No dice. Even with the USB DAC plugged into the FRONT USB-A port of the NUC, the noise is still present. Conclusion - The NUC’s USB buss is toast (at least for outputs - the external USB HDD seems to work OK). Time for plan B:
Remove the NUC to the computer room & have it connect to the Apple TV3 in the living room via Ethernet.
Use the Apple TV’s TOSLINK optical output to the DAC (or else plug it directly into the PT1 preamp’s optical input).
Locate the tube buffer between the analog outputs of the PT1 and the power amplifiers.
Umm, given your very strong commitment to WAV over any form of compression (see other thread below), this is wild to me that you would choose either (a) connecting a USB directly to your core, or (b) using a toslink from an Apple endpoint. Not trying to challenge your commitment to WAV, just inferring from it that you have a strong commitment to the bits getting to your DAC as you desire them to be.
Given that, I’d personally counsel you to invest in a streamer commensurate with the rest of your chain. That could be a Ropieee, a Pi2AES, a BlueNote, A Lumin, or any of many many many others. You could choose to work with WiFi or Ethernet to make the connection back to your ROCK - WiFi won’t have any sonic consequences so long as you don’t have dropouts. But neither of your current approaches sits right with the rest of your chain. This is not like the analog domain where there’s an argument for “fewer devices”. I’m not sure what the rest of your chain is (though I’d love to know if you’d be willing to share), but either way you’re doing a fairly grave injustice to your music chain through either (a) or (b). They might be adequate to some, but I’m not buying it makes sense for you. You should have a very good plan A.
Happy to help you figure out which flavor is right. But where you’re headed I’m fairly confident is not right for you based on what I’ve learned about your preferences elsewhere.
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Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
23
That beep-beep every second sounds like some piece of equipment trying to tell you something, like “change my filters” or “need a new battery”. My UPC does this when it’s discharging (but not that frequently).
I’d send the NUC back and replace it with a simple off-the-shelf Windows PC of the same price. There’s no magic in ROCK.
As for the advice to only talk to the Core machine via Ethernet – the direct USB connection should work OK. But I’d never connect a USB-powered DAC to the USB port of a computer Intel sells as a kit.
The cheap NUC is now in the computer room. Its one remaining USB port that works (the front) is connected to my Library drive.
The Apple TV3 in the living room serves as an endpoint (for now). Its only audio output (not counting its internal DAC with headphone jack) is a TOSLINK optical. It just so happens that my Emotiva PA1 preamp has an optical input.
So now I’m back to noiseless listening (albeit at 48/16 only and via optical with no asynchronous receiver).
I’m conflicted as to whether I should try to find a combination streamer / DAC / preamp, or whether I should stay with separates. A Topping D90s would meet all the needs at just under $1k. I’d spend many, many, many times that for equivalent quality separates, yes?
Glenn
Postscriptum - I was never enamored of the NUC to start with - but I did want to try R.O.C.K. Having done so, my conclusion was that I would have been better off keeping my Mac mini.
Mac Mini + Roon Superfan here. B&H had em new for $599 yesterday. You’ll not find more power or better build quality at that price. Of course, it’s a personal choice but real happy with mine as a Roon appliance.
Recent research indicates that Intel’s design goal for the NUC was to make it even smaller & cheaper than a laptop. Therefore, connectors like the USB sockets are not mounted to the case or to any reinforced plate, but just wave-soldered onto the 4x4-inch motherboard. Since the sockets are stacked, one above the other on the motherboard, any attempt to insert a USB-A plug in backwards, for example, on the top one of the two USB sockets gives enough bending force to break the solder joints holding the pair of USB sockets to the motherboard. It WAS a very poor design, but I guess Intel didn’t care.
This is always a tricky equation for hardware makers. I’m NOT excusing the poor quality, but here’s my thinking on my aging laptop. It’s now 8 years old but the case and ports are all still as good as new. I’m now thinking I should have gone cheaper case, it only needed to last as long as the tech inside is useful/supported. Hardware quality doesn’t want to be too high in the low margin, throwaway world of IT is a valid argument, albeit a tricky balancing act. The port thing plain sucks though…
