Searching perfect roon core

No problem at all.

You have multiple options for DAC inputs (for Roon) - USB connection to Nucleus Plus OR just ethernet connection to router/unmanaged switch.

If you connect the G2 to router/unmanaged switch via ethernet cable, your Nucleus Plus (also connected to router/switch via ethernet cable) will see it on the network - so you don’t even need a USB cable to connect Nucleus Plus to your DAC. Your DAC already is ‘Roon Ready’ over ethernet.

USB cable is only required if you didn’t want to use the ethernet input of your DAC - but I would just use ethernet input if I were you.

Always better to have more options than fewer ! :slight_smile:

Another question :

Is it easy to change Nucleus Plus elements?

For example, add RAM?

Or change the processor later, by another?

etc.

RAM is easy to change. But Nucleus Plus already comes with enough RAM for the future. @danny knows what is coming over the next few years for Roon, so I would trust that Roon include enough RAM with their flagship Roon Core. I wouldn’t worry about RAM if I were you.

CPU can’t be changed.

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Instead of the Nucleus Plus, I would look at the Small Green Computer sonicTransporter i7:

This server is more powerful than the Nucleus Plus and is more flexible too.

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I do not know if you agree with me but the performances of DIY Roon Core are better than those of Nucleus

While Nucleus are much more expensive.

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Yes my NUC7i7DNHE (quad core) is very zippy. I have it in a fanless case. About half the price of Nucleus Plus. Some photos:

FS: Fanless NUC running ROCK - Intel NUC i7 - 8th Gen - NUC7i7DNHE [SOLD]

Like I said earlier though, it depends how comfortable you are with DIY. Not everyone is comfortable with that, so the Nucleus Plus is a great option for those people.

I also have a fanless sonicTransporter i7 that @Speed_Racer linked above. I’ve since given it to my old man (dad) and it is very quick (running both Roon Server and HQPlayer Embedded for up-sampling to DSD512). It looks like the new model is the 6 core i7-8700.

Yes, I had already seen the Sonic Tranporter

He works like a Nucleus? It’s a Roon Core ?
It is that to plug directly via usb to Vega G2

What are the differences with Nucleus?

No because your Vega G2 has a Roon Ready ethernet input, you don’t actually need to use USB at all for Roon. The sonicTransporter will be the Roon Core and will see your ethernet connected DAC over the network. See my explanation a few posts above - you have the option of either the USB input of your DAC or the Roon Ready ethernet input of your DAC. For Roon, no need to use both. Just use ethernet.

The sonicTransporter runs Roon Server as well as other apps, running sonicOrbiter OS. Running Roon Server, it will act as your Roon Core. You can search to compare i7-8700 performance against the various NUCs. It’s quick.

Nucleus runs Roon OS - developed by the Roon Team. You can run Roon OS via the Intel NUC DIY option too.

What I do not understand is that on the site, it seems necessary to put a micro rendu between the SonicTransporter and the DAC (Vega for me)

It can play to a Roon Ready microRendu.

But it will also play to your Roon Ready Vega G2. No need for a Rendu. No need for USB cable.

The reason they mention the Rendu - not everyone has a Roon Ready ethernet input DAC like your Vega G2. Some people need a Roon Ready USB source, like the Rendu.

In any case, your Fanless Nuc looks great!

No welding to do;)?

Only simple things?

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Ha, no welding. Just a screwdriver.

The only things to buy are:

1 x fanless case (Akasa Plato X7D)
1 x NUC7i7DNHE
2 x 4GB/8GB RAM
1 x M.2 SSD (NVMe is quick)

Where did you see this? I can’t see any reason why an i9 running Windows or Linux can’t run Roon Server… Didn’t mention Mac because I don’t know of any Mac models that feature an i9 CPU yet.

So if you want to put a monster like that in your case, you can?

Oh, you never mentioned anything about my case or any case.

You asked “Why the latest generation CPUs, Intel i9 for example are not compatible with Roon?”

Definitely can’t put that CPU in my case :slight_smile:

Anyway, if the DIY option becomes a headache, you have Nucleus Plus and sonicTransporter i7 as great fanless (silent) options.

Why ? This cpu is not fanless ? Inappropriate ?

The CPU needs to be adequately cooled. Some fanless cases only support max. 65W TDP CPU’s. Some fanless cases supprt max. 95W TDP CPU’s.

You need to look up the specific CPU and find appropriate fanless case.

Unfortunately I don’t have the time to look at every CPU for you, to find a matching case. But a great starting point is looking at the CPU TDP and then looking at what max. TDP different fanless cases support.

If the DIY option becomes a headache, you have Nucleus Plus and sonicTransporter i7 as great fanless (silent) options.

Fanless (silent) can be important if the Roon Core will be in your listening room. If it’s not in your listening room, then maybe the audible noise of fans isn’t as much of a problem (depends on the person how annoying the noise is).

Hope this helps.

Almost any modern processor on the planet can be used to running Roon Core in one way or the other. But the point of using the NUC platform is convenience and the ability to run ROCK as the OS.

A modern generation 7 or 8 i7 NUC is more than powerful enough to run ROCK for years to come. No point in chaising more power than that for a dedicated music server with Roon.

It looks like there is some confusion about connectivity. The Ares G2 is Roon Ready with an Ethernet input. If you setup a Roon system the G2 is your endpoint. It would be connected to the local network via Ethernet.

You would then setup your Roon Core device and hook it up to the local network in turn.

Finally the control device is setup such as a iPad.

You will also have to define where your music is stored, etc…

Picking a Roon Core machine is an interesting problem. You can buy say a Sonic Transporter or a Roon Labs provided one. There are many others.

You can use a conventional desktop PC or MAC. You can build your own.

There are a lot of variables and some of them may effect sound quality. One example is the PWM fans in some computers add noise. Or the power supplies might effect things. Other issues that people address is operating system adjustments or running dedicated OS variants that help.

In my personal case I have been running a Sonic Transporter that works very nicely. I am playing with Audio-Linux as an OS and have been testing with a Linear Power Supply on the server. All of this has lead me to designing and building my own server. The parts are coming in now and I hope to build it this week. Will it sound better? I hope so! I just do not know till I build it. This is not a commercial venture for me, it is a personal mission.

I get to tinker with hardware and software along with listening to great sounding music. A lot of fun for me. Maybe not so for others.

If you are going to be running Roon with multiple endpoints and DSP make sure you have a reasonably robust server.

Good luck.

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