Nucleus One vs WiiM Ultra vs 2024 Mac Mini servers

[Glenn_Hessel]

I have been using a vintage Intel Mac Mini as my server, but I’m experiencing periodic stuttering and the Mac gets really hot.

I use Roon with Meze 109 Pro headphones and a Sony DAP, in my Atmos home theater with a Roon Ready receiver, and a Sonos TV room setup (soundbar, two surrounds and woofer).

Question for those who would like to weigh in. Does the Roon Nucleus One ($500) have significant advantages over the WiiM Ultra ($330)? Or I could get a new Mac Mini ($600).

Price aside, which would offer the most reliable (and best sounding) Roon server?

Thanks!

[Suedkiez (Just a fellow user like you)]

The WiiM Ultra is a Roon Ready streamer (and amp), i.e. a Roon endpoint, not a Roon server. So this is not a replacement.

The Nucleus One and a new M4 Mini are both good options, but it mostly depends on what you personally want. If you are comfortable with a Mac, the Mini may be the better option in performance, and you can run other things on it as well. E.g., I posted a comparison between the M4 Mini and the Asus NUC13 here, and the NUC13 is considerably faster than a Nucleus One:

M4 Mac Mini vs. ASUS NUC 13 Pro

There are three NUC13 Pro, with i3, i5, and i7. The single thread rating doesn’t differ between them. This is the most important thing for Roon UI and database performance. The i5 and i7 have more cores, which helps with playing to many simultaneous Roon zones (like if you live in a castle), some very heavy-duty DSP (though an i3 should suffice for anything reasonable), and a bit with search. The effect of cache size depends a lot on the specific software, I doubt that it does much for Roon. T…

On the other hand, a Nucleus is more or less turn-on-and-forget in most cases (some people’s troubles notwithstanding).

There is no one right answer for everyone and there are a hundred discussions already on the forum where all viewpoints are stated (multiple times). Some about Nucleus vs Mini, but more about ROCK on a NUC vs Mini (and most about ROCK, apart from installation, is relevant for the Nucleus as well). Those are a good resource and eventually it’s a question of what you prefer.

[Glenn_Hessel]

Thanks for that! I’ve decided to go with the Mac, since if I grow tired of Roon someday, I’ll still have a Mac Mini, as opposed to the Nucleus One which I guess would be a brick…

[Paul_Greenacre (PEFGis)]

I use both oc and mac and I’ve been into hifi since the 80’s. To keep my music uninterrupted, I separate it from my workflow. No matter what happens to my devices, my Nucleus - a reliable, turnkey music system - keeps playing flawlessly. Unlike my mac and my pc, it has never missed a beat. And if you ever tire of Roon, your Nucleus will not go to waste - someone will eagerly grab it on the second hand market I promise you.