This is probably a very simple question so apologies in advance!
I am moving from Sooloos to Roon and was interested in the Sonic transporter i5 , my library currently runs to a little less than 6000 albums and Tidal.
A good part of its appeal is the fit and forget element alongside not having to run windows.
My concern is on the small green computer faq it suggests the i5 cant rip CD’s and you are directed to the AP model for this. The AP is out of my budget and although i do need CD ripping the bulk of my collection has already been ripped, so i would only need to rip new CD’s as i get them. I would hope i could using my iMAc (with external CD drive) for this, perhaps using DBpoweramp or similar? Presumably the resulting flac file would then need to be dropped on the NAS that Roon looked to for the content?
Your understanding is correct. I have an i5 and I use my pc to rip cds and then just copy them to the Roon watched folder. In my case this is a HDD attached to the sonictransporter but this would also work with a NAS.
Thats a relief. I have not dealt with storage as yet, is there much difference between running an external HDD and a NAS, given that the Sonictransporter would be the core anyway?
Not a lot provided your NAS is connected to your core by Ethernet and not wifi. There have been some problems in some NAS setups with delays in syncing with the core and so some prefer a HDD and just use their NAS for backup purposes. This is what I do. Long experience has taught me that networks are a pain so the simpler the better for me.
My Vortexbox Appliance (purchased 2010) is getting long in the tooth, though it’s been a remarkably stable piece of equipment. I’ve been running LMS on it, but want to move to Roon in anticipation of them providing MQA software decoding of Tidal streams in the near future. I don’t have the budget for the sT AP, but have my eyes on the i5. I’ll use the Bridge II in a PS Audio PWD as my Roon-ready endpoint.
I’m assuming the ol’ VBA does not have the cojones to run Roon Core. Correct?
Can I use the i5 to run a Roon core, while pointing Roon to the files on the existing VB Appliance if they’re both LAN-connected to my router? I’d like to keep the VBA for occasional ripping of CDs.
I back up my VBA with a USB drive (Seagate FreeAgent GoFlex, 1.5 TB, USB 3.0.) 14,000 tracks at the moment. Can I just attach the Seagate to the i5 and then point Roon to the Seagate for files? Or is a NAS necessary or preferable for a library of this size?
Thanks for any insight. Super-stoked on the idea of going Roon.
You can certainly do number 3. A NAS is not necessary and in fact many find a local USB drive to have less issues than a NAS, though either will work fine.
Sorry I don’t know anything about the VBA to answer your other questions.
However if your VBA storage is available to you on your network then you should be able to copy any files across to the drive attached to your sonictransporter i5. I use a windows computer to rip my CDs and copy the files from that computer to the USB HDD attached to my sonictransporter simply using windows explorer in the usual way.
Thanks for the insight, Phil! ST i5 is ordered and on the way. Hella psyched to join the Roon world.
Andrew, perhaps: with Roon core running on the i5, is there a way to keep the VBA in operation and point Roon to my flac folder there? Both boxes could be ethernet-connected to my router. If it’s possible to run this way, I could avoid having to manually drag and drop newly-ripped CDs from VBA to my USB drive over the home network.