Right now I also have a Hegel H400. Great amp, just a powerful sound regardless what I play.
Running my SACD player via analog inputs to the H400 and it is great. I still like playing discs . Very powerful sound is how I describe it.
I do use ROON, and think it is best for me, local files and Qobuz. So I am trying 2 things. My ROON core and server is my SGC Sonictransporter. First with my Lumin U1 Mini streamer with SBooster power supply via USB into the Hegel USB. Second is using ROON right from the H400 streamer via ethernet network connection. Functionally both work fine. I have not compared the 2 close enough to determine which might sound better. They both sound good. I will have to experiment . The USB in the H400 has a wider range of resolutions it will play, verse the network ethernet input. But if I would be happy with the ROON via Internal streamer , I could sell the Lumin U1 and SBooster, and use the money towards some good network isolation or some other updates ?
Any thoughts or what you are doing with the H400 DAC and Streamer ?
That would be a question for Hegel customer service. Hagel has to do the programming etc to get a device to a point to even begin the certification process.
EDIT:
As to the disparate capabilities it offers via ethernet Roon ready compared to USB Roon tested, that’s how they certified it with Roon, due likely to hardware limits, which is rather unfortunate at that price point.
You beat me to it, as I was going to say the same thing. H400 is ROON Ready and tested. Maybe I confused with the question. ROON itself works fine wether fed by my Lumin U1 Mini via USB to the Hegel, or using the Hegel built in streamer supplied by ethernet cable. Both sound good. getting DSD64 on Ethernet, and DSD256 ob USB. Just wondering what others are doing and with what, cable type, etc…
Personally, I’d use USB and keep the path short and simple, but it depends on your use case. Roon Ready, eg, a network connection, has the advantage of 2 way comms which is useful if you want to display track names and album artwork - if supported, your Roon server can be anywhere with a network connection and simultaneously stream to multiple endpoints. USB is peer to peer.
My experience with the H120 is that it works flawlessly as a Roon endpoint. Soundwise, I can’t find any difference to my NUC connected directly to the USB port of the H120, but funcionality is much better when using the H120 via ethernet as an endpoint, as I can use the remotes (iphone, ipad and PC) to switch the amp on and off and select the Network input just by pressing play.
