I think his solution is easy. Order a Nucleus and call it a day. That’s what I plan to do once I decide to stay with Roon.
Thanks Andy, excellent suggestions here. I think the way forward is slow down and carefully investigate all the options; even ‘simple’ sounding systems usually hide many complexities. I do want to stay with Roon as it is an amazing educational and organizational tool. The Roon nucleus looks like a very good solution and I do have a question about this option related to your post: My Naim NDX is connected to my network via wifi. Thus there is an unused ethernet port on the back of the NDX. Could I connect a nucleus to the NDXd via an ethernet cable and thus get the nucleus on my network via the NDX’s wifi connection. That would solve a lot of my problems. (Would much prefer to do this than connect a nucleus directly to my router as that is a very noisy environment with lots of devices running).
-GM
The Roon Nucleus has 2 USB and 1 HDMI port. If you also install an SSD drive for music storage, it will be a silent device. You can put it with your music setup and connect the Nucleus via ethernet cable. Then, connect your Roon end-point device to the Nucleus via USB.
Or, if you don’t want to physically connect anything to your Nucleus, put it out of the way anywhere you have an ethernet connection. For me, that would be in the master bedroom where my router sits behind a TV.
No you can’t do this, the nucleus doesn’t have a DHCP capability.
Just put the nucleus and the NDX on a £13 switch and it will partition off “the noise”
Thanks James. One clarification: to get the Nucleus online, can I plug it in via ethernet cable into the ethernet port on the back of the NDX? I assume the main purpose of the ethernet port on the NDX is for connecting the NDX to a router; but I have the NDX connected wia wifi so its ethernet port is not used. I just don’t really know if the Naim’s ethernet port is kind of a “plug in any ethernet connected device here and you will be on the network”, or if it is more of a “this ethernet port is only for connecting the Naim NDX to the network”. (i.e. my knowledge of ethernet architecture is very limited). Thanks. GM
I don’t know, but you probably don’t leave your NDX on all the time. I think you want the Nucleus always on and always connected to your network. Several years ago, I ran a cat 5 cable from my router to an upstairs bedroom that is my office (so to speak). I plan to put my Nucleus up there where I will never even see it or think about it.
Pretty sure you can’t plug a Nucleus into the NDX2 Ethernet port. It’s just not intended to work that way…
Personally, I would have no qualms connecting a Nucleus directly into your router; but you are spending money on a very pretty fanless case that you wouldn’t see or (not) hear. Building a ROCK on a standard Intel NUC computer would probably be a better bet if you want a plug-it-in-and-forget-about-it solution.
You will find that wired is ‘preferred’, but to counter that my system works fine with a windows 10 pc running Roon and an ND5 XS2 both wireless to a bog standard router. Simple. Works. I only want to spend time (or money) fixing problems I actually have.
You would likely leave the NDX2 switched on all the time too - usual Naim recommendation - even if you let it drop into standby when not actually playing.
I will again mention an NAS box as a place to keep your music. Some boxes might be able to use the SSD you purchased (for the NDX). Further, there is the possibility of running Roon Core on the NAS box; but pay attention to what the Roon KB says on that topic (https://kb.roonlabs.com/Roon_Server_on_NAS). In any event, you will want to connect a NAS box directly into your network (that is, not through the NDX, which may not work, as others have noted).
Because I am very well acquainted with Windows (used to work at Microsoft), my personal preference is Roon Core on a Win10 Pro x64 PC, ideally in a no-moving-parts setup (fanless, only SSDs). That’s what I have.
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There’s some very useful information contained in this thread, I would agree with the following points:
It is best to have the media connected to the Core machine, even if a samba share is possible via the NDX, it would not provide the best experience since there would have to be additional hops (NDX External Drive -> Macbook Core -> NDX Roon Ready output).
As Rugby mentioned, Roon Ready means that the DAC uses RAAT to communicate and it has been tested in our lab to provide a good audio transport experience, this does not suggest any storage capabilites.
I see no mention that the Ethernet can be used as an output in the NDX Manual. From what I can tell, this device does not have a DHCP server, so it can only use Ethernet input, not output.
I would replace the Macbook with a dedicated Core device, such as a Nucleus or ROCK and attach the drive directly to the Core. If you are concerned about the price, ROCK is a DIY kit that also runs the same operating system as the Nucleus and would provide a great experience.
I know I am mostly reiterating what other have said above, but there are a few solutions to the issues you are describing and am hopeful that these solutions satisfy your requirements.
Thanks Noris and everybody! All good information. I think a Nucleus or ROCK is the way to go, attached directly to my wifi router via ethernet. That should solve everything and allow me to access Roon and my music (and the Naim DAC) from any device, anywhere in the house.
Greg
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