Great explanation! I understand better now. The PC is the core and the 2nd PC/Laptop is the endpoint that connects to the DAC then my Amp.
Now, what if I bought an Intel NUC. Would it act as both the Core and the Endpoint? Which is a better solution (roonbridge or NUC with both)?
Thanks all!
It depends.
You could run the NUC under Windows or MacOS and it could run as core and endpoint.
Or, you could set up the NUC headless and run it only as RoonServer. Then use another endpoint.
The simplest, cleanest solution is to install the special RoonOS that runs ROCK on the NUC. This makes it a turnkey appliance that runs Roon and virtually nothing else. Many of us do that. You would then need an endpoint to get output from ROCK.
Would you try to find a second hand Nucleus VerA ?
I (like many others) have a NUC running ROCK as Roon Core, and all endpoints are remote via Ethernet. I initially used a RPi 3 with HiFiBerry HAT running RoPieee as a Bridge to connect to my 851N Streamer via a digital connect (USB is also available), so NUC>Ethernet>RoPieee>851N>851A (Amp for audio)>DynAudio Special Forty speakers. However when the 851N was upgraded to be Roon Ready, I was able to plug the Ethernet direct into the 851N and that made the RoPieee bridge available for another zone with it’s own endpoint audio driving a pair of Monitor Audio speakers.
I hope that makes sense for you and clarifies the roles and terms a bit.
It sounds like no matter which solution I go with, a separate endpoint is the most important thing.
So, I could get an endpoint for my PC and try that and then later add a NUC if I wanted? Would that remove most of the “issues” with sound quality (PC>endpoint)?
So, the endpoint would just be a networked device that my PC sends music to and then it goes from the endpoint to the DAC?
I think I’m getting it…
No. If you are unable or unwilling to run Roon Server on a system with no directly connected (USB, S/PDIF, HDMI) DAC and you want the best sound quality your DAC is capable of, Roon is not a good fit. Much as it pains me to say, I advise you to look elsewhere.
Maybe I misunderstood. I thought the PC would be the server and then an endpoint would be connected to the DAC. So, the PC would not be connected to the DAC at all…
Best / recommended is 3 separate things: Core, Endpoint, Remote
The core can, pretty much, run on anything. Keep it on your PC for now. The endpoint is a lightweight and quiet network device to connect to your DAC; RaspberryPi via USB is a good/cheap start and 3B+ is plenty enough for this task. Remote can be another PC, tablet, phone, whatever has a nice display.
Sound quality benefits come from separating Core and Endpoint. In your set-up, the cheap and quick way to get there is Raspberry 3B+ --USB–> DAC. Load diet-pi or RoPieee on the Pi.
I’m giving you the cheap / quick to get into the recommended architecture. You can certainly do better than my recommendations by spending more and taking more time to plan. But, I’d hate to someone spend hundreds on a NUC before committing to year subscription. That just turns into an expensive trial. Once you’ve committed to Roon then better endpoints and core will be in your future and you’ll start to hear increment improvement at each step.
You have it right. There are lots of opinions here, but that is what I think the majority is recommending to you. It’s what I meant anyway.
It’s not Roon that would be finicky. It’s the USB output that passes on EMF or electrical noise from the circuitry or mechanisms within the machine.
I can’t say that. Many variables affect sound quality (production quality of media first, speakers, room second). But as part of the “scientific” trial and error process of optimizing an audio system, the potential issues with a DAC connected directly to the core is an important variable to eliminate by using a separate endpoint.
I would not go the laptop route except as a quick and easy trial because you already have it. The point of the separate endpoint is to have whatever is feeding your DAC be electrically quiet. Laptops are not that. Built in display, everything jammed in there, circuits all close together, etc.
It’s important, but hard to know how important until you do the test.
Yes, that’s the idea.
In practice its hard to say. Roon obviously feels this is the cleanest solution. But it’s still possible that you might hear difference between the two programs. I sort of doubt the two programs differ THAT MUCH that it would bother someone. But you do see people claim this. So it may be a thing…
Yes. You got this. That’s a good outcome regardless.
Perfect. I have a feeling it’s like a lot of what I do - I’ll dip my toes in, see how it is, and then dive right the hell in. 
Ok, I’m ready. Now where do I get this Pi from?!?!
Agreed entirely. That’s great advice and what you want to do to hear the best you can. When the endpoint is separate, it really doesn’t matter what your core is, as long as you’re not getting hiccups or skips (then, too slow, not enough processing power). The same stream comes from the core no matter what, and the network doesn’t pass along any “noise” it creates. (others will tell you to buy a $1000 fancy audiophile network switch…I won’t…)
This was my solution, but I needed SPDIF out. The “HAT” is a separate board that plugs into the RPi. It might be best to get a separate HAT with the USB out there. But there are a zillion ways to do it.
I kind of like this very basic kit as it comes with some goodies like heatsinks. But there are cheaper kits from others or you can buy just the board and other bits separately to get a nicer case. I mean… you could also just buy the board and power it from a power bank you already have for $35 if you’ve got a spare microSD card sitting around. Raspberry Pi is a fun architecture to get into.
Amazon sells the CanaKits as well as a few others.
I’ve been using Audirvana for a few years. I remember 1.5.10 in particular as that was the darkest. Back when the interface was a AV receiver. Then 1.5.12 brought a bit more sparkle. The sound kept changing through the various 2.X with Izotope. Regardless, I was still fond of the sound. With Roon available and my dedicated hardware, I stopped using Audirvana full time. However, whenever I’ve gone back and used Audirvana in the past few years with Sox, I wasn’t too fond of the sound. It sounds hyped and fatiguing. It’s definitely exciting and different compared to the rest, including Roon.
If I connect to the DAC with USB I wouldn’t need the HAT, right? I’ll probably use just USB.
How much RAM?
