I am not sure in which category I should have put it, so if this is the wrong one please excuse it.
I am not very deep into Roon so please also excuse if my questions are “silly”.
I am currently using a custom built NUC on which I have installed the roon core using the ROCK OS.
It is only used for streaming to a Lyngdorf TDAI-1120 and sometimes for mobile purpose on Cayin N8II (native at home, Roon Arc on mobile).
It works fine.
I am planning to extend the headphone chain I use which is currently only using the N8II as source for the Cayin HA-300MK2 out to Focal Utopia 2022 / Meze Elite / Hifiman Susvara.
I am planning to get the Holo Spring 3 DAC (not sure if KTE or Level 2) and put it between the Roon NUC and the Cayin HA-300MK2 using USB for connection.
On a later time I think of extending this with a Holo Red as NAA.
While this will (hopefully) just function I stumbled a lot over the HQPlayer and its benefits.
If I understood correctly this isn’t installable on a native Rock OS(?).
I don’t want to run it on another system so I would have to run the NUC on Linux and install and configure both the roon core and HQPlayer?
I have bought it preconfigured so I just don’t know which Problems I would run into.
Currently its very convenient to rip CDs, I just put them into the drive and it will rip and eject it afterwards.
As I don’t want to use a screen there it is important that I could run and configure it aside from First setup from a different PC in same network.
If I would have to install Linux instead what would be with former ripped in files (different drive), would they be recognized?
Is the HQPlayer even worth the reconfiguration of the core?
Sorry to burst your bubble, but a NUC has too little computing power to run relevant HQPlayer goodies, especially so when having to handle an operating system with Roon server at the same time - you won‘t get happy with such a solution, so better rethink your approach.
Thanks for your input. So an i5 is too weak? It is between the power of nucleus and nucleus +.
Thats unfortunate but thanks for the warning.
So I would have to set the HQPlayer on a more powerful System.
Does the HQP connect to the roon core or the roon core to the HQP?
If first I should configure both of these?
The issue you will probably run into using a NUc is the limited processing power of a mobile cpu vs a desktop cpu. Depending on the modulator, filters used and target resolution, HQPlayer can require a lot of processing power.
The way it works is Roon->HQP->DAC->… that is, HQP operates as a virtual endpoint that then talks to your DAC. Regarding computing power, your NUC is very likely not enough for the most desirable filter-modulator combinations for the Spring 3. Just as an example, I use an i9-11900m with 32GB DDR4 DRAM with substantial cooling for DSD256 to a Holo May KTE with poly-sinc-gauss-… filters, ASDM7EC-light modulator, DAC corrections. DSD512 or ASDM7EC-super are too much for this machine.
Wow, well I will have to stay with direct connection to the DAC first I think. My desktop is only i7-6700k with 64GB DDR4 RAM. Not thinking of the i5 of the 400€ custom built NUC.
Strongly underestimated the requirements for the HQP but well there is always something to improve.
It should still be a good upgrade using a dedicated DAC instead of a DAP as source though.
For your reference, my i7-6700k desktop pc can only run dsd256 7EC super with default and most shorter length filters. No dac correction
My i5 13600k with 64g ddr ram with out a gpu can run dsd512 with dac correction with default and most shorter length filters.
With a 3080ti it can run dsd512 with dac correction with pretty much any filters (except sinc L) and any modulator combination.
Without dac correction, I can run dsd1024 7EC super with default and shorter length filters
All of the above also runs 2 channel audiolense convolution
@Dominik_Luckow - where is your media library located? If this is on you “Rock” NUC - “data migration” step needs to be considered with system rebuild.
To your original question - yes it is possible to set all up in one NUC box by seriously reconfiguring the setup. Either on Windows or Linux Desktop or even server. My recommendation however is to leave ROCK as ROCK with no change to your NUC and arrange separate PC for HQP. If you don’t want an extra screen you can run “HQPlayer Embedded” headless server for example.