I first signed on to Roon in October 2015.
When I began I was using a Mac mini as my core and direct into an AudioQuest Dragonfly DAC.
When SSD was recommended for Roon, I had one installed and ran a remote system using an Apple AirPort Express for the remote system and the core in the main system, still through the Dragonfly.
When RoonServer and RAAT were introduced I installed RoonServer on the mini and built a couple of Raspberry Pi systems using DietPi (thanks @RBM and @Dan_Knight) still using the Dragonfly and Airport Express.
When Tidal announced MQA support, I ordered a couple of Meridian Explorer 2 DACs and happily streamed from RoonServer to the RAAT Pi devices over WiFi.
2019 brought a new house which I had fully wired with network connections throughout. I also changed HiFi gear from vintage McIntosh to modern PS Audio, including their DACs, still using the Raspberry Pi RAAT endpoints. Upgraded the Pi units to Pi 4 to reduce USB noise.
Became a Roon Lifer in October 2019 prior to the price increase . Living through the Mac OS 15 challenges with Roon made me rethink how I used the product and I decided to really slim down a local library that had been ripped long prior to lossless being a viable option.
In the last month I decided that the future was in using ROCK as the core and my Roon Ready PS Audio DirectStream as an endpoint and a Pi 4 running RoPieee (thanks @spockfish) as a remote into a secondary system. Built a NUC10i7 with 32 GB RAM and 2 TB for music storage in just a couple of hours (build instructions could use an update).
In short, it is an awesome improvement in speed and perhaps better sonically (quieter) than the old Mac mini. Also hopefully more fully integrated into Roon’s future infrastructure.
Following the Roon team’s basic instructions of using a simple, reliable network with approved equipment has served me well. I’m OK technically, but not a whiz and it has all worked pretty darn well throughout the journey. Not totally without bumps, but the issues have been easily solved through communication and reading the forum posts of fellow users.