Hi, there are many server/streamer solutions out there as you all know. Each implements there usb port at various levels for performance. By example Innuos claims to optimize their USB connection at a very high implementation level for Summit-Fi Dac’s etc. I would like to get some feedback on how the Nucleusone USB port connection stacks up. Is it something you would connect to a Summit-Fi Dac set up or is it more an appliance grade level solution?
It simply is a Computer’s USB port.
It’s a NUC main board USB implementation, nothing more nothing less.
It has nothing to do with any such unsubstantiated, high-end, summit-fi, whatever you want to name the newest fad audiophile FOMO “technology”.
As long as there’s no audible, unrelated to the music, strange noises, there’s nothing to improve on, really. None of the proponents of such gimmickry have ever delivered comprehensive and verifiable proof to their claims, just subjective “trust me, bro” gospel.
Sorry, if you only wanted to get confirmation, that such device will lift unheard of veils. But surely, in no time, there will be other posters, offering praise for their newfound holy grail MkII …
USB is a standard. Period. Anything else is purely marketing spiel.
The Nucleus One is just a small computer and missed the upgrade path to have the USB ports blessed by a unicorn 
I use the USB port of my NUC with good results. I also tried a small cheap DDC, the SMSL PO100, to convert the USB signal to optical or coaxial and worked very well. My streaming amp is Roon Ready but I like to have this option as a backup, should the streaming board fail (which never happened LOL). In addition, I connect a dongle dac/amp to the NUC and use it with headphones. No complaints about the sound.
@ARD I’ll add my 2 cents to the valid points already made by fellow Roonies/Rooners.
$0.01
It’s a myth that summit-fi devices send cleaner digital bits over USB.
- The audio data is bit-perfect as long as the device manufacturer implemented the USB specification and the cable maintains standard voltage thresholds.
- See section 6.8 USB Grounding
- See section 7.1.2.1 Low-speed and Full-speed Data Signal Rise and Fall
$0.02
It’s a myth that electrical noise (EMI/RFI) over USB degrades the signal and therefore sound quality.
- Electrical noise/interference is real, but it’s handled at the DAC where competent designs solve for it with galvanic isolation, RF filtering, clean internal power supplies, and so on. See the Audio Science Review guide to Understanding Digital Audio Measurements.
- When errors occur in the USB communication path (e.g., severe electromagnetic interference or damaged cables), data packets will fail a CRC check and the DAC will dispose of the corrupt packets (according to USB Audio 2 specifications) which results in…
- Muting - silence is inserted for the missing audio samples
- Sample hold - repeats the previous valid sample
Poor data transmission over USB will not be heard as degraded sound quality by shrinking the soundstage, dulling high frequencies, or reducing dynamic range. What you will hear is an audible click, crackle, pop, or drop out.
Be skeptical and remember that manufacturers, dealers, or reviewers conflate electrical purity with audible sound quality. While custom USB circuit designs are scientifically valid methods for blocking physical noise, advertising them as a guaranteed audible upgrade over standard bit-perfect hardware connected to a quality DAC is more salesmanship than psychoacoustics.
Innuos could fill a hot-air balloon 
FWIW, USB is asynchronous; your DAC owns the clock.
ok, First thank you all for your input. So here is my take way. Innuos, Sonore and the like are Bull? Any USB connection like the Nucleusone has into a good DAC is all you need and will make the corrections needed? Did I get that right? So all this engineering , component cost etc is unnecessary ? Im not being factious is that the intended take away. I will say Im quite surprised given all that is written about the mentioned solutions? Again Thanks all
Manufacturers have to justify the cost of their products and they do so with high quality parts (separate PCB boards and controllers), modern technology (Gallium Nitride transistors), good design and research (mechanical damping of chasis to reduce quartz clock vibrations, fiber network isolation).
But it’s an alchemical leap into the mystical when Innuos claims their product…
- Delivers exceptional micro-dynamics, deeper black backgrounds, speed, precision, and warmth
- Upstream USB re-clocking improves DAC conversion precision
- AudioCore 10 core processing improves digital audio sound quality
- Server level noise mitigation outperforms internal DAC isolation
That’s right
Unnecessary to me, but maybe it’s necessary to others. Consider the $375,000 DAC from MSB Technology.
A business must stay profitable. Oftentimes its easier to sell the sizzle than the steak.
The dynamic tweeter protection in a pair of my speakers is, if you open the speaker(s) and look for it, just a light bulb.
Looks like a good idea…
A bright idea, even?
Wow, I really enjoy this hobby, but boy can it drive your crazy with its contradictions and assumptions not to mention what real and what’s vapor…
The more you pay beyond the reasonable, the more the manufacturer is blowing vapour up your fundament.
Naim as a manufacturer, no matter how high up their equipment chain you went would give you the same standard power cable. After Focal took over; oh you definitely need a £600 power cable now…
I would not consider the port quality of nucleus as a factor fpr the following reasons.
I on my system (yamaha r-n2000a with dyneaudio evoke 30) i had a problem with listening fatigue so i have done tests using external dacs and streamers. I tried the following streamers Eversolo T8, pro-ject S2 ultra, yamaha’s internal streamer and Roon nucleus. I also tried them with holo audio cyan, chord qtest and yamaha’s internal dac.
Result: the best result was observed when used the roon nucleus with yamaha’s internal dac.
Listening fatigue gone while sound quality and detailed being at highest.
This made me conclude that the nucleus signal processing + data transfer functions do not compromise at all the sound quality of a 7000eur system
Interesting for sure…so the performance of the DAC will be the determining SQ factor independent of how it gets the information?
Unless you happen to run the USB cable a few hundred meters through a factory floor, where it will pick up some inordinate amount of noise, it will be the only factor determining audio output.
I did notice that the computer doing the streaming playis a large role. When i run roon on my general purpose HP laptop the sound was making my ears hurt after 30min of listening. The yamaha internal streamer has a similar problem. So this is not just a cable issue. The pro-ject streamer was much better and the nucleus sounds almost perfect when it comes to listening fatigue.
The preceived detali was compromised with my hp laptop while with bothe nucleus and pro-ject seemed to be uncompromised.
So the streaming computer used matters a lot
Hi Gerasimos! Welcome to the Roon forums. Check out the above discussion of how digital data moves around. Your Roon server should not be altering the bits moving to your DAC (unless you want it to do so via MUSE or specific settings) and therefore the computer should not have any impact on sound quality. There is, however, a general recommendation that direct connections from potentially noisy Roon server PCs to DACs might be an issue and that can be avoided by using a network endpoint, streamer, etc. Hope this helps!