I have TWO endpoints with the Core running on a dedicated SSD Mac Mini w/ i7 Intel proc and 16 GB of RAM. Per all I’d read this is “best practices” to enjoy Roon.This Mac Mini has not HDMI connected and does NOTHING but stream music. In the case of my Lyngdorf Audio, I am NOT using my DSD DAC at all. the DSD DAC is not in anyway involved. It is simply the Mac Mini with a USB cable running directly to my Lyngdorf MP-60, and everything is hard wired on my local network. When I first began w/ Roon about 2 months ago the Core was installed on my iMac w/ 32GB RAM but I subsequently moved it to the Mac MIni as it seemed silly to leave the iMac up and running all day , particularly since I need to work on it occasionally. And to set the record straight, I am FINE with this experience. I don’t expect expect “ultra high fidelity” from my Lyngdorf and am happy with the sound. The Mac Mini here is simply providing a link to my library which in fact resides on an external drive. NOW…with respect to my PS Audio DSD DAC, it is IMPOSSIBLE for me to connect it to my Lyngdorf as it has ONLY balanced or RCA outputs. So, for this reason I insert the Bryston BP-17 cubed into the loop to run in HT bypass mode. So if I want to listen to true HiFi, this is the preferred endpoint without exception. And I can see everyone has an opinion, and typically we as humans are generally convinced that our own respective views are the best. That’s normal, and I respect that . But all I can say is that I have had several installers in my home for various projects and these are guys who have been to mansions in Scottsdale - very high net worth clients with some good gear, I’d presume. Each tech without exception stated that I had the best sounding system in the entire Valley here in Phoenix, and this was BEFORE Roon with my basic Mac Mini running nothing but iTunes/Pure Music. Are they right? I tend to doubt it given the amount of money in the Valley here but who knows? I doubt it, but safe to say it is likely in the “top 10.”
Thanks; some good stuff in the link you provided. I suppose I will try upsampling and see if that improves the fidelity/SQ. I haven’t listened to my Bryston at all today - only the Lyngdorf, so I will play around with the Settings and upsampling to see if I can get closer to the more natural, richer and wider soundstage I enjoy without engaging ROON. And please, for the record, I LOVE Roon and am not looking to in any way bash it. I’m just trying to make a good experience better fro one of my two endpoints. SO for my Lyngdorf endpoint I am good. DId it sound better when the Core was on my iMac and EVERYTHING happened via Ethernet only? I dunno. I’d have to playa round with that but I prefer not to leave my primary computer on all day hosting the Core while I work simultaneously on it, And it was a Roon tech who encouraged me to visit the “Features” link and submit a request, so I just did as I was told! Only other option if I cannot get close to Pufre Music is to by an Aurender and use it for my Bryston, and continue to use Roon for my Lyngdorf. I’d rather have a dedicated, NON-Computer device to play files with a nice app than to mess around with a $250 piece of software that is a pain in the a** to work with, insofar as I understand. The Aurender gets fabulous reviews from hard core audio guys and dealers who sell lines like Dan D’Agostino ( Krell founder). Check out one review here, as I am 100% confident that THIS solution would deliver better sound than what I have with or without Roon. hey don’t even believe it is acceptable to allow their box to reside on the same network, so they son’t allow DLNA ethernet on their gear. https://www.soundstagehifi.com/index.php/equipment-reviews/966-aurender-n100h-music-server
I get it. You know best…Roon is the problem and everything would be better if you could use Pure Music. You don’t want to hear anything else. Out…
If I didn’t want to learn something new I would not have asked. And I’m not bragging about my system just sayin…It is what I’ve been told. So again, if I didn’t want to learn how to make Roon a better experience for me I would not have asked. I think I we can do without attitude and sarcasm in this community. At least I should HOPE! 
Attitude and sarcasm? I tried to help and you starting throwing capitalized words around like you had been insulted. Glass houses…
For what it’s worth, I used Pure Music with iTunes/Mac Mini set-up for years. I’m a former studio engineer and producer and consider myself to have pretty good ears. Although the sound was good with Pure Music it didn’t always play well with the Mac and I found myself continually having to use older operating systems to get Pure Music to function properly. It all felt a little Micky Mouse to me. So last year, after talking with a few professional audio people and a friend who reviews for Stereophile I moved my music files from two WD drives to an Innous Zenith Mk III music server and Roon. During both set-ups I used a Wavelength Cosecant III as my DAC. I didn’t perceive any noticeable difference; in fact the Innous has a much lower noise floor which allows small details in the music to present itself. It’s pretty seamless.
Wow… Pure Music is still around? I recall when that first came out and how it unleashed a tidal wave of glorious, subjectivist praise - like every minor dot release “lifting the veil from your music”.
Of course, I had to try it… once, since it was so clumsy to use and seizure inducing to look at.
Thank you; you are the second person to recommend the Innous MK series, be it the Zen or the Zenith server. But when I went to check it out I understood that it converted AIFF files to FLAC. Is that the case? And is it Roon Ready in that it can function seamlessly as an Endpoint? Seems like they take a similar approach as Aurender though Aurender is stand alone and cannot be integrated into the Roon ecosystem. I’d have no problem paying up for an improvement in a piece of hardware that sounds as good or better than my Mac Mini/Pure Music. And I agree with you that YES, there were issues with Pure Music crashing frequently but lately no such issues. And no explanation as to why!
I’m very sorry you somehow mistook my use of capitalizing “HOPE” to represent me having been insulted. It was not the case at all. I’m sorry you take it so personally and are so sensitive about a bening capitalization of a "hopeful " word. Certainly not my intention.
The Innuos products can be used as your Core and/or a Player (you do need to hook them up to a DAC etc, excepting the Zen Mini Mk3, which has an inbuilt DAC). I’ve been using Innuos for the past few years.
They also accept AIFF just fine.
So I could purchase this one here? https://www.innuos.com/en/catalog/go/zen-mk3-1tb-hdd-black ? Selecting the 2TB option puts it about $500 more than the Aurender which would take me entirely OFF of the Roon platform and my wish is to stay with Roon for BOTH devices. So the Zen MK3 would appear to fit the bill and I suppose I’d have to proceed on your word and blind trsut (gulp( that it sounds WAY better than what I have got . And BTW, yesterday I ordered this device which a lot of PS Audio enthusiasts highly recommend as it literally converts USB to i2S protocol via HDMI. Everyone insists it makes a HUGE difference. My DAC has two such inputs and I have on available. Even if I ditch the Mac MIni it improves the SQ and performance of the DAC, big time (they say). I spoke with the US distributor yesterday to pick his brain and he can’t believe how many units he sells to DSD owners like myself. So that would for sure solve the problem for me in that I could play tunes via my DAC and get the best of both worlds! Cool. Do they have US distribution in dealers or only DTC with support ONLY overseas? Thx!
Dude. If you’re listening to iTunes, you’re listening to low res.
Nuff said.
No dude. NOT listening to iTunes. It is Pure Music that plays the files and it rocks. I gave it up for Roon, and after 45 days or so did an A/B comparison and the Pure Music player sounded better - in my opinion as well as friends familiar with both. I listen to Roon via my Lyngdorf Mp-60 and its fine on that endpoint. But for serious 2.0 listening I have a dedicated preamp - a Bryston BP-17 cubed that I run in HT bypass mode. I WANT Roon to sound better. I dig Roon a lot. Roon interface the best there is But my ears are the final judge.
Robert, lots to digest here so I’ll try and respond as I see something…
Dedicating a machine for core is the right thing to do. Using a “PC” as an endpoint we need to help you get away from that practice. The Mac Mini may do fine with software optimized for Mac, like Pure Music, but even as “just an endpoint” you’re not getting the best out of Roon.
I’m confused why you consider your Bryston an “endpoint”. When talking endpoints in the Roon environment they are the network attached device that receives the stream from core; preferably using RAAT. It appears, and maybe I missed it, the only “endpoint” you have is the iMac? Please clarify. But, either way, a Mac as endpoint is not ideal.
The Aurender is not Roon Ready so that doesn’t help you. Look at Auralic, Linn, a Bryston streamer… something that is Roon Ready to stay in the Roon ecosystem. Nothing wrong with Aurender but you’re making your Roon life more frustrating by putting yet another box into the chain that doesn’t natively support RAAT.
Also, why are you not sending audio directly to your MP-60? It is Roon ready. You don’t need to mac mini -> USB… The MP-60 is Roon Ready. Just set the Lyngdorf as a zone.
Oh, now we’ve found Innous. I hear great things. Yes, a fine Roon core. I still think you should identify a better Roon endpoint.
I think you’re kind of in information overload and solving things too many things at once (which generally leads to solving things that were never problems).
You’ve an a good DAC in that PS Audio device. Focus on putting a Roon (RAAT) endpoint on that. I assume that is connected to the Bryston? Options:
Cheap - Raspberry Pi running Diet-Pi or RoPieee
Mid - Allo Digione or USBridge Signature, Sonore, SOtM, + power supply
Higher - Any of the Roon Ready streams I mentioned above
If you don’t want to leave a Mac on as core all day long then the Innus is good as well as buying a Nucleus / putting together a Nuc or buying a ready to go core from Small Green Computer.
But, before you start replacing your core… let’s get you a proper endpoint.
Try HQPlayer if you want great sound and it works great with Roon
Thanks, IP, for the time you’ve taken to explain my options and point me in a better direction. It’s clear to me that I should abandon the Mac for music. I hear that. And forgive me if my nomenclature was incorrect earlier as I try to identify my two endpoints. In point of fact I have two, and my primary endpoint for casual listening is my Lyngdorf MP-60. It’s a 100% purely digital SSP, and it rocks in post processing “party mode” which delivers 4.2.2. But it cannot support the use of my PS Audio DAC as it lacks analogue inputs to send sound out to my amps. So… in order to get the benefit of the DAC I love, I had to purchase the Bryston pre-amplifier so that I could connect the analog output from the DAC into an analog input and then out to my amplifier. So in fact my OTHER endpoint is the DSD DAC and NOT the Bryston of course. I will attach a screenshot that shows the simplicity of the configuration.
So I am keenly up for a move to a dedicated NON - computer solution and it’s between the Innuous and the Aurender. And because I wish to remain in the Roon ecosystem I lean toward Innuos MK3. And based on a video review I just watched by John Darko, he liked it a LOT. He does state that in his opinion the device sounded nominally better as a stand alone streamer WITHOUT engaging the Roon Core. Nice to know one can easily switch back and forth. With an upgrade to 2 Tb the Innuos is about $500 more than the Aurender. If the SQ is as good or better than Aurender I’m happy to spend the money. At the end of the day I want the best sound possible as I’ve got the gear to appreciate it.
Looking at the back of the box, it appears pretty straightforward. I would simply plug in my USB cable from my DAC into the rear and connect my cat 6 cable to the lan port And since my DAC feeds directly to the Bryston preamplifier, then I imagine it should be a seamless integration. The single, only fly in the ointment is that I am a Control4 customer and it may require a service call; but when I think it through, I’m guessing it should not. After all, I am quite sure that my programmer simply wrote a driver for the DAC and that’s what is loaded to my C4 profile. I can likely slip in this new device to replace the Mac Mini as it is the DAC that C4 recognizes. My Bryston runs in HT bypass mode.
My Lyngdorf as you point out is Roon ready and it works strictly off of the network - no problem at all. So to be clear, if I were to purchase this Innuos or consider Auralic, either of these boxes would be the final endpoint to replace my DAC? And based on what I’ve seen, the Core can be turned off on the Innuos and I could use their ecosystem which is said to provide better sound or “settle” for the Roon experience with good audio - just not “quite” as good as the Squeezebox server used by Innuous as a stand-alone experience. In either case, if either box becomes my endpoint, that would likely require a tech support visit to incorporate the new box into my Control4 system… I think ! Haha. Thanks again IP; I appreciate you.
Nucleus supports Control4. you could go “all in” with Roon’s flagship and integrate that into your C4 system https://kb.roonlabs.com/Control4
Thanks. Have heard of it of course and will check it out further. As you know by now, it’s all about finding the single best device within my budget that delivers maximum SQ. That’s the bottom line. And any device can be supported one way or another in Control4, so either way I’d have to factor in another $125-$200 depending on which path I take. If I go Innuous I will likely need my tech here for Control4. And if I buy the Nucleus I for sure will need my tech here to scan the network card into the C4 system. Geez this “hobby” is becoming expensive. LOL 
Looks like Ben answered your question concerning AIFF/ FLAC. I bought mine from Alma Music in San Diego and was happy with the service and delivery.