I have my main setup using Roon and I’ve been very pleased, Mac mini directly hooked up to my DAC as my Roon server.
My secondary room is using a Mac mini running Roon. Works okay, sometimes the connection is difficult to group… I need to remote connect to the headless mini and then Roon seems to see if then. (But this is not my main question here)
QUESTION: I have secondary less important rooms where I would like to bring Roon into… what is the most efficient, cost effective way, to have a Roon “client” (?) that I can group with the rest of my Roon’s?
Is there an inexpensive box that will run Roon and has a built in DAC which works well? And importantly is super reliable?
I went the RPi with ropieee route, then either hooked it directly to a portable speaker or to a small DAC/amp. A Schiit Fulla in one case and a Yggdrasil from a digi +pro in another. I also added a display and remote for limited control
As people said, you could use an RPi (or any other cheap mini computer). If you want a more self-contained setup, something like a Wiim or Bluesound should work well. You don’t need to run all of Roon there, just a Roon endpoint.
If you’re looking for a device to connect up to an existing amp/speakers then a WiiM Pro is probably the cheapest option in terms of a reliable off-the-shelf Roon Ready endpoint.
If you want a USB output for a USB DAC then a RPi4 running Ropieee.
I have a set of Audioengine A5+ powered speakers connected to a Wiim Pro plus and that’s it. Sounds perfectly fine. Wiim Pro plus is slightly more expensive than the Wiim Pro. But either should work depends on how critical your taste of sounds.
I use Elac Z3’s for 4 locations in our home (kitchen, office and 2 bedrooms) . These are roon ready speaker systems, Separate amps for each speaker (140 watts total) and speakers (2 - 4 inch bass drivers and 2 tweeters), all in one, about the size of a large shoebox.
Plays hi-res up to 192/24, sounds good for the size and amount of separation between the speakers. Works well for whole house music, especially so with Ethernet.
Normally $459.98 but currently on sale at Elac America for $229.98.
Like @Mike_LC above, apart from my main system in the living room, I’ve gone for the super simple and, for me in practice, very satisfying solution of ELAC Z3s in the bedrooms, and then for the kitchen I have a pair of KEF LSX II mounted above the upper kitchen cabinets, which sound amazing (aided by convolution filters for the room). With all my endpoints Roon Ready, the performance and responsiveness have been consistently rock solid. That was not the case when I originally had the first-generation KEF LSX I in the kitchen, which were only Roon Tested—that was terrible. So I would certainly advise avoiding any Roon Tested options and making sure whatever it is, it’s Roon Ready.