How do I redirect music thru DAC to my amplifier rather than MacBook Pro [Also what streaming endpoint should I use ?]

Hi Andrew,

@support : Solution in Sight! Thank you Andrew for explaining the root problem and pointing the way to multiple solutions. I am reviewing each now as well as their review articles. Will let you know when I finally implement a solution.

Thank you again to the Roon Community for the thoughtful support and follow through.

Cheers,
David

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Hi,

Thank you for the Raspberry Pi information. Andrew on the prior post also suggested the RPi among others. I am not a techie so I do confess to leaning to more plug-n-play solutions but do enjoy tinkering if it is not too much.

I very much appreciate your support and the Roon Community at large, an excellent experience.

Cheers,

David

Thanks phllr,

Andrew in the post following yours pointed out the root problem and pointed the way to a solution via different network devices. Since I am new to this, I find everyoneā€™s support extremely helpful, and very much appreciate it. I am reviewing the device options and related review articles to get a clearer picture of what will work best.

Thanks again,
Cheers,
David

Thanks David,

Iā€™d also suggest checking on the Oppo forums to see if there is any talk of the SonicaDAC becoming Roon Ready. If that were possible with a firmware update then it would avoid your needing to buy anything else. It can take some time for those arrangements to be implemented.

So far as turnkey solutions are concerned I use and recommend the microRendu, I have had very few issues with it apart from a recent glitch in upgrading to the 2.5 software. I understand that has been fixed and a new card is on its way.

In relation to DIY solutions I have also tried a Raspberry Pi, Cubox and BeagleBone Black as inexpensive network endpoints running Roon Bridge. I think the quality of the power supply to these devices (the LPS-1 UltraCaps in particular) may be a more efficient upgrade than the difference between the Pi (for example) and the mR itself. The Allo Sparky is a recent addition to these small computing devices that can run Roon Bridge.

Both the Raspberry Pi and Allo Sparky support Diet Pi, which is a considerable advantage as it enables configuration using menus and NO Linux commands. I use a Raspberry Pi as an endpoint for my bedroom headphones with this funky HAT.. I wouldnā€™t recommend it as I find it noisy with WiFi compared to other solutions, but it does look very cool in a geeky kind of way.

If I were setting up a new low cost endpoint I think I would go with the Allo Sparky as itā€™s Ethernet bandwidth isnā€™t subject to the design limitations of the Pi. Having said that, @wizardofoz isnā€™t experiencing any issues with a Pi so I might be jumping at shadows there.

Roopieee is a relatively new software image for the Pi, meaning it is even easier to setup than DietPi, but is confined to running Roon Bridge. DietPi is a low footprint Linux that you can do many other things with, but Roopiee is a single function image. I havenā€™t used Roopieee but can see the attraction for folks who want to keep a DIY solution as simple as absolutely possible.

What Iā€™m trying to say is donā€™t be too scared of a DIY network solution with a Raspberry Pi or Allo Sparky if those solutions otherwise make economic sense for you. You will find enough support on this forum (see the Raspberry Pi section) to guide you step by step through the process and most people find that once it is working they never have to look at it again. These days you can install and configure either DietPi or Roopieee without knowing any Linux.

Edit: Iā€™m going to shift this into Audio Products as we try to keep Support for emergency cases, and you are now an outpatient. Please feel free to use this thread for further news as the folks who have posted here are interested in what you decide to do, but you are always welcome to open a new thread in Support if you experience any further/other issues.

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Hi Andrew,

Thank you for the excellent note on Roon device options.

I spoke with Oppo Customer Service this morning (I am in San Francisco) and asked if a Roon-Ready update was planned or in process for the SonicaDAC. I was told that they 'are looking at itā€¦" I then asked if that meant that it was in the near future-months, a year, etc., and the reply was, ā€œā€¦maybe months, maybe a year, maybe neverā€¦ā€ (!).

With that ā€˜choiceā€™ bit of information I have ordered a microRendu from Green Computing and an Roon-Ready i5 Transport to host Roon. I currently have the Roon Trial copy on an early 2011 Macbook Pro which is nearing the end of its days, so the i5 seemed like a good and timely replacement. (BTW, I donā€™t know if you follow such events, but the Apple WWDC was a non-event for new products or even updates to existing products-Have they lost their ā€˜MoJoā€™ā€¦?)

I decided on the microRendu for purely pragmatic reasons of expediency and a limited bandwidth of available time to fully explore and deploy the DYI options. This in no way indicates that I consider them of lesser quality, only that the microRendu appears an excellent product, and the quickest and most direct route to the music without further demands on time.

As an aside, while I appreciate Oppoā€™s reluctance to reveal product plans, as an existing customer I would have appreciated a more considered response. Fortunately, excellent workarounds are available, and the microRendu, for me, works best.

Thank you and the Roon Community for your excellent and generous support.

Cheers,

David

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I have had a similar response direct from the distributor here - who I deal with regularly and even sell oppo products for. He deals with the folks in Taiwan/China.