New Nucleus +
Roon Version 2.0 (build 1128)
RoonOS Version 1.0 (build 227)
Nucleus + connected via ethernet cable into main Ubiquiti Unifi 24 port switch
Music is on a WD Mybook 18TB external drive connected via the USB3.0 jack on the Nucleus +
Nucleus + and WD external drive plugged into Panamax MR4300 power conditioner
Connected Audio Devices
2 BlueSound Node 2i: one connected via ethernet cable into main Ubiquiti Unifi PoE 24 port switch, 2nd Node 2i connected via ethernet cable into Ubiquiti Unifi PoE 8 port switch
Number of Tracks in Library
Almost 200,000 tracks, many are hi-res FLAC, DSD, and DFF files
Description of Issue
Roon had been handling my oversized music library (many remastered hi-res albums) with ease when I was using my Dell Inspiron 7590: (Intel(R) Core™ i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz 1.99 GHz) (16GB Ram) (64bit operating system with Windows 11 Home) as the Roon Core. Music collection was contained on the same WD Mybook 18TB external drive connected via a USB3.0 jack directly into the Dell. Sound quality, associated data, ease of access, were all exceptional. Decided to bite the bullet and buy a dedicated music server so I had an "always on’ solution. Bought the Nucleus + and the migration of the library was flawless. However, after I started to play my music files on the new Nucleus +, I recognized immediately that there was a massive degradation in the quality of the sound. In fact, it sounded to me as if I had suffered a major downgrade from the purity of the hi-res digital files to what sounds like old vinyl purchased at a garage sale. Tried multiple artists, albums, genres, and always the same thing. It literally sounds as if I’m listening to a secondhand original vinyl album (not hi-res 180g reissued vinyl) with a scratch in it. A perfect example is the 2018 remaster by Esoteric of Bill Evans “Waltz for Debbie.” It is a fantastic remaster that is now so bad (clicks, pops, distortion) I cannot listen to it.
Hoping someone else has experienced the same thing and can provide a fix as the Nucleus + in its current form is unusable and I will have to go back to my PC if it can’t be resolved.