After building a very satisfying Roon-led system in my new office (Roon-Ready Antipodes DX-Berkeley DAC-Classé CAV amp) I would like to bring Roon into my home set-up but am having trouble with the hardware puzzle. My files are on an Aurender N100H server that feeds a Devialet 120. This set-up is simple and I love the sound quality, but Roon has now spoiled me for using the Aurender user interface. I’m looking for a way to introduce Roon and maintain the same sound quality.
My thought is to add a NUC and ROCK. Would that more complicated signal path affect sound quality or would this slip right in?
Is Aurender/Roon just an either/or kind of choice that I need to make?
I’ve tried Roon from my laptop using AirPlay and the sound was poor.
I haven’t used Devialet AIR but that doesn’t seem like the solution.
To upgrade the Devialet with their upcoming streaming board would cost much more than I’m willing to spend.
@support
I’m thinking of adding NUC+Rock, or MicroRendu, or selling the Aurender N100H and replacing with a Roon Ready component. Do you have any suggestions about how to approach this decision? I’ve researched but I’m feeling lost. Thanks.
Hello Keven, I have the same situation as yours, with the same Aurender, Deivalet etc. I also bought an Microrendu.
With Aurender you face an either / or situation, as far as Roon is concerned. Airplay, as you say, does not sound good.
You cannot use the Aurender as the basis for a Roon system,. You have to set up a separate core for Roon and then use either Devialet Air or the Microrendu as the endpoint. I have tried both of these out and am currently using Devialet Air alongside the Aurender. The Aurender is effectively redundant if you switch to Roon, but I still think it is the best sounding solution although not by far.
Thank you for that. I bought the Aurender from The Music Room in CO. He is suggesting a trade for Auralic Altair if I’m set on Roon which I am. I’m sorry to give up the Aurender as it’s solid and sounds great, but I think that’s where I’m going.
I’m returning a brand new Altair because it keeps dropping off the network (both Roon and LightningDS won’t see it until I restart streaming on the Altair). Maybe it’s an issue with their new firmware. Maybe not. I can’t wait around for them to fix it.
Mike, I had a similar experience with the Altair. When it’s running it’s a beautiful thing, but I was having constant networking issues with it. It’s in my bedroom as a source for my headphone system and because of the network issues I haven’t bothered using it for months. Very sad.
Although I don’t think Aurender supports this, their OS is a custom version of Linux just like the Nucleus, etc., so you couid run some software like Twonky on an N10 or W20 and use it as a NAS while also driving a DAC directly through the USB or S/PDIF ports and get the best of both worlds, IMHO.
I have an Arender N100H that was connected to my Devialet Expert 120. Nice, smooth sound, though I often felt the highs were a bit recessed. Nevertheless, I very much liked the combo. Till a few months, I re-installed Roon on my Mac Mini. I was immediately hooked by the fantastic software. Coming from the Conductor app, Roon was a revelation! Now I even have a Nucleus connected via Ethernet to my Devialet. I was always missing Qobuz integration with Roon that so nicely worked with the Conductor app. As of today‘s Roon upgrade featuring the incorporation of Qobuz into Roon, I just don‘t see myself going back to this clumsy Conductor app. I am sorry, but I am afraid that my N100H will have no future in my audio chain! I am sorry for the Aurender, but to my opinion, Aurender just hasn‘t done enough to stay atop of new developments!
I agree with that, in fact my room nucleus puts out so much better sound than my Aurender N10. Tried numerous configurations and inputs on the Devialet. Aurender just didn’t cut it for me, I sold it