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 hifiā€¦ :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 youā€™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.

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Isnā€™t that 1(a)?

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It absolutely is, but it didnā€™t indent properly, and given that option 2 is $1500, I assumed that was the budget.

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Correct, Iā€™d like to stay under $1500. The new Matrix mini has a built in streamerā€¦looks tempting (suppose to be Roon Certified by mid week)

ā€¦ but thatā€™s a new DAC too, so the only safe answer is ā€˜it dependsā€™.

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€œwhatā€™s the best SQ bang for $1500ā€, then my answer would most likely not be ā€œa new dacā€.

Famous last wordsā€¦

In all likelihood, because thereā€™s nothing wrong with it (at least that I know ofā€¦), itā€™s good enough. Itā€™s your money, but Iā€™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 thatā€¦

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

Definitely wait until the Roon certification is confirmed! Itā€™s been a long time coming.

Lost count of the times that Iā€™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 donā€™t think Iā€™ve seen measurements for the Mini i3. Iā€™m not convinced weā€™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 donā€™t own one and Iā€™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 ā€¦

FInished until you get the itch. :blush: