I’m trying to plan the best way to use Roon with my equipment and haven’t been able to nail it down from reading the forum just yet. I want to build a NUC as my core and get the music to my Oppo 203. My router is on the other end of the house but I have a satellite router at my audio console. Would you connect the core to the main router with Ethernet and then use the Oppo’s wireless connection? Currently my high res music files are on my pc but I’d like to move them to an Ssd in the NUC. How does this sound? I’d want to control things with my iPad.
The RAAT signal (from Roon) “should” run wired from the core to the Oppo endpoint. Doing so may save you performance headaches.
You did not ask this, but if you have multi-channel music files, Oppo will not play them as is. The handshake between Roon and Oppo is stereo only. Just so you know…
So it would be better for me to place the core in my audio cabinet and connect to the Oppo with Ethernet. Is it also necessary for the core also be connected to my satellite router (an Airport Express) with ethernet? Or is wireless okay for that?
Thanks very much for your reply and the point about multichannel files.
Not at all - your core can be anywhere - just make sure the Oppo and the Roon Core are on the same network.
I’ve never tried using my Oppo with Roon wirelessly, but I don’t see any reason it wouldn’t work. Just be aware that the Oppo won’t be a valid audio endpoint until you turn on your Oppo. And be sure the Oppo is running the most recent Oppo firmware!
If the Roon core on your PC works (and I’m 98% sure it will), the NUC will also work as long as it’s on the same network.
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If as you say you have a “satellite” router at your audio console can you connect the 203 to it via Ethernet? That would be best. I have a second router connected as an access point near my living room setup, and I connect my 203 to that router via Ethernet. It works flawlessly as an endpoint.
The Airport Express only has one LAN port, which I guess would be needed for the Nucleus. However, I could replace the Express with an unused Airport router that I have with multiple LAN ports and be able to connect both the 203 and the Nucleus, I think. Sounds like that would be the best route for me. Thanks very much for the advice.
Or - just buy a cheap network switch. Plug that into your Airport and then connect your other stuff into the switch. WiFi is great, but wired is usually better.
Greetings,
Tagging onto this thread…Upstairs, I have an Oppo 205 in my primary 2 channel system using the USB DAC and HQPlayer V4 with Roon…core on Mac Mini to UltraRendu to Oppo 205 to Amp…sounds great IMO!
Downstairs, I have a Oppo 203 as my “Home Theater Room Player” with ethernet right off the router into the 203 and then into an Anthem 1120. So Roon “works” just fine that way (with known limitations of no native DSD for example), BUT I am not impressed with the sound quality using the Ethernet/Roon Ready function of the 203 vs. the USB DAC of the 205. However, there is no USB DAC on the 203 or the Anthem 1120.
Any thoughts on how I could possibly improve the sound quality of the 203 to sound more like the 205? I have a quality Blue Jeans Ethernet cable from my Verizon FIOS router (with the 1 GB plan so super fast) to an Ethernet filter to a short Audioquest Cinnamon Ethernet cable into the 203, then HDMI from 203 to Anthem. Get a better ethernet filter (GigaFoil V4), go analog out of Oppo into Anthem, fancier ethernet cables, linear PS on Router, etc…??
Thoughts??
thanks,
Doug
I wonder if the difference you are hearing is mainly due to the superior DAC in the 205. I only own the 203, but I remember reviewers commenting that for audiophiles the 205 was worth the extra money for the better DAC, as compared to the 203 (which sounds really good to my ears). I actually wish I’d considered the 205 more seriously, since production was ending. Maybe a separate DAC would be an option for both of us?
It sounds like you are listening to the DAC built in to your Anthem 1120, which gets digital audio over HDMI from the Oppo.
All good points. Regarding the anthem, I do all of the decoding in the oppo and then send it via HDMI since the anthem doesn’t do DSD for my large SACD collection. Do you think there would still be a benefit doing everything via five analog RCA cables out of the Oppo 205 into the anthem? Unlike the 205, there isn’t a dedicated 2 channel analog out on the 203. It would be nice if I could use HDMI for movies and multi channel discs while still having some type of RCA hook up from the Oppo to the anthem just for a roon. I don’t think there is a way to do that though. Somewhere I think I Have a set of five RCA cables from bluejeans cable that I used to use with an old Sony SACD player that didn’t do DSD over HDMI like the oppos do. I’m finding the anthem has some finicky things that I guess I didn’t research well enough like the lack of DSD over HDMI and no asynchronous USB input. Otherwise I was going to just use an old microrendu I have sitting around since I have an Ultrarendu upstairs. But I have no way to hook it up to the anthem since no USB!
Great advice team. I went back in and figured out how I could set up the anthem so that I am now using the right and left analog outputs of the oppo into the analog inputs of the anthem while turning off it’s DAC processing while still applying the ARC room correction—essentially putting it in a direct mode. That definitely made a huge improvement on the sound. At the same time I was still able to keep a different setting/input in order to play multi channel Music and video 4K discs via HDMI from the oppo to take advantage of the higher resolution multi channel options on Blu-ray and 4K. Still trying to figure out all the quirks of the anthem but I have a bit more faith in it now that I figured out you can actually put it into a direct mode it’s just not as obvious as it is on my Onkyo…it also show the 203 is no slouch in the DAC department either when I am hearing it as purely as possible.
Thanks!
Doug
By using HDMI out of the Oppo 203, you were bypassing the Oppo DAC and using the Anthem DAC. By going analog out of the Oppo 203, you are now using the Oppo DAC.