Introducing Nucleus One - the most affordable Roon Server ever made!

Roon Software Discussion
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Hey @Saturn94, unfortunately, I can’t test it personally. I’m a two-channel guy straight through these days. I dig multichannel set-ups, and I’ve had them in the past, but the house I’m in now wouldn’t accommodate them well.

That Nucleus One reviewer seems to have had success, though. It doesn’t surprise me based on my own experiences with it.

We’ve always used the 100,000-track marker as a general dividing line reference point between the two models, but it’s not a hard and fast rule. I have just over that many tracks in my library, and Nucleus One is doing fine.

Again, generally speaking, from our knowledge of music lovers - people with 100,000 tracks are going to end up with twice that sooner than later. We all know how it is - songs seem to reproduce rather quickly. It’s best to jump to the next model or build a ROCK to your tastes.

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410

Thanks for the response. :grinning:

Unfortunately, the reviewer only mentions multichannel via HDMI works and sounds good; no mention of any multichannel + DSP abilities/limits. Perhaps once in the wild, someone will test this.

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411

Roon Bridge or HQPlayer installed on another computer could serve as a dummy endpoint for running multichannel capability stress tests, could it not? Actual audio output is not necessary for this kind of testing.

AJ

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I’ve decided against sharing the details of the One.

What I will say is there are compute limitations that set the album/track marker and DSP restrictions which is no different than the previous generation Nucleus. The fact that the Roon Team can provide the same capabilities for nearly 1/3 the price is remarkable. I’m not sure why some people are getting wrapped around the axle on the specifications for an appliance meant for an audience that wants a turnkey solution. If the capabilities or price isn’t suitable, just move on to building a NUC or run Server. If you’re concerned about upper/lower processors, wait for the compatibility matrix to be updated.

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413

No …

I may be being a bit perverse but consider if Roon had only ever been a hardware supplier and they specify that their Nucleus was capable of X and their Nucleus + was capable of Y . They now bring out a new BOX specified as capable of Z

Think Cambridge Audio CXN, CXN V2, and now CXN 100. Do we know what is inside a CA CXN device (processor, RAM etc), NO , do we even ask NO, so why should Roon be any different. As it happens, the reason the original CXN is not Roon Ready is that the processor isn’t up to it hence the upgrade to V2 and now 100 .(as per CA Support) . Normally a hardware supplier may quote which DAC chip is used a a marketing ploy.

Skip forward , Roon is software , they have always announced what the system requirements are necessary for their software.

They branched into hardware, as a small company in partnership with Intel they chose processors to suit the 2 hardware products they (had ?) manufactured.

They have now moved on with a acquisition by a company (Samsung / Harman) who manufactures a range of hardware products under a range of names , no doubt with expertise and resources in creating pretty much any circuit board they need . They are now on par as a hardware supplier with CA, indeed much bigger.

We hope that they will continue to provide the software for the amateur DIY market (that we are) and to provide server software a la ROCK but their future may well lie elsewhere with the Harman group creating Roon Running Hardware - who knows . It’s hardly our place to demand to know the internals of their product or their business. Harman (and subsequently Samsung) are not in this for charity - who knows their roadmap for Roon ? My guess is that they have one.

Guessing what board is inside from the orientation of the USB ports is hardly scientific and is not going to help . As far as I am concerned they need to provide a comprehensive description as to what the appliance / device is capable of, hence giving purchasing guidance to would be buyers.

In the comparison what do we really know about the internals of any device other than what selling point the manufacturer wants to spin for marketing reason things like LP supplies, DAC chips etc.

YES I could be wrong but watch this space.

Maybe they should Open Source the software TOO :smiling_imp:

Just my take on the subject - so be it

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414

In theory, which option (for music storage) would run cooler and thus not require the Nucleus One fan as much: an internal SSD or a USB memory stick? Which would be quieter?

There may be too many variables at play to explore this question.

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There’s no reason for a difference between either option, but USB sticks are notoriously unreliable and meant for short-term storage/transfer

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I agree. An internal SSD is better as a performance solution – I was just curious about noise.

Thanks.

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I think you are right in the much lower price point will prevent people from cobbling together something in order to save money which assumes their time is worthless. Computers (and dedicated ones like the Nucleus One) are commodity items and not worth spending precious time on trying to replicate or “improve”, especially given the minimal requirements of the Roon software. Gaming rig setups are not required.

Reading some of the comments posted throughout this forum about people squandering time with hardware setups is disheartening. Roon is designed for listening to music, which is why we own music. Hopefully people will capitalize on the availability of a less expensive ready to go option.

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419

I tend to be critical about audiophile tendencies to put gear before music, and agree that the emphasis on specs rather than utility is misguided. That said, when I started with Roon, its compatibility with hardware tinkering was a definite plus.
“Squandering time” “cobbling together” my initial setup with a NUC and four RPis and associated enclosures and hats was something I thoroughly enjoyed, and had Roon not supported it, I’d never have taken the plunge.

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A lot of people don’t have the option but to cobble stuff together with existing equipment they own or do a bit of research and build a NUC themselves, every penny counts to some people and Roon is not a necessity.

I wouldn’t get disheartened any more than when your see someone sweeping the yard, or cutting the grass, they’re doing it because they can and maybe paying someone isn’t an option to them.

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Considering the amount of time squandered on this forum telling people they are squandering their time, not sure what your point is. Some like to DIY, others not. Nice they have both options now.

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An MVMe is new technology for ssd, the Nucleus have old ssd technology, same for not having usb4 for an external disk.

423

There is no real specifications for any Nucleus, I can’t buy something that I don’t know what is it. Is like buying a car and they don’t tell you specifications.

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They don’t reveal because is dated tech.

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I don´t want to know specifications when buying a car. Apart from obvious standards like length and width, specs do not say anything about how a car is driving, how it is handled, how quiet it is, how the stereo sounds and how long it will last. Specs are at best misleading for consumers, especially horse powers. It is a joke.

Do you walk into a car dealership and demand to know the CPU type and RAM generation of the main computer, telling them they use outdated tech and their car is crap? I hope not. I prefer a test drive and a chat with experienced independent mechanics. Funnily this brought me to ordering a previous generation model with outdated computer, smallest screen, spec-wise underpowered engine, analogue dashboard and less gadgets. Could not be any happier with a car.

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426

They don’t reveal it because the spec is irrelevant to the target market, rather they’re emphasising what it’s capable of.
Of course it’s not bleeding edge tech, it doesn’t need to be.

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427

I think the difference is that for the Nucleus the CPU and RAM are the equivalent of a car’s engine and most people would not buy a car if they had no clue what was under the hood and couldn’t research on their own either. A car’s engine/Nucleus’ CPU are important because I want to know horsepower/processing power, mpg/memory, etc.

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What do you expect for this price? If you buy a decent fan less computer with Pro SSD, 16GB RAM and a fast CPU you are close to 1500 €/$/CHF.

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429

Roon rating the Nucleus One fit for up to 100.000 tracks and/or 10.000 albums is a dead giveaway about its horsepower. If your library is larger, then the Nucleus One simply isn’t for you.

Which CPU, amount of RAM etc are installed is not important. The Nucleus is designed for people who don’t really care about what’s inside. As long as it works.

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