
Yes.
/10char
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Ha! Not the first time …
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Does your Nucleus have an HDMI/i2s output? I think it does. Have you tried using that output to connect to your Denafrips Venus, which definitely has an i2s input? People debate this point on the forums all the time, but I have found that the i2s input generally sounds noticeably better than a DAC’s USB input. Compare the two and see which you like better.
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The Nucleus does have two HDMI connections but neither support I2s use. They are strictly for 2 channel and multi channel outputs to a standard or audio only HDMI inputs.
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All is not lost. You could also consider getting the UltraDigital unit from Sonore and convert the USB signal to i2s. If you don’t like the i2s sound better than your USB setup, send the unit back for a full refund.
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Don’t be afraid of connecting Nucleus directly to DAC via USB. I have a NUC/ROCK and initially connected it directly. Sounded great. Built a Roon endpoint using a Raspberry Pi-like device (can’t get genuine RPis now!). It sounds exactly the same to me. I am using a DAC that I believe is effective at insulating the analog stage from any noise that may come across the USB.
I’ve also compared the ROCK with an Aurender N100H and an Innuos Zenith and to my ears they were equivalent.
If you want to introduce a streamer, try to find something you can return if you determine that it has no effect on the sound.
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Re: i2s vs USB
I think a critical component to optimal sound is clocking and a DAC which receives data asynchronously and has it’s own internal clock is the best solution. Disclaimer: I have arrived at this conclusion via logic and not any instrument measurement!
For this reason I think modern USB is superior to SPDIF where the client controls the clock (unless your DAC buffers and re-clocks). IIRC, i2s is SPDIF over a different wire, right? So the DAC may subordinate its clock to the source’s clock? If the source clock is a computer, certainly the DACs will be better.
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This not exactly about Nucleus but maybe helpful. I have a PrimeMini feeding my DiDit Dac. The usb output on the PrimeMini is supposed to be quite as good as on the Nucleus but connected directly via usb cable the sound is a bit to bright and harsh. So I chose the ethernet way using a Sonore UltraRendu which now sounds perfect to me.