Prices only apply to Amazon Prime members, and may be US only. Are you ready to ROCK?
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Do they work well as Roon Core?
They are the intended platform for Roon Optimized Core Kit (ROCK), and have been tested by the Roon team explicitly.
NewEgg is in on this as well - their deals on the i5 have been renewed at least once.
Hi,
I am new to both this forum and Roon. Actually I have not purchased a Roon license yet. I am just (im)patiently waiting for the release of ROCK to pull the trigger. In anticipation I ordered a NUC6i5 (plus RAM and SSD M2 card) from Amazon. The kit should be here by Monday. Will ROCK be too?
This is killing me![details=Summary]This text will be hidden[/details]
Who knows?
ROON has given us a lot of detailed information and is unlikely to say anything more until they actually release it.
Witnessing the spike in questions issues / fixes related to the 1.3 release, my bet is that they won’t release ROCK until the main 1.3 release is not generating bug fix requests and the level of forum / support activity calms down.
In all honestly, everyone at ROON probably deserves a good vacation before embarking on another release all but certain to stir the pot again.
While we’re all understandably impatient about getting our hands on ROCK, from a customer support and long term sustainability perspective, ROON needs to make sure that they can continue to maintain their impressive level of support. Burning a team out by overloading them with bug fixes and support questions is a good way to head in the other direction.
NUC 6i3 + 8gb RAM + 256gb M2 SSD for $339
This is the lowest cost of entry for new, warrantied ROCK compatible hardware that I’ve come across.
How would a NUC compare to a base SonicTransporter? I read a review from a guy that liked ST much more than a NUC.
What is a ROCK?
@guerph
Thanks!
So it makes sense to wait until ROCK is released before pulling the trigger on a Sonictransporter or NUC?
The base Sonictransporter is a device that predates Roon 1.3. While it will undoubtedly run Roon it will not do much in the way of DSP. Compared to what is being discussed here, the Sonictransporter i5 would be a better comparison. Waiting however is up to you.
OK. It makes sense for going with NUC because of compatibility with ROCK.
Apart from the suggested NUC6i5SYH, what else do I need to buy?
SSD for ROCK, HDD for storing my music files?
M.2 SSD, HDD, conventional will do but SSD is silent. Backups are essential of course. 8GB of suitable RAM. I put mine in an Akasa case so it is silent and totally enclosed.
So I buy a SDD and HDD? And they both fit in a NUC?
Until ROCK comes, how do I install Roon Core, since a NUC is headless?
They fit in a tall NUC, not the low profile ones. Stick Ubuntu Server on to begin with, you need a monitor to start. Once done the monitor is not needed and you can get on using SSH which you choose as an option during install.
Here is what I bought:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/142279405508?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Comes with RAM and SDD already.
Do I install Core now, or do I wait until ROCK is launched?
Assuming I install Core now, can this be done through iPad Roon app (settings), or do I need a mouse, keyboard, and monitor to install Roon Core in NUC?
Hi,
You got a good deal there!
In order to run Roon Core you need to install first some kind of OS such as Windows or Linux. ROCK is an OS by itself so you will not need to install anything else to run it.
I also purchased the same NUC (plus RAM and M2SSD) and am patiently waiting for ROCK. I was tempted for a while to go with Windows 10 but it seems excessive for a NUC that only is going to serve music.
Enjoy!
I guess I am better off waiting until ROCK is launched. I am not going to receive the NUC bundle I bought until next week anyway.
BTW, I purchased it for $60 less than listed. I made the offer, which the seller accepted.
That should be perfect for ROCK!