Hi everyone I have recently set up ROCK on my NUC now it’s running perfectly but I am curious about location of the NUC my NAS is in my study and I have placed the NUC near the NAS is that the best location for it to reside or am I better off to have it in my listening room near my audio gear ? I am just curious if there is a wrong and right place for the NUC in my network chain thank you
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Doesn’t matter as long as it’s on the same network
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The only potential difference is if you are using a fanless case (or not), meaning that the original nuc case, with a fan, could be noisy if placed in the listening room.
I replaced mine with a fanless case as I don’t have the luxury to put it in a different room but, as mentioned, as long as the network is the same it’s ok. Better to have it wired than wi-fi only.
Hope it helps.
Thanks guys that all makes sense I appreciate your help just wanted confirm it.
Suedkiez Love Sonic Youth the good old days
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NUC with ROCK and NAS is best connected directly to the main router or through a dedicated switch that is connected directly to the router. Endpoint Roon Reedy needs to be connected to separate switch, which is located next to the DAC or amplifier on a separate branch to the router or through the Wi-Fi bridge.
Good morning.
I am awaiting my supplies to set up my Roon system. I am have some very basic computing/networking knowledge but am confused about a couple of things. I apologize if these questions belong somewhere else but I think they are appropriate here:
I ordered a NUC and plan on installing ROCK on it for all the reasons I’ve read about (quicker, more user friendly, etc). From what I can tell, I install Roon sever on this machine. If so, I only need to install the Roon control on my MacBook and mobile devices. Are those assumptions correct?
If I install the NUC in the listening room, can I attached my DAC (a Schiit Modi to soon be replaced by a Denafrips Ares)? I will also have the NUC hardwired into the network to feed other endpoints (AVR, Sonos network). Or do I need a Roon bridge (thinking Roipee on a Pi4) in my listening room for the DAC? If I need to go that route, I think I might as well put the NUC on my rack in the AV closet.
Does one of these set ups make more sense or are there options I am not considering?
Additionally, I am going to build my library on a SSD external drive that I plan to keep next to the NUC. Do I need it directly connected to the NUC or can I just have it connected to the network and let Roon access it that way.
I appreciate any insight the community can offer. I am excited for this project and to start using Roon.
Jason
IMHO, keep the core out of the listening area.
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Just to be clear, you will install Roon ROCK, which is its own operating system optimized for Roon.
Roon Server is a separate thing that some people prefer to install on top of an existing server that already has an operating system like Windows, macOS, Linux, or the QNAP or Synology NAS servers. (Which can make sense if the server already serves other functions)
When you have a Roon Core like a NUC with Roon ROCK, then yes.
Sorry dunno, I think yes but the NUC needs audio-capable USB which might depend on the NUC (?)
Either, you can attach a USB disk directly to the NUC or you can add a network-attached storage (NAS) to the network and point Rock to it. (Note that this can’t just be any USB SSD, it must have the ability to connect to the network, i.e., a NAS of some kind)
May I suggest the ROCK documentation where all of this (and more) is answered and probably better than my quick post:
Hi Jason
What Suedkiez wrote all sounds correct to me after I have just set up my NUC with ROCK installed. One thing I might mention is that you should probably start your own topic just so it doesn’t get confused with mine. No drama just in case there is some miscommunication. Good luck man this ROON software is the best thing to happen to music since the invention of the mp3 it’s a real trick piece of kit 
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I think this is where I am getting confused. I’ve read over that ROCK article that you referenced (thanks for posting) a couple of times. It does a good job of describing what ROCK IS but I don’t really get what it DOES …
I (think I) understand that ROCK is an OS (similar to MacOS, Linux, etc …) and that Roon and Roon server are programs (like Apple Music or Spotify). But here’s where I start to get confused. If I have ROCK on a NUC, do I NOT need Roon server? Are the two (ROCK and RS) redundant or complimentary? The picture in my mind was that you installed ROCK as a OS but then still need a “application” (Roon or Roon server) on it for the NUC to be functional. I definitely want a standalone, constant heart of my Roon sitting in my home as opposed to having it installed on my MacBook that travels with me. If all I need is ROCK installed on the NUC (and then controls installed on MacBook and mobile devices) then that makes my life all easier.
Do you understand my confusion? I couldn’t find an article in the database that seemed to address this question and that’s why I posted my question here.
Sorry dunno, I think yes but the NUC needs audio-capable USB which might depend on the NUC (?)
What is an audio capable USB? How do I tell the difference between audio capable and others?
Hi Jason
What Suedkiez wrote all sounds correct to me after I have just set up my NUC with ROCK installed. One thing I might mention is that you should probably start your own topic just so it doesn’t get confused with mine. No drama just in case there is some miscommunication. Good luck man this ROON software is the best thing to happen to music since the invention of the mp3 it’s a real trick piece of kit
Thanks for the encouragement. I tried to figure out how to make this post a new topic but failed. I’ll hopefully be out of your hair shortly.
Rock on the nuc is all you need, it is server and Roon Core.
Connect it to Ethernet and anything else on the same subnet of the network can see it and vice versa.
All you then need on say your iPad,iPhone,Android phone etc is Roon Remote installed.
Same with another pc whether windows or Mac, just Roon Remote.
The only reason I would consider placing it out of sight is possible fan noise, I assume it’s a standard nuc and not in a fan less case.
But it really can sit anywhere.
However if you wanted to direct connect a dac to it via usb then it makes sense to be located near to the audio gear.
Set up a streaming service through the Roon setup and you are playing music.
You can add your own library with something as simple as a direct attached usb hard drive, point Roon to it under storage and it will find all the music on it and add to your library.
Welcome to Roonworld and good luck.
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Thanks for all of your help guys. It’s really appreciated.
Now that I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of learning about Rasberry Pi, I think I’ve convinced myself that I can’t have that fan in my office and NEED a Pi4 with the touchscreen as a Roon bridge to my DAC. Plan to attach this to my Ares 2 via USB.
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Rock is made up of RoonOS which is an operating system and RoonServer, a pre-installed program. You could just download RoonServer for a different OS if you wanted.
I think the others explained the ROCK thing - it’s all you really need. About the USB, what I mean is a USB port on the NUC that can output audio (and not just functions for attaching hard disks). In the ROCK documentation I linked, it does state …
USB DACs are supported, as are the built-in audio devices on the machine.
… so in principle this works. I am just not entirely sure that all USB ports on all NUCs have the ability. I am guessing yes, am just no entirely sure. Maybe someone else can say
My system is as follows: INTEL NUC with 2TB SSD for music, Akasa fanless case and SBooster PSU. I installed ROCK, connected directly via USB to my Chord Qutest and that’s it. Hassle free. No NAS, no dedicated streamer.
I provided many blind tests with my friend (musician). We tested streamers like Cubox, raspberry pi 4, other NUC in fanless case, Allo and few other. We never found better sound than setup described above.
Less equipment, no software problems, great sound - what to expect more when you just want to sit and listen to music?
Did you make a test between a fanless and a normal nuc? While I put my nuc into an Akasa fanless case, I was not even considering testing, but noticed instantly an improvement that surprised me. The same board, the same specs, other housing, better sound. 
It was not possible to run fair test: we always heard fan 
so we were biased.
Akasa cases are top notch products, totally silent, great design.
The location depends on whether your NUC is fanless and whether you can Ethernet it to your streamer either directly or via a switch. My NUC10i7 is in a fanless Akasa Turing case and therefore is in my listening room etherneted directly to my SOtM audiophile switch which is also shared by my streamer. The switch is also supplied internet via ethernet from the Gateway router and switch. If you have a fanless NUC and you can have gigabit ethernet supplying internet to the switch and your system, IMO that is optimal. But as long as the NUC Roon Core is on the Ethernet connection and Wifi is not involved then it doesn’t matter where it is. But I just as soon have it in the listening room given the above. Even though Wifi can be very fast, it has latency. For audio it may not be that important. But I am fortunate to be able to get gigabit ethernet internet to listening room, so I went with that.
In my system, USB DAC is AMR DP 777 Signature.
I got ROCK on NUC, and sound from it is pretty good when connected directly.
However, I installed RaspberryPi 4 with Roopiee as endpoint and connect it to DAC.
Such configuration is much (if not extremely) better than NUC plugged directly to DAC both with local and streamed music.
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