You don’t have to buy anything new. You could run the Roon Core (which is just a software) on an existing computer. Such as a Windows laptop, a MacBook or any other similar box around in the house. The core runs as an additional program, the rest of the computer remains as it is.
Edit: missed your last answer. Think you already have understood this piece
Ethernet preferred but, to get started, use the Wifi and see what happens. The worst signal strength in my house is in my master bedroom. I use a Raspberry Pi 3B+ for that endpoint. The combination of low signal, overall low sound quality of the Pi 3, and the relatively poor antenna in the 3B+… I use Roon DSP to smash everything to 16/44.1 and never have a hiccup.
In your office, where you may be more stationary, try to get an ethernet cable to the laptop. Or you may find it works fine. Hard to give any real advice here without understanding your home, the wifi network, etc. The “nice” thing about laptops though is the antennas are usually up in the display and provide fairly solid connectivity compared to other arrangements.
Correct. The Roon “Desktop” (just called “Roon” on the download page) software is both Core and Remote. However, what you might want to do is install “Roon Server” on the laptop and then install Desktop. This may give you a smoother upgrade path if you ever decide to move the Core off the laptop in future. The way that works is, on install of Remote, it will find the Core “on the network” even though it’s running local.
It’s a 1 box solution for their software. That’s the key. I like the Naim software. I like the Naim ecosystem. I’m kind of an “open source” guy so I didn’t want to lock myself into just Naim. But, if I didn’t have ~6-10 endpoints at any given time within Roon and decided to downsize… Naim isn’t a bad place to be. One of the things that keeps me with Roon is I can, almost, throw anything on the network and send music to it. That anything includes Naim since their gear is Roon Ready. And, all that random gear has the same interface because Roon.
Also, rarely in digital audio does anything stay 1 box for very long. Digital allows for quick software changes and quick software changes usually domino into a need for different hardware and then you lather, rinse, repeat.
Thanks for all of the replies, I ended up being able to get to a dealers to try a number of of options. Ended up buying a Burson Conductor GT (which was just excellent with my LCDX’s) and installing Roon on my laptop which will do for now whilst my wallet recovers and I get to grips with Roon.
For anyone whos interested, I found the Uniti Atom HE to be OK but nothing special, the TT2 to be thin sounding, lots of detail for sure but without enough ‘meat on the bones’ for me. I’d had my Hugo repaired with new batteries and so got to try that with a few different headphones as well. The Meze Elites were sublime, just lovely to listen to. I felt that they needed a bit more power though. Also tried a pair of LCD-5’s which were great but not a big enough step up (with the Hugo) to justify the expense.
I dared not try these headphones with the Burson, I’ll save that for next time…
For anyone stumbling onto this thread looking for the same thing (as I was)… I picked up a WiiM Pro and am quite impressed. Although it has a DAC and analogue outputs, I use it as a digital transport via the coaxial digital outputs to my active DSP speakers. I use Tidal Connect (which it has). It tests beautifully on ASR (as a digital transport), is bit perfect, has in app digital volume control, set up is straightforward and easy for technophobes, support is remarkable at the price point, and there are constant improvements and firmware upgrades. All for $150 and 30 day trials (Amazon). The only feature lacking for my use is sub out. Reportedly they are considering a firmware update to remedy that.
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I would always use USB over S/PDIF if possible, and I’d replace any DAC with a bad USB interface.
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I don’t think you realize you need to have a DAC somewhere in your chain… so that sentence is not true. You are just moving the problem, not resolving it.
You better have a streamer that send a clean signal through S/PDIF to the DAC so he can work with a perfectly timed signal, rather than sending the whole package and let him do the job.
The job of the DAC is to translate a timed signal into analog, not unpacking (and do both), specially with big files… that’s why the last streamer have dedicated FPGA chip and send a signal through S/PDIF…
Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
91
Ah, so that’s my problem!
But that seems a better idea, to me. Why not do the clocking of the samples closer to the DAC which understands them, rather than have to rely on some other piece of equipment at the far end of some wire?
Ok sorry for the first part that may seems a bit patronizing I typed fast.
I hear you, but I think cable doesn’t matter for digital signal so maybe that’s why I found this solution better. I prefer a dedicated device that will be specifically designed to handle the job with a customized chip, than a device that will do both but not that well. And because unpacking and timing requires different ressources.
But if there’s a dedicated chip inside the dac, then alleluia.
To go back to your first sentences, I would check how the signal would be handle before prioritizing the usb connection that’s all !
That’s the key. I like the Naim software. I like the Naim ecosystem. I’m kind of an “open source” guy so I didn’t want to lock myself into just Naim. But, if I didn’t have ~6-10 endpoints at any given time within Roon and decided to downsize… Naim isn’t a bad place to be. One of the things that keeps me with Roon is I can, almost, throw anything on the network and send music to it. That anything includes Naim since their gear is Roon Ready. And, all that random gear has the same interface because Roon.