Simple & Inexpensive Setup in the Room that has the Roon Core

[gTunes]

@CrystalGipsy

Given the current Sonos upgrade has broken Roon with Sonos streaming I would not look at these.

I agree. I used Sonos for many years beginning with the introduction of the CR100 and early zone players. I know not everyone will agree with this but I don’t think Sonos is a great choice for Roon whether or not it’s temporarily broken by an update. There are issues with volume and transport control that I personally find problematic.

I moved from Sonos to BlueSound and BluOS (KEF) devices. Unfortunately, BluSound devices are also in a questionable state due to recent firmware issues. I don’t think I could recommend them, either, at this time. As the saying goes, “Trust is earned in drops and lost in buckets.” It’s tough to recommend Bluesound when a firmware update that causes devices to disappear and requires rollback goes unrepaired for weeks.

@Michael_Shapiro - I think you’re on a reasonable path but I’ll add a couple notes.

You may find it very hard to buy a Raspberry Pi at the $50 price you mentioned. Raspberry Pi availability collapsed during the pandemic and hasn’t recovered. Most of the Pis on the market today are being sold by scalpers at very high prices. If you do find a Pi 4B at $50, buy it quickly - you’ll find a use for it sooner or later

Some people here are using an alternative that you may want to explore. It’s nowhere near as turnkey as a Pi but if you’ve got the technical chops, it’s an option:

Dell Wyse 3040 Thinclient for Roon Bridge

If you are after a simple and cheap device to use as a Roon Bridge the this is a winner IMHO. Dell Wyse 3040 Thinclient. They are abundant on eBay and going for cheap (Bulk clearance sales especially - make sure you get one with WIFI) (I picked up the 3040 for AUD$55 delivered) Seeing as Pi’s are rare at the moment and really expensive they make a good option. It is not going to replace Ropieee with its multitude of functions and it is going to rely on a USB DAC for output. I use this with…

I also suggest you figure out how you plan to control volume before you jump on anything. Whether it’s the Roon app, a remote control, physical controls, or something else. What you want to do may influence your choices.

You may want to explore a set of small powered speakers that can take USB input directly from whatever streamer you end up with. That would eliminate the need for a DAC of one form or another. I don’t know if these will fit the bill for you but the AudioEngine A2+ might be an option. They’re small but punch above their weight class. Very popular. Available on Amazon in the US or direct from AudioEngine at $269.

If you do down a path that uses a Pi and a standalone DAC, search the forum for “Pi DAC HAT” and you’ll find many hits on the HAT option. This would integrate directly with the Pi (eliminating the need for a second device, power cord, etc.) and might give you a better volume control option.

That was a lot. I hope it helps