Im currently running roon from a M1 MacBook (Wireless) and it has been basically flawless since I changed some WiFi mesh related things.
All other issues I ever had where caused by me. (Small stuff like sleep mode, forgetting the VPN was running).
Would love to get a Nucleus but I’m going to wait for a Mac Mini M2. Hopefully we get a native roon version In the future.
The Nucleus looks great… but 1600€ for basically a i3, 4gb ram NUC is extreme.
If that’s aimed at me I’ll delete the post , I thought a real life experience may help
Obviously not
Thanks Mike. Good advice
To answer the question in the title, probably not. Too many unresolved software bugs and new ones arriving all the time. Very long waits for resolutions to basic functionality issues.
Does that sound like something you enjoy?
Hi. My cd library is ripped to my iMac via ALAC files. Is it best to remove the library from the iMac via USB thumb drive and download from the thumb drive to the Nucleus? How does the Nucleus access my network music library. Sorry for such basic questions & thanks again.
Roon - yes.
Nucleus - not necessarily; there are other alternatives.
As a two year Roon subscriber (lifetime) and a very recent Nucleus Plus owner, I wanted to share your perspective. My previous core feeding my Lumin T2 was my Mac Pro. I have 4 zones and had some drops and reboot challenges. I was simply amazed with the Nucleus - the setup was less than 5 minutes, connecting libraries was a snap, and its just flawless. Its an incredible solution for committed Roon users and I dont have any regrets spending the money even if its overkill. I am of the view that most people complaining about Nucleus and roon have other issues like network, connected chain etc. The problem for me at least is not Roon. Hope this helps.
Thank you. Great feedback.
PS. Does one store their music library in the Nucleus? My current library has been ripped from CDs into my iMac as ALAC files. If not, how should I manage my personal library. Additionally I will be streaming Tidal (Hi Res or Hi Red+). Thx again.
Most flexible option in my opinion is to use an external drive.
Nucleus can find music from the network, its just that you have to keep your imac on. Easier to just buy a 1 or 2 tb HDD internal or external. It took only a few mins for me to connect two separate libraries on my mac pro and imac.
You didn’t say how large your library is, but the most efficient way to store music is on an SSD inside the Nucleus. For most of us, a 2TB drive is plenty big. The Nucleus comes with a small SSD that used to store the OS only. Install a second SSD to store your music. I think Roon is having a sale right now that includes the second SSD.
Hi David. Thanks for the help. My ripped library is currently ~95 GB. I was thinking 1 TB SSB would be plenty. Would I need to format the SSD then copy the music files to the Nucleus and remove from my iMac. Butch
Just keep in mind that you don’t really need SSD for music files. HDD should work just fine.
I use a 2012 Mac Mini with upgraded Ram and storage. I use it as a Plex server also. Works great.
Curious why you would not connect a dac to a nuc. I have had my set up like this for over a year and sounds great with no issues. Am i missing something?
Roon recommends using dedicated devices for Core, Outputs, and Controls rather than mixing these functions. More details here: https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/sound-quality
Although the title is “Sound Quality”, I have found that there are more reasons than sound quality to separate these concerns.
All good advise but there are a couple of things to consider,
The Nucleus can take a MAX 2 Tb HDD but an 8Tb SSD (probably not important in your case), there is a thickness limitation and 2tb is the biggest “single platter” 2.5 drive.
The Nucleus is an inherently silent device with its “heat sink” case an HDD may/will be noisy . An SSD will maintain the overall silence of the Nucleus
If you intend to use remote from the listening room its irrelevant.
I used a NUC 10i7/32Gb/4Tb SSD but my local library is quite big , around 3Tb.