Which is what the Nucleus casing is supposed to be. Maybe there’s a problem with your Nucleus, e.g. the thermal connection between the CPU and the case is faulty?
1 Like
No, it is not.
It is by design.
1 Like
Basically every hard disk and CPU is the same, you just usually don’t touch them. It’s why they have heat sinks and some way of dissipation
2 Likes
h, so you do have another DAC. This should work just fine.
1 Like
Yes. And it’ll do for the other sources.
I just ordered my (Ethernet (BJC) and USB) cables 
in preparation.
Thanks again for everything.
Enjoy! Let us know how it works out.
1 Like
Will do! Thanks
How unfortunate there is no such thing as a computer that could output RAAT for Roon sources and AirPlay for Mark’s other sources – both via Ethernet – to a compatible streamer connected via single USB to Mark’s Parasound integrated preamp, oh, and run Mark’s preferred third party backup software in the background.
Wait, there is such a computer. It is called an iMac. And Mark already has one.
AJ
4 Likes
And if he didn’t want to run Roon on an everyday computer used for other purposes, would an Apple Mac Mini be a better fit for his use case than a Roon Nucleus?
1 Like
Yes, a largely dedicated Mac mini would be a better and less expensive choice. It could be headless with control via the iMac. The Ethernet connected Mac mini could be placed off in a corner somewhere, outputting to a compatible streamer. Or it could be put with the audio equipment and function as both the server and the streamer, outputting via USB to the Parasound.
AJ
2 Likes
@WiWavelength, @Jim_F - your posts highlight considerations I made before embarking on this. They relate to how I (or anyone else for that matter) listen to music - now that so much in so many formats is available to us all.
I began my listening (which has almost all been to 'classical (from plainchant to contemporary, instrumental, choral, chamber, opera, vocal etc) music; with a touch of ‘folk’ and - necessarily - some ‘pop’ and jazz as I was growing up in the 1960s) over 60 years ago with a few 78s, then EP, LP and singles; few 8-track cartridges but a lot of cassettes. CDs (and SACDs) from the early 1980s.
So almost exclusively composer > work-based (rater than performer and ‘song’). I was delighted that Roon can suit that approach as well as it does; though, aware that I am in a minority, I’d be happy if Roon moved even further to support us ‘classical’ ‘oldies’; but don’t expect too much too soon, I hope.
Although I made my living for 20 years in technology (programming for a large non-profit arts organization), many of the advances in (network) technology of the last 30 or so years have passed me by. That much is evident from the need for such patience which all the posters who have contributed - and to whom I’m so grateful - have had to muster. My model of how the components we’ve been discussing work together has been too chain-centric 
.
This is probably because I am content (and have always been content) to allow the hard-, software and associated networking to play a largely supportive role and not to draw me in to that world for their own sakes. Though I suspect that I’d be quite willingly drawn into its intricacies - so in awe am I of the immense expertise and wisdom of those good enough to devote all the time they have here in this thread alone.
If I can find a combination of devices and infrastructure which is transparent and is as simple as it needs to be but no more, as Einstein said; and which doesn’t require too much cold sweat with screwdrivers to allow me to have my growing (I practically only buy FLAC files and stream now) collection at my finger tips, elegantly and robustly organized so that it’s largely decoupled from my Mac (I started with Acorn computers in the 1980s and been a Mac devotee since they disappeared), then - I’m happy!
Like many of us, surely, I’m still exploring - and I know that Roon/Nucleus will help me to clarify - the implications of (potentially?) having virtually all the music ever recorded available digitally… do I rip my CDs, some of them, those I can’t find at Qobuz, Tidal, Presto etc, none of them? When do I decide to buy? And when only stream because the system (Roon’s Services) is so flexible.
After hours of research, it seems as though the Roon/Nucleus/mid-range stereo system with my iMac as a reliable adjunct, the conductor not the entire orchestra, is the perfect balance. It has the endorsement (obviously) of RoonLabs and the approval of by far the majority who have posted here.
IOW I seem to be pretty much the typical user at whom Nucleus is ‘aimed’. And a satisfied user, at that, I hope !
But for your use case, a Mac Mini might be a better fit. There is nothing magical about a Roon Nucleus. That doesn’t mean a Nucleus won’t work or there is anything wrong a Nucleus. I love mine.
I did have to replace the M.2 chip after about 3 years.
2 Likes
Which would of course require a major refit - somewhere. Unless both manufacturers used the new invisible-stretch-AI materials for the headbands.
Thanks. Yes. Duly ordered
4 Likes
Quick connectivity question, please: my Nucleus is on its way (thanks, Roon Labs!) so have been experimenting with cables etc.
The model I’m using is the one in this post.
Referring to the connection between the Nucleus and my ParaSound P6, I have been testing an upgraded (from the working one I have now from my iMac itself to the P6) cable and found that this cable fails (P6 cannot be found) and this one works.
Given the the P6 appears to prefer USB 2, could that be the reason?
Am I losing anything sonically by apparently having to use USB 2, please?
Could it be that - for some reason - the P6’s USB input just doesn’t work with that USB 3 cable that is supposedly backward compatible with USB 2?
TIA!
Is there some reason why you are using such long USB cables with “active repeaters” in them? Personally I think I would avoid such things if I could.
3 Likes
@Mark_Sealey No, you are not losing anything sonically with a standard compliant USB 2 cable, but as @Geoff_Coupe pointed out, always try to keep the cable as short as possible and with no “active repeaters” nonsense or stuff like that in it.
As a USB distance of 10 meters is out of USB spec, a repeater is not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just a digital repeater anyway and has as much influence on the audio data as an Ethernet switch, i.e. none. On the other hand, it’s only necessary if the USB has failures over such long distances.
1 Like