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Fantastic video. I wonder if I can find a HAT with a wifi receiver and a USB out? If I need an ethernet connection, it would be at least a 40’ cable and that seems like quite a long run and expensive for a decent gig cable. Thanks for posting the video Alan.
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Look like about $13.50.
Such a cable will be more reliable, but most Raspberry Pi units since the Model 3 B+ ship with 5 GHz Wi-Fi, which can work quite well. I’ve tested the Raspberry Pi 3B+ as a Roon endpoint over Wi-Fi up to 32-bit, 768 kHz PCM and DSD512. Note: this was a bare RPi with no HAT; adding a DAC HAT will reduce Wi-Fi signal strength a bit.
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The Pi has a WiFi receiver built in and the USB out on the newer RPi4 is very good. There’s really no need for a hat. I’d recommend the RPi4 in a Flirc case running Ropieee.
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This^^ (10 char)
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What Alan said. Just use the Pi’s USB port for connecting to the DAC.
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Thank you! Looks like the Pi4 is out of stock in the places I’ve checked, but the links here make it all really straightforward, and I’m understanding this architecture and the tech involved more and more. I’ll keep using my Macbook for now and hopefully I can get the Pi before too long. My thanks again to all of the informative responses here.
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For those starting their journey with a Pi I highly recommend buying a starter kit. A Pi board, on its own, isn’t enough to make it work as you still need power, microSD card, recommended you put it in a case, etc. A kit makes sure you’ll be successful. Although, you’ll spend a little bit more money for a kit than just the board it’s also not worth the frustration if this is your first Pi.
I like the CanaKit’s and it looks like they have some in stock. The 4GB model is more RAM than you will use for a bridge. A metal case will / could reduce Wifi range so, if you plan on using Wifi, go for a plastic kit. It will run plenty cool in a fanless plastic case as a bridge.
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I’d recommend the lenovo mini pc or dell hp,these can be picked really cheap,I got a 6 core i5 8gb 256 nve for £180
The 2 GB RPi4 seems to be in stock where I buy them, although they have a limit of one per order: Raspberry Pi 4 Model B/2GB - PiShop.us ($45)
If you’re in the US, I’d suggest sticking with the standard power supply. Good value for $8: https://www.pishop.us/product/raspberry-pi-15w-power-supply-us-white/
It’s overkill, but I’ve been spending a few bucks extra for the high endurance microSD cards for these builds. Most distros, like DietPi, try to limit writes to local storage so that the card does not wear out too quickly: SanDisk 64GB High Endurance MicroSDXC Card - BLANK - PiShop.us ($11.95)
The Flirc case is a little spendy and may reduce Wi-Fi range, but it does a great job of keeping the RPi4 cool (heat can be a problem with this board): Flirc Raspberry Pi 4 Case - PiShop.us ($15.95)
So, about $81 + shipping for an RPi4 solution. Will work great with RoPieee or VitOS
The new Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W ($15) works great with Roon as well, but you’ll need a few different things if you go that route. Any 5V microUSB cellphone charger will work, but the official one is only $8. To connect a DAC, you’ll need a microUSB OTG cable ($1.95) and, obviously, a different case ($12.95). While it’s not required, I’d suggest getting the mini-HDMI cable ($3.45) in case you have to do any troubleshooting. Optionally, there’s a spiffy microUSB adapter with three USB ports and an Ethernet port for $9.95. Of course, the same microSD card will work for the O/S. Total somewhere between $42 and $58, depending on choices.
Actually, even better is a pre-built like an Allo. 
If one fits your needs.
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I must gently disagree with this. The Pi4 is imo a faulty construction due to heat issues. My first one died after a couple of weeks, likely of heat causes. My second one got a flirc case which solved the heat issues (more than 10°C cooler running) but made it less useful as wifi and HAT compatibility took a major hit.
I think the newer ones run a lot cooler. Agreed that Flirc case is a great solution for heat management, but not great for Wi-Fi and precludes use of a HAT.
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Yes the newer Pi4s run a lot cooler as I bought one a few weeks ago to run as another RooExtend endpoint.
All of my older Pi’s are in Flirc cases due to heat issues (and yes WiFi and Bluetooth took a hit), but I accidentally ordered a Flirc Pi3b case from Amazon and it’s been running out bare for the last week.
Barely got warm to the touch.
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You can underclock your Pi4 Roon Bridges at 600 Mhz without any performance issue. At that clock speed they should never have heat issues with proper ventilation and heatsink. The stated operating temperature of a Pi4 is somewhere from 50 to 80 C. They are fairly robust little SBCs but your tale of caution is a good one. Those running Pis should keep an eye on the temps if ambient air is high temp or you don’t put it in a place it can breath (like buried in a cabinet).
My two cents: Once you decide you want to go forward with Roon, build your own core with an Intel
NUC. I am a mac person…have used windows for 6 months of my life and hated every second. But this is not windows. Roon is giving you free software to install on a NUC ( I bought them used on eBay for very little…$300 all in maybe?) The software is pared down to what Roon needs…many things are turned off. Computers create noise…you don’t want noise being transmitted down a usb cable. Is this a huge thing? No…but in this case you can have your cake and eat it too.
I’ve done two now and its very easy and is rock solid. Roon is giving you the tools to make a Roon Nucleus for a fraction of the cost (less the fancy case and deleted fan). I applaud that.
There are many ways to work on your network (optical fiber, filters, etc, etc) Many are very inexpensive if you stay in the computer world…the cost vs performance ratio is crazy good. Have fun!!
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Yes, i am aware of that and thats what i did on my Pi4’s. On the first one this didn’t seem to have any influence on the temp though?
You all might be right, the later might run cooler though. I have fallen back to my trusty Pi2Bs as i find them to sound best! 
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Hands down the easiest and most „bang for the buck“ solution seems to me a used NUC i5 with at least 8GB RAM and whichever size you need as an SSD.
Then put ROCK on it, connect it via LAN and you‘re good for years on end for maybe less than $300 (200 if you find a real bargain on eBay).
I‘m in MACs, by the way. So no probs there. I use my iPad, iPhone or MAC to access Roon.
I have my database on a Synology NAS, but that is a detail and you should be fine with the NUC alone and it’s SSD.
I have a Cambridge Audio 851N as network player, feeding into my beloved Harman Kardon HK990 and my QAcoustics Concept 500.
Maybe not the highest end, but together with my Linn LP12 Majik the best compromise for me and my personal audio heaven.
Best of luck and don’t forget to enjoy and have fun!
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Thank you to David Snyder and others for making this “Roon Setup for Dummies” straightforward. I had been on the lookout for a mac mini but I’ll look into the NUCs. Just not familiar with them and the differences between one and the next, but I’ll have a look on Ebay and see what’s there. $200 vs $350 is a good thing.
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