Can I run the Roon core on two PCs without deactivating it on one of the PCs? I want to retain it on my desktop pc but I also want to be able to run it on a fanless pc design at night (quieter than my main rig). If so…what is a simple plug & play fanless roon core black box pc design that I can feed into a USB DAC?
No. Core can only be active on one machine at a time.
Deactivating is simple enough. The problem may come with syncing two separate Roon databases (Roon Library).
Strictly yes but with 2 licences, with only one Slim is correct . 1 license 1 core
Follow up question…can I run the Roon core on a dedicated streamer (port my PC music library over to the dedicated streamer); and then use my PC as a ROON output? My goal is to have the option of utilizing Roon on a fanless streamer while still having the capacity of playing my music library via Roon through either the PC or the dedicated streamer with the PC powered off.
I do not really understand your question, as you can have as many endpoints with 1 Core as you want .
So you can have your actual PC acting as a Core and play music on it, i.e. the PC is a ‘local’ endpoint’.
You can use a tablet (iPad, Android) as a Roon Remote, but you can use these also as endpoints, i.e. you can stream music to it.
You can stream to another silent (fanless) PC that you use during the night.
But if the Core PC and the silent PC are (need to be) in the same room, I would put the Core on the silent PC , so at night you can turn your ‘loud’ PC off.
Dirk
Yes; you’ve answered my question (thanks). I currently run Roon from my PC to additional endpoints. I just wanted to ensure that if I buy a small fanless desktop PC/streamer & load the Roon core onto—it’ll permit me to shut off the PC and run Roon from the streamer which will be in the same room. The sole interest is to shut off the PC and run Roon natively from the local endpoint streamer device vs my desktop. My desktop PC has Noctua fans…but still offers fan noises that can be heard during late night listening sessions-even in energy saving mode and with temp thresholds set; but it’s tolerable during day time use (less sensitive case use as there’s competing ambient noises throughout the day).
You need to make sure your fanless PC has a sufficient spec, it depends on your library size to a great extent, SSD is essential for the OS and library and for true silence for music files . You will hear an HDD in your quiet room
Look in the KB for minimum requirement
I own a couple of fanless PCs that support well a 25k track library on local 4TB SATA SSD. I don’t run DSP, though. The older one is an i5 NUC in an Akasa Newton enclosure, which is now a backup server. The newer server is a Zotac CI662 nano with an i7 CPU. I regularly take the CI662 between two different locations where I have audio systems. I arrive, plug it in, and I have my Roon library immediately available.
Thinking to get a Roon Nucleus for my own personal resolve (Roon core loaded onto a silent box). I’m aware of the more economical NUC option but I love the heat sink body design of the Nucleus.