Hi all! I’ve been testing Roon for the last few days and I really like it! I’ve been running core on my PC. My DAC is connected to my PC (USC) and I have my speakers and headphone connected to my DAC OUTPUTS.
I want to stop using my computer as core and instead use the Nucleus One server.
I’m a bit confused, as I was reading that I might need to buy a streamer.
Is that right?
How would the connection be made with the Nucleus One?
Knowing that my amp dac (SMSL DO400) doesn’t have network connectîions but is connected to my PC.
Do I need to somehow connect the Roon nucleus to the computer or DAC?
Or connect a streamer like Wiim pro plus to the DO400? Maybe just having my computer powered on would make the DAC detectable ?
I know it’s very basic questions, I appreciate your guidance.
I love the Roon solution but just can’t wrap my head around the proper connections here.
Oh I need to mention, I’m mainly using Tidal and Qobuz for now, not concerned about local files for the time being.
You can connect the SMSL DO400 to the Nucleus One using USB just as it is currently connected to your PC.
However, if this does not fit with your preferred physical positioning for both the Nucleus and the SMSL, then you could add a small, cheap, Roon Ready bridge device like the Fiio SR11 or the Wiim Pro or Wiim Pro Plus. The SR11 costs around $100 and the Wiim devices are only a bit more expensive (the wiim devices are also more flexible in that they have an integrated DAC and headphone amp). Finally, if you feel up to it, you could build your own device using a Raspberry Pi (RPi4 preferred) and installing Ropieee or Dietpi - both discussed on this forum.
If you go with a bridge device then the Nucleus and the bridge device will both be connected to your network (ethernet for the Nucleus. The bridge could be connected by WiFi if necessary but wired ethernet would be better. The Bridge device would then be connected to the SMSL DO400 using USB or, if available, SP/DIF over coax or optical. There will be lots of opinions about which would be best but USB should be fine (Raspberry Pi will only support USB unless you add a HAT [expansion card] card to it).
Using bridge device connected to the SMSL by USB or SP/DIF will probably not give control over the SMSL volume (I may be wrong here I’m not familiar with the SMSL). Using a Roon Ready streamer like the Wiim devices when used without the SMSL (but also many other devices costing 10 times or even 100 times as much) will enable Roon to control the streamer output volume as well.
Using a bridge or a streamer allows the DAC/Amp to be physically separated from the Roon Server (of any kind).