Roon on NAS Experience Index: 2025

DDPS · January 10, 2025, 3:34pm

Happy 2025! Welcome to the second in a series of threads on the Roon Forums, which were originally inspired by a nudge from @Arindal. In the spirit of other volunteer-generated threads on here like “What are you listening to” and “What’s rocking you tonight,” this thread is re-created once a year with fresh details to make thread-reading more manageable.

(Visit the 2024 edition if you’d like.)

Many of us on these forums use Roon on a NAS with great success (in 2023, I started a long thread about my own experience). Despite much of what you might read online (even in these forums), Roon works incredibly well on a well-spec’d NAS, and is officially supported, so long as one is not using Roon in a Docker container.

Please note that this is not geared toward those interested in using a NAS merely for music storage, whether primary or backup. It is for those running their entire Roon “stack” on a NAS.

How does this work? Well, please copy/paste the following template to share what I think are the most relevant details that contribute to one’s overall experience. Thank you in advance to those of you who are willing to share your experiences!

For all those who contributed in the past (@Arindal, @Boris_Molodyi, @Tony_Fardella, @Ken_Hutchins, @Thorsten_Heinrich, @SullyCuse, @Harald_Grams, @gTunes, @jin_Dg, @Andrew_Ratcliffe), if your situation hasn’t changed, it would be wonderful if you could simply indicate so in the thread.

Thanks, and here’s to a great 2025!

Summary: Brand - Model - Experience Rating

Brand

Model

NAS OS Version

Total Installed RAM

Roon on NAS Method (e.g., Roon on NAS | Docker Container (Unsupported) | Other)

Main Drives: Brand

Main Drives: Model

Main Drives: Quantity

Main Drives: RAID Configuration

Roon DB Drive: Brand

Roon DB Drive: Model

Roon DB Drive: Size

Roon DB Drive: Connection Method (e.g., Main Board, USB3, eSATA)

Local Area Network Connection Method

Number of Local Tracks

Total Size of Locally Stored Music

Number of Streaming Service Tracks

Geography

Dedicated to music use? (Yes/No)

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (e.g., Synology Audio Station, QNAP Music Station, etc.?) (Yes/No)

Using ARC? (Yes/No)

Using DSP? (Yes/No)

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones

Overall Rating:

(****: Everything flawless)

(***: A few flaws, but mostly OK)

(**: Just about worth it, but could be better)

(*: Unacceptable)

Any Notes People Should Know

DDPS · January 10, 2025, 3:35pm

For me, same as 2024 in all respects, except my music collection is now at 2.5TB and 54,974 tracks.

Boris_Molodyi · January 10, 2025, 4:43pm

Up to 54471 tracks (as of today), still performing beautifully on DS1522+.

Giancarlo_Rosso · January 10, 2025, 5:28pm

Summary: Synology - DS218+ - Quite good

Brand
Synology

Model
DS218+

NAS OS Version
DSM 7.2.2-72806 Update 2

Total Installed RAM
6144 MB

Roon on NAS Method
Roon on NAS

Main Drives: Brand
Western Digital

Main Drives: Model
WD40EFRX

Main Drives: Quantity
2

Main Drives: RAID Configuration
SHR, btrfs

Roon DB Drive: Brand
Runs on the primary storage pool.

Local Area Network Connection Method
Both Wired and Wireless, depeding on devices

Number of Local Tracks
7216 local tracks, most of them FLAC/ALAC/WAV, ripped from CDs or from Bandcamp, but also some Mp3/AAC from iTunes or Amazon purchases.

Total Size of Locally Stored Music
145GB

Number of Streaming Service Tracks
Just a few, mostly from my family favourite from Qobuz

Geography
Italy

Dedicated to music use?
No, also Time Machine, and generaly Synology drive use

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution
No, Audiostation unistalled, too bad

Using ARC?
Yes

Using DSP?
No

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones
Two maximum

Overall Rating:
***: A few flaws, but mostly OK

Any Notes People Should Know
Not the fastest browsing experience, but not worst than previous Audiostation experience, and ARC is way better on the go.

Sometimes music stops playing, not so often, but I think is mostly a WiFi problem.

CPU and RAM are most of the time OK, except for the Sonos native playback problem (switched to Airplay 2)

Johnny_Skaaning · January 10, 2025, 5:57pm

Summary: DIY 8-bay NAS in a Jonsbo N3 case ****

Brand DIY

Model QS-Q670-PLUS with an Intel Core i5 14500T CPU

NAS OS Version Unraid 6.12.14

Total Installed RAM 32GB

Roon on NAS Method Roonserver in a Docker container

Main Drives: Seagate

Main Drives Exos 16TB

Main Drives: 4

RAID Configuration: Unraid Array 3+1 (1 parity drive)

Roon DB Drive: Samsung SSD 990 PRO 2TB

Roon DB Drive: The SSD is on the main board

Local Area Network Connection Method 2.5gbps

Number of Local Tracks 425

Total Size of Locally Stored Music 3.5GB

Number of Streaming Service Tracks 14121

Geography Denmark

Dedicated to music use? No

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution No

Using ARC? Rarely - via Tailscale. ISP using CG-NAT

Using DSP? No

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones 1

Overall Rating: ****

Any Notes People Should Know The machine is a multi purpose machine built in December 2024. It’s hosting media files and serving as a media center with Jellyfin and other software. It has 3 SSD slots on the main board all populated with Samsung 990 ssd’s. The Unraid OS runs off of a USB stick on the main board. It draws about 70 watts at the socket in general use, 45 watts when the drives are spun down. Too much for my taste, but it’s retired 3 mini PC’s including the Lenovo Thinkcentre I used to dedicate to Roon Server, so all in all it probably evens out. This is my 3rd home for Roon - the first one was an Asustor 5304T NAS. All have run Roon flawlessly - the difference being the snappiness of the interface where the best one is this current build.
To clarify the mystical model number, it’s based on one of those quickly evolving series of NAS/Firewall mini-itx motherboards produced by Chinese manufacturers.

Thorsten_Heinrich · January 11, 2025, 9:28am

Hello,
the hardware is analog 2024. Currently 3395 albums, 62800 tracks, 1276 artists, 336 composers. Flac/DSD only, no MP3. No streaming service provider, just a library.

Currently in multiroom including absatrate conversion and parametric EQ;
CPU = 3-5%
8GB RAM = 4%
Core Temp = 32 degrees C

Overall, the operation is still smooth and stable.

There is the well-known situation where ROON randomly and sporadically rips apart the samplers. For about 6 months now, ROON has frequently lost connection to one of 3x Naim Cube (the audio device refuses to switch the audio input). Here the respective Naim has to be disconnected from the network, allowed to connect, and it works again for a while.

Frank_Berens1 · January 11, 2025, 10:32am

Brand: QNAP

Model: TVS-872N

NAS OS Version: QuTS hero h5.2.2.2952 bluid 20241116

NAS CPU: i7-8700 (6 cores/12 threats)

Total Installed RAM: 64 Gb

Roon on NAS Method: Roon on NAS

Main Drives: Brand: WDC

Main Drives: Model: WD120EMFZ-11A6JA0

Main Drives: Quantity: 8

Main Drives: RAID Configuration: RAID 6

Roon DB Drive: Brand: WDC

Roon DB Drive: Model: WD120EMFZ-11A6JA0

Roon DB Drive: Size: 12 Tb

Roon DB Drive: Connection Method: Main Board

Local Area Network Connection Method: Wired 1Gb/s

Number of Local Tracks: 164.924

Total Size of Locally Stored Music: 10.94 Tb

Number of Streaming Service Tracks: 0

Geography: the Netherlands

Dedicated to music use: No

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (QNAP Music Station?): No

Using ARC?: Yes

Using DSP?: Yes

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones: 2

Overall Rating:: 8

Why the question about de Roon DB drive? My music AND database are on the same raid 6 - drive set. My NAS has also NvME SSD’s, can I move the DB to the faster SSD?

Nick_Zwar · January 11, 2025, 11:27am

Brand: QNAP

Model: TS-673A

NAS OS Version: QTS (That was the toughest decision… QTS vs upgrading RAM and going for QuTS Hero… I decided, for my purposes QTS is better)

Total Installed RAM: 8GB

Roon on NAS Method: Roon on NAS

Main Drives: Seagate

Main Drives: ST8000NT001-3LZ101

Main Drives: 1 for the music files (all ALAC); other drives contain no music

Main Drives: No Raid

Roon DB Drive: WD

Roon DB Drive: Red SN700 1000GB

Roon DB Drive: 1TB

Roon DB Drive Connection Method: M.2 PCIe

Local Area Network Connection Method: LAN

Number of Local Tracks: 100,000 (all ALAC)

Total Size of Locally Stored Music: 2-3 TB

Number of Streaming Service Tracks:
n/a (Haven’t checked)

Geography: Germany

Dedicated to music use? (Yes/No): Not exclusively

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (e.g., Synology Audio Station, QNAP Music Station, etc.?) (Yes/No): Yes. (For testing.)

Using ARC? (Yes/No): Not yet. Will try it out though.

Using DSP? (Yes/No): No.

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones: 1

Overall Rating:
Everything flawless… as far as trouble, glitches etc. are concerned, they don’t seem to be hardware issues. Device seems perfectly capable of running Roon smoothly.

Any Notes People Should Know
Comparatively easy to install ROON on this device. I bought this NAS for music and other things. Roon is installed on the system SSD, the music is on a dedicated Seagate hard drive. (Other drives in the system are for other things.)

SullyCuse · January 11, 2025, 2:51pm

No changes since I answered at the end of 2024, here. Roon on NAS Experience Index: 2024 - #24 by SullyCuse

Still working great.

SEBASTIEN_MICHEL · January 11, 2025, 5:26pm

Synology RS3617xs+ / 16go RAM / DSM 7.2-64570 Update 3
Main volume : Raid 5 with Enterprise Drives (6x8T)
Roon in a Docker container / Database on a dedicated volume with a single SSD drive
47.000 local tracks and Qobuz integration

Works very well apart from some memory leak issues…for a long time…
Solution : auto reboot roon container once a week and I forget it…

DDPS · January 12, 2025, 2:46am

Yes, Roon’s performance is slightly enhanced when its DB is on SSD.

Ken_Hutchins · January 12, 2025, 9:21pm

My NAS layout has not changed since my 2024 description (Roon on NAS Experience Index: 2024 - #14 by Ken_Hutchins).

To recap, I’m running a
- QNAP 4-bay TS-453D using
- two 1-TB SSD drives for hosting Roon and the associated DB and then
- three 14-TB HDD drives in a Raid-6 arrangement for media storage - music and movies.
- Roon shows 171k tracks and over 10k albums

Still happy with the performance and its been very reliable through all updates.
Ken H/

Harald_Grams · January 13, 2025, 11:06am

Nothing has changed in my environment since the last entry. A few more tracks, that’s it.

Franz-Josef_Knelange · January 14, 2025, 1:37pm

Summary: Synology - DS720+ - it just works…

Brand Synology

Model 720+

NAS OS Version DSM 7.2.2-72806 Update 2

Total Installed RAM 18GB

Roon on NAS Method Roon on NAS

Main Drives: Brand Western Digital

Main Drives: Model WDC WD120EFBX 12TB

Main Drives: Quantity 2

Main Drives: RAID Configuration SHR

Roon DB Drive: Brand Western Digital

Roon DB Drive: Model WD Blue SN570

Roon DB Drive: Size 1TB

Roon DB Drive: Connection Method eSATA

Local Area Network Connection Method D-Lan from cellar to apartment, LAN inside

Number of Local Tracks 78057

Total Size of Locally Stored Music 4.1TB

Number of Streaming Service Tracks - disconnected Qobuz from Roon

Geography Germany

Dedicated to music use? (Yes/No) Mostly

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (e.g., Synology Audio Station, QNAP Music Station, etc.?) (Yes/No) Yes

Using ARC? (Yes/No) Yes

Using DSP? (Yes/No) No

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones 1, seldom 2

Overall Rating: ****

Frank_Berens1 · January 14, 2025, 1:53pm

Thanks,

My Roon app is running on a SSD on the NAS.
Q: is my DB that also running on that SSD?

Frank

Nick_Zwar · January 14, 2025, 2:45pm

Probably, because since you ask that question, it implies you haven’t set it to be somewhere else. But you have the option to configure the location of your database, so we can’t say for sure. You can just look it up though. On your Roon Server, just check “overview”, you will see the location of your database with the option to configure it.

Arindal · January 14, 2025, 8:29pm

Summary: Brand - Model - Experience Rating

Brand
QNAP

Model
HS-264 SilentNas

NAS OS Version
QTS 5.2.2

Total Installed RAM
8GB

Roon on NAS Method
Early Access download

Main Drives: Brand
WD

Main Drives: Model
WD140EFGX Red Plus

Main Drives: Quantity
2

Main Drives: RAID Configuration
RAID1 mirrored

Roon DB Drive: Brand
SSK

Roon DB Drive: Model
SD311 PRO

Roon DB Drive: Size
1TB

Roon DB Drive: Connection Method (e.g., Main Board, USB3, eSATA)
USB3.2

Local Area Network Connection Method
1GbE wired Ethernet

Number of Local Tracks
approx. 150,000 (more than half of this number I keep disabled all of the time)

Total Size of Locally Stored Music
17.5TB (partly on inactive external drives)

Number of Streaming Service Tracks
1,000

Geography
Central Europe

Dedicated to music use? (Yes/No)
No

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (e.g., Synology Audio Station, QNAP Music Station, etc.?) (Yes/No)
No

Using ARC? (Yes/No)
Yes

Overall Rating
(****: Everything flawless)

Any Notes People Should Know
Due to lack of M.2 slots or additional bays for an SSD I have been running the roon db on USB thumb drives from the very beginning. The original flash drive (SanDisk Extreme Pro) seemingly got slower and slower and I noticed difficulties when trying to copy the roon database. Whenever I enabled more than 75,000 tracks of my collection, some roon browsing features such as composition lists, discographies and alike become noticeably slower. Not annoying but there definitely was some delay when things got complicated or the active library bigger which did not happen with a friend´s similarly equipped NAS which runs SSD-only drives.

So in the end of the day I exchanged the Sandisk for the fastest flash drive I could get: SSK´s pro model (advertised as a 1000MB/s read&write) in some fancy magnesium heatsink stick design. Roon speed has significantly improved, everything is super snappy now, compiling extended lists is a pleasure. I am capable of running a library well over 100,000 tracks on my NAS without roon slowing down.

I recommend everyone intending to run the roon DB on an external drive to check the drive speed and obtain the fastest one you can get for reading and writing alike. It really makes a huge difference which I had not expected to be that dramatic.

Arindal · January 14, 2025, 8:34pm

On QNAP NAS you find the aforementioned overview via App Center when opening roon app icon. It will show you among other things like build no and ffmpg the exact DB path and you have the possibility to alter it in case it addresses the wrong volume.

Peter_Gallagher · January 14, 2025, 11:47pm

Summary: Synology - DS-1522+ - So far so good

Brand
Synology

Model
DS-1522+

NAS OS Version
DSM 7.2.2-72806 Update 2

Total Installed RAM
16GB

Roon on NAS Method
Roon On NAS

Main Drives: Brand
Seagate

Main Drives: Model
ST8000VN004 (IronWolf 8TB)

Main Drives: Quantity
5

Main Drives: RAID Configuration
Synology Hybrid Raid (SHR)

Roon DB Drive: Brand
Synology

Roon DB Drive: Model
SNV3410 NVMe M.2 2280 SSD

Roon DB Drive: Size
400GB

Roon DB Drive: Connection Method
via volume created on the M.2 NVMe SSD slots

Local Area Network Connection Method
LAN

Number of Local Tracks
160,000

Total Size of Locally Stored Music
9TB

Number of Streaming Service Tracks
minimal

Geography
Washington ST - USA

Dedicated to music use? (Yes/No)
No

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (e.g., Synology Audio Station, QNAP Music Station, etc.?) (Yes/No)
No

Using ARC? (Yes/No)
Yes

Using DSP? (Yes/No)
No

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones
5

Overall Rating:
****: Everything flawless so far

Any Notes People Should Know
I moved my core on to the NAS about 2 months ago, and have been happy so far with the performance. The NAS is primarily used for music, but we’ve been slowly beginning to embrace Synology Photos as well.

KMM · January 15, 2025, 4:40am

Summary: Brand - Model - Experience Rating

Brand Synology

Model 720+

NAS OS Version DSM 7.2

Total Installed RAM 18 GB

Roon on NAS Method (e.g., Roon on NAS | Docker Container (Unsupported) | Other) Roon on NAS

Main Drives: Brand Western Digital WD40 FRX

Main Drives: Model 4 TB

Main Drives: Quantity 2

Main Drives: RAID Configuration RAID 1

Roon DB Drive: Brand Samsung

Roon DB Drive: Model older EVO 850 ?

Roon DB Drive: Size 120 GB

Roon DB Drive: Connection Method (e.g., Main Board, USB3, eSATA) eSATA

Local Area Network Connection Method Ethernet CAT 7 1 Gbit/s

Number of Local Tracks 15000

Total Size of Locally Stored Music 490 GB

Number of Streaming Service Tracks n/a

Geography Europe/Germany

Dedicated to music use? (Yes/No) No, server for my home network.

Using in Parallel with NAS Vendor Music Solution (e.g., Synology Audio Station, QNAP Music Station, etc.?) (Yes/No) No

Using ARC? (Yes/No) No

Using DSP? (Yes/No) yes

Typical Number of Simultaneously Used Playback Zones 2
Overall Rating: AAA

(****: Everything flawless)

(***: A few flaws, but mostly OK) Yes

(**: Just about worth it, but could be better)

Upped the RAM to 18 GB (yes I know) and added two 256 GB cache drives. Noticeably better response of the system. Ran all my 7 zones at max sampling rate and the two main zones with convolution to stress the system. Didn’t budge, the single thread performance of the processor appears to be very good (Intel Celeron J4125)