All pretty new to Roon but so far very impressed with the platform.
So much so, that I bought in to it very quickly & have decided this is how I will continue to build my system.
The way I use Roon right now is this;
MacBook as Core
CCA as Renderer (via Optical Toslink)
Integrated AMP w/ Upgraded DAC as Player
It sounds great, works great & integrates Qobuz & Tidal in to one application on my Mac that is smooth & intuitive.
I use this as a standalone system & even though I could utilise Roon on other systems in the house (Bose, Sonos etc.), I choose not to as use Spotify Connect for this for simplicity. Hence, Roon is for my standalone âAudiophileâ system.
The CCA will very soon be replaced with a Lumin U1 Mini or something similar, to hopefully offer better rendering & improve sound quality.
My question is this though; it is a bit of a pain having to run my MacBook to use Roon, where as using the control app via the iPad Pro would be much nicer. I have loads of CDâs but feel no need to store these via any form of NAS, as I have a high-end CD Transport that I still enjoy using.
I donât want to run my Mac SSD on full all the time & I carry this about with me to work, like it was designed for.
Even though the Nucleus is ÂŁ1.5K & would be used for no album storage, Iâd be happy to buy in to this, given Iâd be supporting what I see as a fantastic company so far. I have no interest in an alternative, unless it is a Mac Mini.
It all boils down to; would I see an improvement in sound or given my situation, would it merely be adding simplicity?
Hi Thomas,
the difference would primarily be in system availability, simplicity. The Nucleus is an âapplianceâ in the sense that itâs designed to be run 24/7 and manage itâs own updates and such.
Most people seem to claim that they hear improvements in sound quality when migrating from a general purpose computer to a dedicated Core, whatever the type.
Personally i have a few Roon ROCK computers at home, but take my collection with me in the form of a MacBook Pro with a portable 5Tb hard drive and some decent headphones.
I see youâre not tempted by other options than the Nucleus or a MacMini, and thatâs fine, but i still would recommend the NUC based solution called ROCK. It will save you a few hundred dollars and be just as stable and simple to maintain as the Nucleus. It fits better more than a few meters away from your sweetspot though (fan).
In a chain <<Roon Core â> Digital Transport, Renderer â> DAC>>, how could there be any difference in what the DAC outputs, just by changing the type of computer or device running the Core processing chores?
No, by changing your MacBook for a Nucleus youâll gain simplicity and availability, just as @Mikael_Ollars said in his answer. And if youâre in for simplicity, Iâd say get that Nucleus and donât bother with assembling and installing a NUC which would sound the same, but wouldnât be as elegant and simple as the Nucleus. Good luck!
There is no reason to expect better SQ with a Nucleus (I have one) unless something is wrong with your MacBook and it is introducing noise. They are all just computers.
I got a Nucleus for the same reason you proposing; it runs 24/7 without a problem so music is accessible any time. I donât think I noticed a difference in sound quality though.
Thanks @David_Gibson, it obviously is a few quid, but I guess this helps contribute towards the costs of developing Roon further. Even with no storage purpose, I do believe I will go for it in the next few months.
Just one comment, nothing stopping you from using your iPad as a controller for your MacBook pro today? You MBP can be placed anywhere on the network as long as connectivity is good.
100%, & I do occasionally do this. In the house, the Mac is normally left on charge, but for Roon to be active, I need to leave the SSD running, either with the laptop on or in a form of standby. I worry this will frazzle my Mac or shorten the life of it.
After years of being a Mac user, Iâve never had one hardware failure & donât expect one now, but I do worry with a MacBook that it wonât stand up to the abuse my previous iMacs etc did with battery wear etc. Hence, the decision towards a Nucleus.
Thatâs not correct. You add drives that ARE needed to store your local music files. And, itâs more than just convenience. The Roon Nucleus just works flawlessly all of the time.
The real answer is the Nucleus is for convenience and simplicity. No real difference in the SQ. I have had two different Mac minis as my core. Just fine, but subject to more maintenance that the Nucleus. I have never had a problem with Nucleus in 18 months. One the few occasions when it has not performed properly, the problem was always network glitch or operator error.
Both my Mac minis now serve as Roon Bridge appliances.
âfor Roon to be active, I need to leave the SSD running, either with the laptop on or in a form of standby. I worry this will frazzle my Mac or shorten the life of it.â
It wonât. This is nothing over everything your Mac does during itâs life.
I wouldnât be storing any local files, I just donât have the need to.
Even being a 90âs kid & growing up with CDJâs in my bedroom for years - I soon learnt that in the digital age, all the dance music I had that was rare then, now certainly isnât! With Tidal AND Qobuz integration, Iâd struggle to justify my time ripping the 1000âs of discs I still have, when thereâs a decent Cyrus CDt in my stack.
I did try a Naim Core & they were a stunningly good piece of equipment. If I was going to rip to store, thatâs what Iâd do.
With having no network attached files, Iâm guessing I wouldnât need any HDD/SSDâs in the Nucleus?
I guess the other side of this, is that I could possibly set my Mac up to only run full power on charge & then on battery (i.e disconnected when in the car/on the train) to have a little sleep?
This is what draws me toward it. Yes, it looks expensive but if it works first time every time, I find it justifiable & then I can offset the costs of how it performs across the lifetime of my Roon membership, which brings much pleasure & simplicity to our over complicated world!
A word of caution, should you want to consider it: the Naim Core only works well with Naim products. E.g. you will not able to use it as a storage place for your music that you can access from a Roon core server like the Nucleus.
Regarding sound quality: contrary to popular belief I certainly did enjoy a (small) improvement in sound quality when I switched from a Mac mini to a Nucleus+. This has more likely to do with an improved network connection and cabling, who knowsâŚCertainly donât do it to increase sound quality, but it might be a (small) unexpected bonus.