"Roonify" your USB drive or NAS with the sonicTransporter

Hi @agillis, is there a way to stop or even deinstall the Squeezebox App as I don’t need it?

Found it, sorry.
:slight_smile:

@Rogerdn You can use a USB drive and a NAS at the same time. The backup feature is designed for backing up internal storage. What are you trying to backup?

Hi @agillis, is there a way to stop or even deinstall the Squeezebox App as I don’t need it?

You can do that in the software manager

Is there a WOL option on the ST? I am currently using a laptop where WOL is not an option, this is one of the more important features I look for when looking to replace the laptop. Also is there a european reseller?

No there is not. The sonicTransporter is completely silent and uses very little power. it’s best to leave it on all the time. That way it’s available when you want to play music.

We don’t have a European re-seller but we can ship it from the US to wherever you are located. You will have to pay VAT but it will be cheaper then it would be from a European re-seller.

Andrew, can you talk a little, please, about how the sonicTransporter scales for libraries > 450k tracks? Is the solution to jump to an i7 chip or a more robust RAM/SSD combo? I’ll be cresting 500k within the next couple weeks as I digitize more CDs and LPs and will end up around 800k tracks, give or take. Also wondering what makes the sT preferable to a Mac Mini?

BTW, a VortexBox I bought from you 8 years ago is still chugging away in a friend’s system. Upgraded the HD to a 3tb model and it still works great. Kind of ugly, though. :slight_smile:

If I were you, I would also ask about the GENERATION and SPEED of the i5 or i7 Processors available, as these specs are not quoted on the website…and even more importantly, if they are Dual Core or Quad Core

For example, i5 processors are available from 1.4Ghz up to 3.3Ghz and beyond…and more Cores obviously can make a big difference to performance

Likewise, the speed of the SSD is a VERY important issue when it comes to Roon…and nowhere that I can see are the Specs of the proposed SSD mentioned

Are they older style SATA 2.5" drives??..or nVMe / PCIe “cards”??..which offer FAR greater performance and Speed for the Roon UI

Hardware specs are VERY important for the efficient operation of Roon [as evidenced by the many threads here]…and I think that TRANSPARENCY in relation to the above and similar specs are Essential to a prospective User making a decision to use these devices for Roon IMHO

Good points, Ronnie, and I definitely agree re: transparency. At the very least, I do expect Andrew to clarify whether the chip is Skylake or earlier, and whether the SSD is M.2 or not. I wouldn’t dream of buying a laptop or tablet without visibility into specs; same here! Love the idea of the sT, but if I build a NUC or buy a Mac Mini I know exactly what I’m getting.

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I don’t wish to teach you to suck eggs, but 800,000 Tracks / ~65,000 Albums is a LARGE library…even by the the standards of the many Squirrels :wink: that we have here

I would also bear in mind that Roon MAY introduce some DSP / Upsampling / Apodizing or other features that will require Processing in the future…or that you may wish to try HQPlayer etc.

As a result, if I were you, I would look at a QC i5 or i7…SSD Sata or PCIe…16Gb Ram

Then choose the OS you are most comfortable with…and use that OS on top of the Hardware suggested above

As you mention MacMini’s above, you’re probably aware that none of the current MacMini’s would be suitable for what you want IMHO…but the 2012 Macmini’s with QC i7’s can be had reasonably on eBay etc…and allow you to upgrade to SSD and likewise upgrade the RAM

You also mention NUC’s above…and others here can comment…but Cooling and perhaps Throttling can be an issue when using a Quad Core in such a compact environment…perhaps the newer “Gaming” oriented NUC’s have dealt better with this cooling / throttling issue

As you’ve likely gleaned already, Roon works great when it’s given the proper hardware on which to shine…unfortunately compromising on hardware almost inevitably leads to a compromised experience IMHO

Currently running Roon on a 6700K/32GB/m.2 box that I use as a general purpose computer. Really just want to offload Roon to a smaller form factor that I can set and forget. The 800k thing is admittedly goofy, but…eh, whatcha gonna do? We all have our issues, right?

We have the i5 unit with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD. This unit works very well with libraries up to 450k tracks. For larger libraries I recommend a custom system. I regularly build these for customers.

As for specs I don’t publish them. Why you ask? Because they change all the time!! Intel is forever changing their part numbers and my suppliers are forever changing their boards, specs, etc. If my parts houses are out of one type of SSD so I order another.

If you are a “hardware” guy and love specs email me and I’ll tell you the specs of what I’m shipping that week.

But the point is you don’t care about the specs of my products. Why? Because you don’t need to. I guarantee that my system with work with your Roon library! If it doesn’t I’ll make it right. We spend hours testing all the latest hardware so we can find the most cost effective solutions for our customers.

Also we use our own Sonicorbiter OS. This is much lower maintenance then Windows or OSX your get a purpose built system for Roon not a generic PC.

This way you don’t have to pore over user forums looking for the correct specs for your Roon system. If you order from us you know it will work and work well.

We build extremely small and fanless solutions that can handle a music collection of any size.

It’s that kind of disingenuous response that inspires so little confidence in your claims

Intel\s Tick-Tock cycle of change has averaged about every 13 months since Sandy Bridge in 2011…with only infrequent changes to the Speeds / Frequencies offered

SSD’s types & capacities also only change every 12-15 months…and M.2 nVMe / PCIe SSD’s have now been available for approx 2 years

This lack of Transparency should only make it evident that you have something to hide…if the Transporters’ specs were truly bleeding edge, then I have no doubt that you would be trumpeting them front and centre

Hardware Specs and Performance are important for a good experience with Roon…and that is why you need to be Transparent and not just try to obfuscate the issue…Credibility is easy to lose and difficult to get back again

Can you also elaborate on these “Tests”??

You say that you test some of your Transporters with Roon on a Library up to 24,000 tracks…and some to 450,000 tracks

But can you describe EXACTLY HOW these tests are carried out??

Some questions that will be interest to Roon users

a) What is the Mix of Standard and High Res tracks that you test with??..and what Sample rates for the high res files

b) Do you test with DSD files??

c) How many Endpoints / Zones do you test with SIMULTANEOUSLY to stringently test the system to replicate how a Roon user will use his system at his home

d) What kind of Endpoint / Zones are you testing with??..USB out of the Transporter or Network based Endpoints??..and also what types of high res or DSD files you are using to stringently and properly test your Hardware??

Given the number of people who have already tripped up in “over-burdening” their Transporters with Roon, I feel it only fair that you provide more detail on the actual testing that you claim you are carrying out

Yes but that doesn’t mean all these processors are available for that amount of time. Things go in and out of stock all the time. Also new boards that support different chips become available. Same with SSDs. Also prices change all the time based on availability.

I’m sorry for the lack of transparency on open forums. What I’m trying to avoid is people reading this forum then expecting the same specs 2 years from now when this form post will still exist.

Again I would be happy to tell you the specs of what I’m using this week!!

The standard sonicTransport is not “bleeding edge” at all. It’s a Celeron processor. It’s a cost effective solution for people with an average sized music library.

We don’t specialize in the latest “bleeding edge” gaming systems etc. We build small, fanless, cost effective, systems for audiophiles,

I have been building computers for audiophiles for over 10 years. I hope I have good credibility :slight_smile:

You do realise the aspersions that this statement is casting on your own QA??

If for example, you are changing the Processor and RAM modules “every week”, then do you repeat the Roon related tests to make sure that last week’s system performs the same as this week’s system??..not very good QA in my opinion

Your failure to publish more specific specs here or on your website…and failure to answer even the simplest of questions about Processor Speed or Intel Generation…or Connection type used on SSD…or type of RAM Modules used…just screams Red Light at me

Buyer beware until these simplest of questions are answered IMHO

a) we do a 50/50 mix of Red book flac and hi-rez. The hi rez is part DSD we have 24/192 and 24/96 and other hi rez rates and DSD SDS256 etc. We try and ahve a good mix of different stuff. There is also some ALAC and WAV files in there.

b) yes

c) I usually test with only 3 end points. Most of my customs are only using 1 -2

d) the sonicTransporter does not work with a USB DAC. Actually it does but we don’t recommend using it that way because the audio quality would not be that good. We do all testing with our microRendu and Sonicorbiter SE enpoints.

Actually very few users are having problem with the sonicTransporter. And most of them had larger collections then the specs. I just swapped them out for a more powerful units and their are not haveing any more problems.

I can honestly say the four products I have bought from Andrew and Small Green Computer have been the highest quality and best audio products I could have imagined. I was having regular audio dropouts on my mac mini and I switched to Andrews sonictransporter. I have mostly dsd files and it has played them flawlessly from day one. The customer support I get from Andrew as well is unmatched. Please feel free to pm me anytime as I highly recommend his products.

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I agree. I’ve done business with Andrew for many years (Vortexbox servers, etc.), including standard and custom products. Andrew has always been very helpful and in the one case where I had a problem with one unit (which was “custom” by the way, so more potential issues), he provided excellent customer service. Are there things he sells that one could instead buy all the parts cheaper and assemble themselves? Yes. But what is my time worth and what expertise do I have versus Andrew. I find the markup to be very fair.**

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Great to see happy customers and agree that assembling a music server is not for everybody. Still I would insist on specs before buying a black box. I mean, this is not Rolls Royce claiming power is sufficient…