Best upgrade between these options

  1. Keep current older, dedicated i7 imac as Roon core and purchase a dedicated streamer to my DAC

or

  1. Roon Nucleus direct to DAC (short USB cable) (no streamer)

In other words, does a dedicated streamer give best results vs using the imac or Nucleus direct to Dac? Internal file storage is no issue. Although the Nucleus is built for a single purpose, it is still a computer.

  1. Probably. And move the iMac away from the hifi… :wink:
  1. Assuming your DAC has usb-in, get a Raspberry and use that as a streamer.

Total cost: sub $100, nice metal case included.

  1. Get a NUC kit, install ROCK on it, and have a Nucleus for a fraction of the price. Get a neighbourhood kid to install RoonOS on it if you’re not comfortable doing it yourself. Get them to assemble that Pi from before.

Total cost: Nucleus equivalent, $389, Nucleus+, $620. Add $130-260 for a passive case if you require silence. Raspberry, $100. Kid: depends on your negotiation skills.

1 Like

Isn’t that 1(a)?

1 Like

It absolutely is, but it didn’t indent properly, and given that option 2 is $1500, I assumed that was the budget.

1 Like

Correct, I’d like to stay under $1500. The new Matrix mini has a built in streamer…looks tempting (suppose to be Roon Certified by mid week)

… but that’s a new DAC too, so the only safe answer is ā€˜it depends’.

Apart from spending $1500, what are you trying to achieve?

fewer boxes and improved sound, I currently have a super long usb cord from my core to my dac. My Dac is a Pro-Ject Pre Box s2 that is 4 years old. The Matrix will probably be the winner if the Dac is at least as good or better than what I currently have. Thanks

Stream Box S2 Ultra?

If your question is ā€œwhat’s the best SQ bang for $1500ā€, then my answer would most likely not be ā€œa new dacā€.

Famous last words…

In all likelihood, because there’s nothing wrong with it (at least that I know of…), it’s good enough. It’s your money, but I’d just get something to stream to it, either a commercial offering, or go DIY. If you want a major leap in SQ, get Mitch Barnett or the guy from HAF to design a convolution filter for you.

There has been no human evolutionary leap in the past 4 years, and no design breakthrough either. There might be an audible difference due to the differences in analog stage design, but beyond that…

And yes, the Matrix will give you a display and it’s pretty and it’s one box. If that’s worth 900 dollars to you, and when it’s actually certified, go for it.

Definitely wait until the Roon certification is confirmed! It’s been a long time coming.

Lost count of the times that I’ve heard of potential Matrix Mini owners talking about adding in an RPi as a ā€œtemporary solutionā€!

Matrix do make top performing good DACs when it comes to measurements, although I don’t think I’ve seen measurements for the Mini i3. I’m not convinced we’re talking about audible improvements over your current DAC, but you will be getting good engineering and a fine looking machine.

Having said all of this, I don’t own one and I’m more than happy with my RPi as a network solution!

The Nucleus is meant to be an appliance, but at a cost. The NUC route is way cheaper with same performance.

Connect by Ethernet, ā€œa super long USB cableā€ sounds very iffy , how long ?

https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/support/audio-solutions-question-of-the-week-what-is-the-maximum-length-for-a-usb-cable/#:~:text=The%20USB%202.0%20specification%20limits,16%20feet%20and%205%20inches).

Add a RPi then Short USB to DAC . Any long cables should be Ethernet not USB …

FInished until you get the itch. :blush: