Looking to purchase a dedicated server to run Roon and dismount ny external HD from my iMac.
Is there a significant advantage to using Nucleus or SonicTransporter vs a MacMini(with 16Gb of Ran and 2tb SSD I5 chip)? The Mini(used is a fraction of the price of the former.
Use a NUC running ROCK to save yet even more money and have a high quality Roon experience.
Thanks. Not so sure about DIY for me. Plus looking and some of the components recommended on the Roon optimized core kit page, it looks like the price is higher than a slightly used Mini?
To answer your question, probably not.
The only advantage I see to the Nucleus is there is no fan. So you can put it right in the room where you are and there’s no noise. Looks great too. Made for people who don’t mind spending an extra grand so they can just turn it on (and that’s not meant to be disparaging).
SonicTransporter just running Roon isn’t an advantage either. It’s turnkey, well supported. Nice that way. But to just ‘run Roon’ with streaming and some degree of DSP even, a Mac Mini is fine.
edit: I should also say I run ROCK on a NUC and love it.
I also recommend running ROCK on a NUC, the DIY aspect is hardly difficult or onerous, and my experience is that it worked first time and is a fit and forget solution. It just works, and updates are easy and automatically notified so you can simply launch them from with in the controller client.
Edit: just had a look at ROCK using the Web GUI and the OS has been Running 108 days, 23 hours, 13 minutes, 19 seconds, and Roon Server Software has been running Running 54 days, 20 hours, 46 minutes, 15 seconds (since last software update). The reason for the restart 109 days ago was due to a power failure that took out half of our village.
1 Like
I use a mac mini run it headless and use screen sharing to administer it. Runs great very quiet. I store music on an external usb ssd hard drive. I had a rock I built but it quit working due to hardware issues and I switched to mac mini.
Thanks, Leaning towards a Mini. I se from the Roon spec sheet it need a SSD for the boot drive? If so what size does it need to be? Most of the slightly used Mini seem to be hybrid drives. Would the Roon software automatically go on to the SSD automatically or would I have to re formate the drive?
I bought an 8th gen i5 Intel nuc. Had it up and running quite quickly. In my personal opinion, it runs much faster (with much more information displayed) than my Sonos I am transitioning from.
I miss the real stupid simpleness of Sonos, but see the value in the upgrades to Roon.
If you’re already invested in the Apple eco-system, then use a Mini.
Otherwise, an Intel NUC is the way to go, IMHO.
If one were to use the machine strictly for Roon, then 128G is more than enough.
Just wanted to jump in on the ease of the DIY option. I am technically incompetent, disinclined to do anything myself and only took it on because it was by far the least expensive option. (Half the cost of replacing my ancient Mac Mini; two-thirds the cost of replacing my insufficiently powered NAS.)
I did the whole thing, start to finish, in an hour. Runs perfectly. It really isn’t that big a deal.
1 Like
Thanks. Yes all Apple products here. So a Mini w/ 128gb SSG is what I need?
I don’t know the answer to this question, but my sense is that it’s important to know the answer:
I understand Roon will install on the boot drive of the computer on which it’s installed. So it seems to me that you can have a circumstance where you could put an SSD in a computer but Roon database would not be on that drive. With ROCK on a NUC this is all done automatically. I don’t know how Roon will be installed on a legacy Mac Mini, even if you put in a new SSD.
I went with a Nucleus and installed a 1GB SSD drive for local music. I decided I would rather pay a little more for a turn-key solution that I knew would work perfectly and it does. With the SSD, the Nucleus is totally silent. I have it plugged directly into my Oppo 203 using HDMI.
Running Roon Server on a Mac mini here and using an iPad mini for graphical interface. My Mini is two floors upstairs, so any fan noise (which hardly ever occurs) is no issue in my listening room. Very good setup, extremely reliable.
The Mini feed via Ethernet into a USBridge Signature powered by a Shanti LPS. Very smooth sound, indeed!
I no longer use my Mini for Roon, so I don’t really know how much the macOS itself uses.
Maybe someone else should answer that.
Thanks. Not opposed to paying a bit more for a decent piece of equipment. My concern is, what if I want to change from Roon? maybe something else, better comes along. What would I do/need with the Nucleus ?
Thanks. What Mini are you using? Is it a Hybrid SSD?
Thats a nice setup. I’m using a Oppo 105 as my DAC. Squeezebox touch feed into it via USB. Would love to have the serve attached to the 105, but its not a Roon endpoint.
You would sell it.
There is a used one for sale right now. Looks a bargain…