Hi
Would like to start a thread for Mac mini users
Roon Support do not know everything you know and is not that interested as we are to solve problems the same week/ month or year
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A late 2011 model i7, 16G with Ubuntu (24.04) Server LTS works like a charm.
Headless and ready to rock at any given time.
Only an OS update that requires a reboot limits the uptime.
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Not a Mini, but an M1 Studio as the Core (always updated to latest OS and this is my main computer so other things are always running). I have to quit and restart Roon once every few days. No idea why, but after a few days I will try to play music and it refuses to actually add it to my queue. I hit play this album and nothing happens. Quitting and restarting fixes it. It has done this since I started using Roon ~3 months ago.
In researching this problem, it seems it is not uncommon for Roon to need a restart on Macs every once in a while.
I was thinking about getting a cheap Mini just to run Roon, but that problem makes me hesitant.
I feel like there are a few threads out there on this…
I have a late 2012 Mini and it’s flawless. (I think the Late 2012 is the last one to be able to run Catalina, which the oldest Mac OS recommended by Roon.)
If you hunt around, you can find these for $100. Low risk to try it, i reckon. (If you can find a server version with two drives and maxed out RAM, it might be twice the price, but that’s the ticket. Then you can run the OS/roonserver on one drive, then fit a giant SSD in the other drive slot to house the library.)
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I am a Mac guy, happily running a 2018 Mac mini as my core, pushing 2.1 and 5.1 music in my dedicated higher quality system. Plus, it distributes my Roon Library successfully to a 2.0 Roon Bridge (yeah, a 2012 mini in my office) and 2.0/5.1 playback through my Sonos Arc system. The only problems I have had with this setup is occasional user error.
Running a hard wired 2014 Mini i5 with 16GB RAM. Upgraded the original Apple 256 gb SSD to a 2TB NVME. Running flawlessly for a few years now. I also have an M2 Mini but did not see any performance improvement in my use case so have continued to use the i5 Mini. 8 endpoints, DSP all work with no issues. I have the Mini set to reboot daily and really don’t think about it most of the time.
I have a used Mac Mini (late 2014) that I use as one of three Roon servers. It’s main purpose is to give me access to my Roon Nucleus using Splashtop when away from home. This is so I can reboot the Nucleus if necessary or reconnect Tidal and/or Qobuz to the Nucleus.
When I first set it up, I was going to use it as a Roon client only, but then I decided to go ahead and install the Roon server option also. Why not? Of course, now they are combined.
My Mac Mini works well for me. I did an upgrade and installed a Samsung 980 SSD.
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I had a 2012 Mac Mini that ran flawlessly. I replaced it a couple of months ago with an M2 Mac Mini and it too is running perfectly. Neither model has needed reboots and I can’t think of a time when I had a problem with either of them.
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Been using a headless 2018 Mac mini (3GHz i5, 8GB/256GB) for the last 6 years - absolutely flawless operation (running Roon server is its only job), with the occasional reboot during a software update.
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2018 Mac Mini. Roon/HQPlayer. Upsamples everything to DSD256 using Jussi’s suggested filters without breaking a sweat.
Hey Dipper…what method did you use to get your Library over to the new Mini? I have my Roon Library on a 2012 MAC Mini and my Core on a M1 in my office for creating and installing Room Correction Convolutions. Both work great for my 7 + years at Roon. I do know the 2012 Mini is getting long in the tooth and will need to be replaced. Just wondered what are steps to transfer the entire Library to a new Mini…
One way, of course, is to copy your library onto an external drive. Then you can easily copy the files from the external drive into your new mini, or feed the contents of the drive to your mini by usb. Either way, having a an external drive with your library is a good idea, just in case.
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the correct process is documented here:
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I use a M2 Mac Mini as my core, base model with 256Gig storage and 8Gig RAM. Sometimes wonder if having 16gig RAM would have been a better choice but it has never been an issue. Have it stripped down to just the essential software and a few settings modified.
I remotely access it via my Mac Studio or iPad Pro. If some sort of Nucleus had a benefit I’d consider changing, but feel I’m in the best spot.
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Thanks you guys ….those solutions sounds good to me…BTW I have 16MB RAM in all my MAC Mini’s seems to work great….back when I got my 2012 it was so sweet to do your own thing swapping out memory to your needs whether or not RAM or Storage….I guess those days are gone so an external drive is all we have… I really think Mini’s make good streaming units for quality, dependability and operation……Thanks Again !!!
Hi @LarryMagoo, I just followed the Roon Labs guidance as posted by @Suedkiez. No problems😊
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Great to hear - I have a 2018 Mac Mini (3.2ghz i7, 32gb/2TB) that I’ve been thinking of replacing with a Mac Studio and using the 2018 mini as my new Roon server (replacing my NUC8i7BEH1 from 2020 which struggles with my large library) and hook it up directly to my Denon via HDMI. Apple will only give me $210(!) trade-in for the mini beast, so might as well use it for Roon and hopefully gain a better experience. Looking at this article its actually recommended for larger libraries, so it sounds like a good thing all-around for my use case:
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Wet blanket alert.
From 2015 - 2020 I ran Roon Server (Core) on a headless 2012 Mini 2.3Ghz i7 w/16GB RAM and SSD, dedicated to Roon only. Library is around 80k tracks, 1.3 TB, stored on a Synology NAS, and everything is hardwired. In early 2020, I started having a lot of problems with Roon, almost as if it caught Covid. I struggled through months of frustrating troubleshooting, including a LAN upgrade (router, switches, and cabling) and a thousand other tweaks. Finally I moved the Server to a NUC8 i7 and the problems with Roon went away immediately. I repurposed the 2012 Mini, and it is still chugging along just fine, not running Roon.
Just sayin’.
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Base config M1 Mini no issues. It just works. Quiet and cool. This M1 also serves as my personal desktop in my home office. I used a 2012 Mini prior to that and it was fine, but Roon did seem to get hung up periodically and needed a reboot / restart periodically.
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Roon core on a Mac mini M1 set to shut and restart everyday
this setup is smooth
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