I am an annual subscriber, but recently I had a problem after the last update. My IMac is an older version High Sierra 13. If I were to purchase the ROON nucleus would I be able to download the ROON app on that older version IMac as well as my IPad and IPhone Version SE and be able to sync all the devices with the new ROON update version 2.0? Currently I have the older ROON 1.8 running as my source off my IMac (the High Sierra) with no access from my iPhone or iPad. I just want to have the assurance that all my iOS devices will be able to access ROON 2.0 with the Nucleus with no problem.
Thank you for any support in this matter.
Steven Radetsky
RAM & Internal Storage
Not certain
Connected Audio Devices
Streaming devices Bluesound BluOS node ii and MYTEK Manhattan Roon ready DAC (built in card) and UBS MyCloud Extenal Storage Western Digital and Bel Canto mLink (UBS connection)
Home Network Details
Linksys Router using IMac High Sierra Version 10.13.6) for my ROON Core
Roon 2.0 (Remote and Core) on a Mac requires at least macOS 10.15 (Catalina). (If you buy a Nucleus you don’t have to worry about the Core, but you still need macOS 10.15 if you want to use the iMac as a remote).
There are unofficial updates for older Macs that can provide newer macOS versions, but you didn’t say which iMac you have, so again we need more info for this part (if you want to use it as a remote as well), at least the year you bought it.
Thanks for your reply and community support. My iPadOS version is 16.6.1. So, I guess there’d be no problem for it being a remote with the Nucleus as the Core for ROON 2.0. I don’t believe my iMac purchased in 2011 can be updated from High Sierra 10.13.1 to Catalina 10.15. So, as I stated, my iMac that is still operating as my Core off ROON legacy version 1.8, cannot go with the 2.0 version. And as you point out with the Nucleus acting as the Core of my system, I would only be able to use my iPhone and iPad remotely with the Nucleus as the Core. I would still need to purchase a new IMac to get any remote use for the new 2.0 version.
Therefore, expense wise, it would make the most sense, just going with the new iMac and downloading 2.0 on all my devices and use the iMac as my Core and the iPad and iPhone as remotes. No need to purchase the Nucleus? Or am I missing something?
It kind of can with the OpenCore Legacy Patcher (a project to update macOS on older Intel Macs) but there may be some caveats for your model, and without upgrading the GPU it may well be too slow to be fun. Personally, I wouldn’t consider it worth it and would rather get a modern Mac. Yours had a good run, doing 12 years
That’s certainly a totally viable option if you don’t have an urge to have an always-on separate Core. (and if you do, a Mac Mini or an Intel NUC with ROCK are very good and considerably cheaper options)
Thanks to all. Went through the process once already to update to High Sierra on the iMac 12,2. It took 23 hours. Can’t and don’t have the patience to go through it again and screw anything up even with the Cloud/My Cloud (Western Digital). So, being that obsolescence is built in to those antiquated models, there are three roads to take.
Purchase a new Mac or Mini-Mac and make that the Core
Forget about the Mac and just use the PAD as the Core and the iPhone as the remote. Remain with the High Sierra version. However, sooner or later Spotify, Tidal and other streaming services will not be compatible with High Sierra’s or anything below 10.15.
Purchase the Nucleus and latest Mac and be out $4,500.00. But, have total access to everything and no need to worry about the Core with the **always ** on Nucleus.
This does not work. The Roon Core server component requires a Linux or Windows PC, a Mac, a NUC running ROCK, or a Nucleus to be the central point for Roon. iPads and other tablets and phones cannot run the server software, only the Roon Remote software.
So, I cannot use my iPad 16.1 (8th generation) or iPhone SE as my Core.The core can only be the Nucleus, or the iMac Catalina 15.1 or higher. I wish these was another inherent way to get Roon 2.up and running.
Thank you for your post and for your patience. To answer your original question directly, any iOS device made in recent years (capable of operating with iOS 11+) will be able to connect without issue to any Roon 2.0 RoonServer machine, whether on Nucleus, Windows, Mac, or Linux.
The Nucleus would be the one-stop solution to this issue, but there are advantages to investing in a powerful Mac or Windows computer for the broader utility outside Roon. Any recent M1 or M2 Mac machine will be powerful enough with the library size that you seem to have based on diagnostics.
