DBPoweramp also goes to those sources for the metadata but you can prefer one or more of them in setup if you like it’s metadata.
Before it rips the CD, DB will show you the metadata on screen and you can go in and over ride it if you wish.
You may want to fiddle with settings at first but there are TONS of guides to DB and many people here use it too. And, as you can see, we are keen to help.
You make it sound so easy! And cheaper, too! I’ve already got a Seagate 2TB USB drive which I’ve used to back up the Naim. What will Roon do when presented with this file which is standard WAV? Convert it?
Or better yet…what shall I do with the SSD that is inside the Naim Uniti Core? As is, I’d have to install that internally to the PC (we already know that’s not good because PCs are noisy where good quality audio is concerned). But perhaps there is a way to attach a SATA to USB cable to it and turn it into a USB drive? I could look into that.
But I’m thinking as I write and it occurs to me…, wouldn’t it be best to attach it to the router by Ethernet where it could be seen as part of the network when the computer is not on? But I doubt there is a SATA to Ethernet cable, so now aren’t we back to the NAS or an external server? I suppose I could regard that as something I could migrate to, but I do have a perfectly good SSD to put to use which I can not otherwise use.
That is really good news. Goodbye Naim 
More good news!
Yes, Roon will play WAV. That’s one thing the Core does, it converts all kinds of file formats and then sends the same thing to the endpoints, puts less demand on the endpoints which may not support all formats.
Wrt your SSD: never mind. Putting the music library on an SSD is not better. Certainly not when attached to a big noisy PC. Use it for something else. The fact that you invested in the SSD for the Naim is water under the bridge. (One exception: if you get a fanless Core box, like a Nucleus, and put an SSD inside you can put it in the living room. That’s what I do. But it’s easier and cheaper to use a regular drive and put it in another room.)
Attaching the drive to the router is just an unnecessary complication. If the computer is not on, you’ve got no Roon anyway.
Just to emphasize that point the roon core has to be on to use roon. It is the heart of the system, it looks for tracks, converts formats, ships them to the end points etc.
You are obviously computer savvy enough to pick all of this up, it just needs time to get the terms down pat.
Aha, another important point. The gadget containing Roon Core has to be on all the time. That keeps me leaning to the idea of the fanless Core Box in the living room. More expensive, but very useful. And quiet! I have all the attributes of a wannabe audiophile, so I pay attention to things like that.
Uh oh, I am revisiting some of the earlier messages and I missed this. I do not have a hard wired Ethernet cable to the Core i5 Desktop. I will definitely need to get this last one done. I am fresh from the recent and really awful chore of getting Ethernet Into the living room, with the router on an outside wall at one end of the house and the stereo console in the LR on an outside wall at the opposite end of the house. Our crawl space under the house is low and maneuvering around heating ductwork complicates the job. My husband’s old knees are still protesting. What do you suppose he will say if I tell him he has to face this again…
I did think of one thing that concerns me with Roon which, if I understand what I’ve been reading, is that it is only integrated with Tidal. How do you listen to Deezer or the newly available Primephonic or others like it as they become available? Do you have to switch to a different app??
Yes, you have to go outside Roon to use streaming services other than Tidal at the moment. Some endpoints run apps that support other protocols like DLNA that can be used with them.
Roon are currently in talks with Qobuz, and Qobuz have been talking about integration with Roon as going to happen, so I am quite optimistic about that.
Otherwise I don’t personally find myself wanting to go outside Roon. Local files, Tidal and Internet Radio keep me fully occupied.
Your husband will be happy to know that you don’t need wired Ethernet to the i5. As long as it has connectivity to your network via WiFi, it will work fine, assuming the signal is good. Install the Roon Bridge software on the i5, connect it via USB to a DAC or via analog out (if you want to use the i5 internal sound card) to your Meridan and you’re all set. The Bridge will show up as an Audio device in Roon automatically and once you enable it in the Roon Audio setup, it will work wireless.
There are plenty of USB 3.0 units with swappable SSD slots that will allow you to reuse the SSD that you have in the Naim. But since you already have a backup copy of your music on a USB drive, I’m not sure it’s worth spending the extra money just to have a way to reuse your SSD. I’m sure there will always be a use for it in the future or sell it with the Naim. BTW, Roon Core recommends backing up the Roon Library regularly. This is not the same as backing up your music, it only saves the Roon metadata and other info specific to Roon. You will still want to have another copy of your music but this could be on one of your existing PCs if you have space.
Roon does its own metadata and they do a pretty good job of it. Unless you change it in the Roon configuration, it is the Roon metadata that you will see once you start using Roon. You may find this will save you a lot of time in the future.
Bit late in here !
If you are fanatical about Classical metadata, try MusiCHI , it has a tagged section (20 euro) which standadises composer names and composition names.
It has a 30 day demo , when the info overload has died down its worth a look just to get consistency, all the options above tend to use different standards for Composer. MusiCHI uses Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus (17xx- 18yy)
Love your ESL , I miss mine still. They didn’t mix with Johannesburg dryness and altitude.
On the hardware endpoint from Rasberry Pi, Allo Digione And Roipeee works well for a really low cost $200 ish
Good luck, hang in there
Mike
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Yes, I am very much in favor of dedicated, single-purpose devices like the Roon Nucleus or the Sonore MicroRendu, and getting general-purpose computers out if the picture (I have written at length here; some disagree.)
But a key point: it is easy to experiment. Start with Roon on a Windows PC with a USB spinning drive, evolve to dedicated hardware, it’s all few mouse clicks.
And start with WiFi, if that doesn’t satisfy you can pull wiring. (Personally, I use wired networking within the music room, Eero WiFi to the rest of the house and to the Internet.)
I’m in love with them too. I had them redone last year and they were sounding like new. Quite a wonderful experience to listen to them. But I’m sorry to say my new kittens have had too much fun climbing them. Can you imagine how I feel about that…
Right now they don’t sound quite right. I’m not sure whether something delicate inside like the Mylar film has been damaged by cat claws or I’ve messed up by adding a pricey surge protector and an audiophile receptacle for it. 
. Hopefully It’s just a poorly recorded CD. I’ll have to spend some listening time on this to sort it out.
Thanks for the suggestions there. So far these mini computers both amaze and mystify me so I guess I will have more homework to do.
This might be a question for the Naim forum, but I’m wondering how It would all work if I traded in my Naim for one of the new Naim streamers. Would Roon be in charge and the Naim would be just one of my several other endpoints?
Yes, the Naim streamer can be a Roon endpoint in your main system. It would simply replace the current Naim. Just make sure to get the right one. I think there are 3 that are Roon enabled.
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Yes, the Naim streamer can be a Roon endpoint in your main system. It would simply replace the current Naim. Just make sure to get the right one. I think there are 3 that are Roon enabled.
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The three new ones are priced $20,000, $4500 and $3500. Of course, “the right one”, as far as reviews are concerned, is the $20,000 one, but it definitely won’t be that one! I’ve been looking at DACs in the $2000 price range but according to some people that know about things like that I need to go quite a bit higher, like in the neighborhood of the Mytek Manhattan II or the PS Audio DirectStream DAC to get really good sound. Good audio is way pricey and now that I’m well past retirement age, those prices are out of my comfort zone. I’ve been doing everything without a dealer up to now and I might have to find a good dealer who will let me listen so I can make a good choice,
The Audio Alchemy DDP-1 really sounds very good and that was a lucky purchase from an audio sound point of view. But there’s no point in keeping it in my LR system if I get a Network streamer like one of the Naim products. It will go to my primary computer and be upgraded to Roon ready.
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I did a little looking on the Naim site and I don’t see any good alternatives for you as a trade. I suggest you just sell the Uniti Core and cut your losses. Since you already have a good DAC and amp for the LR system, all you need is a Roon endpoint and those can be had for $500 or less. Someone mentioned the Raspberry Pi, which is a good solution if you want to build your own with a Linux device but there are plenty of others like the microRendu that are plug and play with simple web based configuration. It does require a wired connection but it sounds like you already have one in the LR.
As for DACs, there are plenty of good ones from iFi, Schitt, Meridian, and AQ for under $1000 that should be fine for listening from your PC based systems. If you want to go to $2000 you have many more choices of very fine DACs. You certainly don’t need to go to the level of PS Audio DSD or Manhattan II. Both companies make more economic DACs like the Brooklyn.