Roon Nucleus+ Experience

[danny (Danny Dulai)]

New to Roon and first time reading about all of this core stuff. Is this really worth it?

Can someone explain it to me? Yes, I read all of the information about Nucleus but still can’t comprehend how someone would spend so much money on something like this.

it’s very simple:

1. Roon is software
2. The Roon Core, the brain of the system, requires hardware to run on.
3. That hardware must be reasonably modern to get a decent experience
4. That hardware can be one of the following:
   1. your mac/windows/linux laptop/pc
   2. an appliance dedicated for Roon, of which there are a few options:
      1. Intel NUC ($cheap) + ROCK (free).
         • Pros: cheapest, made by the Roon team who knows the best about what is needed for Roon, and has great Roon integration for software updates
         • Cons: Do-it-yourself: fiddling with BIOS, installing hardware, buying the right stuff, the NUC has audible noise due to CPU fan (unless you increase cost and install complexity by using a fanless case). Also, ROCK is very opinionated about the best way to run Roon.
      2. Nucleus/Nucleus+ (not cheap)
         • Pros: Same as the above NUC + ROCK, but fanless and looks pretty – not like a computer. Also turn-key, with no work to do for install. This product is meant to be sold to you by a Hi-Fi dealer.
         • Cons: Cost, very opinionated about the best way to run Roon.
      3. Third party devices
         • Pros: A wide range of options, from power to price, at both ends of the spectrum and all in between. Some can run non-Roon things too.
         • Cons: Not built by the Roon team to run Roon. Quality and support can range wildly here too. While there are some good players here, most are not ones the Roon Team would endorse.

It costs $1500 and it all it does is possibly slightly improve sound quality due to it being processed in an external device.

Kind of reminds me of snake-oil cables varying from $1000-$1500 or more and are said to improve sound quality, but the difference is questionable, especially for its price.

This is a terribly incorrect and misleading statement you’ve made. We’ve never made claims about its sound quality. Nucleus and ROCK are all about the best Roon experience at the best price point. If you need low cost, you can’t beat NUC + ROCK. If you need turn-key, we have Nucleus/Nucleus+ for you. There is no snake-oil. As for quality of product, Nucleus and NUC + ROCK are very similar to each other, using the same basis of operating system and hardware. Why? Because we don’t think there much better options for most people.