Showing (off) your Roon setup - description and photos [2015-04 .. 2021-03]

Iv upgrade my usb conection to a audioquest coffee usb cable…luvley jubbley :grin:

1 Like

Hi @rbeinstock
Yes, the AES input to Kii Three goes directly from the Kii Control. I only have one source now, as my dealer (the fantastic Steve Helliker at www.ultimate-stream.co.uk) suggested I sell the Shanling Omega drive CD and go all-in for a streaming system - and he was so right!

He set things up so that:

  1. the primary volume control is an Apple remote (in picture) - so Roon volume control doesn’t work except with my study speakers - the fantastic Kef LS50 Wireless 2s; another of Steve’s suggestions which are also great
  2. the Kii Control can also increase/decrease and mute [by 20 Db] the speakers; so much easier than with the Grimm’s “mushroom” control wheel
  3. the Kii speakers to turn on/off only by the Kii Control - so that the Grimm can still service the rest of the house without powering on the Kiis, when |'m working in my study upstairs

Have to admit, I haven’t changed any of the default settings Steve used on installation, but then they sound so darned good, I don’t think I need to!

Hope that helps

Server: NUC 10i5FNH
Streaming services: Tidal and Qobuz
No local music files. Still haven’t gotten around ripping my CDs

Living room: Roon breathed life to my old Kenwood integer amplifier A99 with its stock speakers. The amp was part of a hifi stack popular in the 90s. I removed the other components and attached a Chromecast Audio to it with full dynamic range turned on. Considering getting another raspberry pi and Topping E30 DAC for this setup. But I don’t know if the improvement on sound quality would be worth the additional cost.

Bedroom: Another old system getting a new lease on life: Sony mini Hi-Fi component system DHC-MD373 with a Chromecast Audio connected to the Tape input. The tape inputs sensitivity is not that great as I can hear distortion when I have full dynamic range turned on in Chromecast. I used the Toslink before but the component couldn’t decode anything higher than 44.1 kHz.

Listening corner 1: Raspberry pi 3B with ropieee -> Topping E30/L30 -> Beyerdynamic DT1990 Pro

Listening corner 2: iMac -> Schiit Modi/Magni 2 Uber -> Sennheiser HD650

Edit: decided to add all my endpoints in the same post. I hope that’s ok.

Really happy I got introduced to Roon!

21 Likes

I had an issue which I resolved and was asked(@ged_hickman1) to post my system here.-Here you go…
Using a Mac desktop with cat 5 to my 2 channel room. Once in there use a Mytek Brooklyn Bridge for my endpoint.(that was the culprit of my now fixed problem-firmware) From there, I go xlr to my Mcintosh ma6900 and then to my Zu Audio dw mkii’s. Cables are zu mission and interconnects are mogami. I did treat the walls, ceilings and corners with GIK acoustics. I recently had a pair of REL t/9 subwoofers but no matter what I did, could not get a “better” sound so I got rid of them. For roon control I use my ipad(standard) and use Tidal and Qobuz. Everything sounds great. I dont have a photo at the moment without the RELS and with my power supply. I have a power supply for the mytek which I put some blue gels in the meter to match the Mcintosh. Pic is a few days old, but the way I change out gear, any pic of my system is outdated haha.
IMG_4096

25 Likes

As requested…here’s my new system (save the Rossini for the Vivaldi which isn’t yet in the photo I have) - Wilson Alexx, dCS Vivaldi, Audio Research REF6SE, Audio Research REF160S, Roon streaming via RAAT from a SAN (Cables are way beyond the scope of this).

33 Likes

Just wow Bryan!

Thank you. I previously had Wilson Alexia’s with Boulder 2,000 series gear (amp and preamp), along with dCS Rossini DAC. The Alexx’s are about 500lbs each and took 4 guys to carry and setup! But they are by far the best speaker I have ever heard in my life (they are so much better than the XLF’s). Just amazing with the ARC gear too.

ARC w/ Wilson = you’re spot on mate.

Now that is one impressive looking, and almost certainly impressive sounding system!

Unfortunately though, just a little bit outside my price range.

1 Like

I’m just impressed you’ve managed to bag a ps5 :joy:

4 Likes

So if you notice, there’s a TV there and in-wall speakers. The room is a Dolby Atmos 7.4.2 system at 8K upsampling on an 82" screen (dual 18" Velodyne DD18+ subwoofers) - the theater system is completely separate from the 2-channel system you see in the photo (all the theater gear sits in a mechanical room that is acoustically isolated from the listening room). This gives me the best of both worlds in having my 2 channel system AND my home theater system in one room. The only drawback is that I need to get an acoustic cover for the TV screen as Wilson (when they setup the system) heard “splash” from the screen and said I have to either remove it or get an acoustic shield over it. Still sounds amazing - the cover is on my “to do list”, as are getting bigger thread adapters for my Stillpoints to fit the Alexx’s (thread sizes are bigger than the Alexia’s sadly).

This has been a labor of love for audio over the years and I’ve upgraded my gear through my dealer as I can squirrel away enough $$. I work hard for every cent I get and put what I can towards my stereo as often as I can. It if wasn’t for Wilson’s trade-up program, these wouldn’t have been possible. Just LOVE Wilson Audio. Daryl Wilson is such an amazing person and is building dreams over there - Awesome people there and of course my audio dealer.

HAHAHA - That’s exactly what 2 of the extra “Piano Movers” the audio shop hired said…they could care less about the system, they were drooling over the PS5 LOL. And Call of Duty over the Alexx’s is breathtaking. I also have an HDMI connection that goes back to the rack for plugging in devices that will feed into the Atmos system if I want, but the audio dealer said to try the Alexx’s through my DAC - I have to say they were spot on – so much better.

2 Likes

I absolutely love my Topping E30/L30 stack, punches well above its weight! I popped the DAC in my main system and wish I hadn’t! Now I’ve just spent loads on a new DAC for there as well! :grin:

1 Like

I really need to move that rack to the left so it’s in the middle.

2 Likes

Ha! Exactly what I was afraid of! Will have to try that one of these days. What do you use as source for your main system with the DAC?

I would, but that’s where the center channel for my home theater system is. Defeats the purpose if it’s in the middle of the speaker and blocks the sound :slight_smile: That and it doesn’t really bother my OCD “that” much haha.

Here is my office setup. Mac Mini usb out to Topping D10. Digital output to pair of Meridian DSP33

9 Likes

Up until a few days time (when my new Lumin U1 Mini arrives!) I have been using variously a plain vanilla USB out from the Raspberry Pi 4 as a Roon endpoint, then followed by adding an Allo DigiOne and SPDIF. I ‘upgraded’ to the Pi from an Auralic Mini.

1 Like

Here is my Living Room Setup. Trifield sound via Meridian 861v4 with ID40 card. Speakers are the Meridian DSP5000(L,R,C) and Meridian DSP2500 Subwoofer (L+R) iPad Pro 12.9 serves as the remote.

13 Likes

Here is my Bedroom setup. Meridian Trifield. Meridian 568.2 fed by Meridian MS200. Trio of Meridian DSP6000.

13 Likes