Hi all from Australia,
Discovered Roon from discussion boards about another supplier’s disastrous software update and the more I look at it the more interested I have become in it as a way to enjoy my collection of FLAC files. I was getting quite keen and about to bite the bullet on the new Nucleus One, only to discover that it is only available in the US.
That took me to ROCK, which was also looking really interesting, only to discover that it runs on Intel NUC devices that are no longer being manufactured by Intel.
There are ASUS NUC devices and they even have the same product code as the Intel ones however they are not listed on the supported devices page, and some of them are called an RNUC …
Now I find out that Roon has been acquired by Harmon, which is probably a good move, but am I at risk of getting locked out of custom built ROCK servers for possibly the same reason as the other supplier (starting with and ending with ‘S’) seems to be going?
Its a new product that has yet to be distributed outside of the US but it will be soon , I suspect demand outstripped supply temporarily. It’s only been available in the US for a couple of months
You get a monthly/yearly/once piece of software. Then you need the hardware.
As you state; a nucleus or a Nuc. But that’s not necessary. You can also install the software on a normal pc. It’s not fully supported bij Roon but it will work. Years will pass and the list with supported nubs will grow with probably the ASU’s nucs. Let’s say it takes a year or two.
After two years, you buy a supported nuc from Asus and install rock on it. Migrate your database and you’re done.
So you can listen with the Roon server software installed on hardware you already own and get to dedicated software later.
But don’t rely on my answer only. I’m using Roon for less than a year and bought a supported Nuc right away.
Benefits from the dedicated server-hardware; updates run without hassles and you don’t have all other programs ruining your experience by, let’s say, a windows update.
Roon’s success, in part, is that it works with and on just about everything. Since more people run Roon on their hardware than the Nucleus I doubt this will change.
However, if you want a Nucleus One, wait, since Roon is setting up distribution outside the US, and run Roon on a laptop or PC until they’re available.
If you mean by this installing ROCK on a normal PC - then it’s not officially supported, and it may work (depends on the chipset used on the PC’s motherboard).
Alternatively, Roon on Windows is officially supported by Roon Labs.
Hi David, I’ve been running Roon Core in Melbourne for four years on my iMac, controlled via an iPad, and others do a similar setup using a PC and suitable tablet; and as Geoff Coupe (who has helped me in a past forum) mentions, Roon on Windows is officially supported by Roon Labs. I stressed over the same issue years ago, but I’ve never found a reason to change my simple “Roon Core on computer” setup. So, I would suggest you put the Core on your PC, save time and money, and enjoy
Thanks Geoff. I was thinking of the Windows option but my main computer is a work one and pretty beefy so I don’t want to have it left on. I also have a couple of laptops that I could use but I’m starting to think that getting a listed Intel NUC is probably the way to go as it basically becomes a ROON appliance once ROCK is installed and it is designed to be a set and forget machine so it fits the bill better than adding another background process to my PC
Thanks Neal, This (and all the other helpful replies) are a solid endorsement for Roon - per my response to Geoff, I might just bite the bullet and get an Intel NUC (they are still around) and convert it to a ROON appliance
I’m an Australian user of Roon for about 2 months. I’d been wanting to use it for sometime but was put off by the cost. However, now that I have started using it I don’t see how I could ever give it up.
I am using Roon Server on my Mac Mini 2020 and it works perfectly. However, this is only a temporary solution because I want to buy the Nucleus One and have been trying to find out when it will be released in Australia. I’ve also been looking at buying a secondhand Intel NUC with at lease an i5 Intel chip but my concern is that I cannot be sure exactly which chip will be ideal for Roon. There is just so much info floating around. Consequently, I have decided to wait until the Nucleus One is available in Oz. There must be something to be said for using a device that has been specially tweaked by Roon itself. BTW, I suggest you watch the Hans Beekuyzen review of the Nucleus One on his YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Pv8tAfapMU
I also intend to keep search FB Marketplace for Intel NUCs.
I could not do without Roon. Well, I could, but the listening experience would be so bland in many ways that it doesn’t bear thinking about. Intel NUC’s abound and seem to be readily available, so I would look at the specs within the range you are thinking about and ask Roon Support if they would be appropriate for the task, just to be sure. Roon Core is just about bomb proof I’ve found, but I was a bit daunted in the early days.Geoff Cope is a wealth of information and may know straight off. Best wishes with your Roon journey
Thanks Neal
Yes, I did it - after sleeping on it and reading the replies on this thread I realised that once I install ROCK on a supported NUC, then it has effectively become a ROON Nucleus - perhaps missing some cute enhancements but nonetheless, a dedicated network appliance so the support status from Intel is not that important (there are a lot of Linux based appliances out there running way less (and older) hardware than the NUC.
The way I figure it is that it will allow me to get started and if in a few months time the Nucleus One is available in Australia and I’m not happy with the NUC, then I can always put it back to a WIN 11 device or Linux (or something) and use it for something else.
I found the best deal on Amazon for a NUC13ANHi5 – should be here next week then I’ll do the ROCK install
Roon Lifer in AU also. Welcome to the best music experience you can have. Mine is running on a Lenovo ThinkCentre M900 Tiny Desktop PC i7 6700T running Rock. Not “officially” supported but has been running without an issue for many months now. Endpoints can be easily created using Pi’s or other small form factor systems if required. The system does rely on a robust network so be aware of that one!
Fellow Australian Roon user here. I use a dedicated desktop windows 10 computer i5, 500 GB SSD, 16 Gb RAM purchased from Officeworks for less than $1000 a few years ago.
You do need to do better than the minimum specs suggested by Roon, if you have lots of your own music and you need a minimum of 16 Gb RAM on a Windows computer as Roon seems to do funny things with memory from time to time on Windows computers that requires a regular restart.
As Windows 10 will not be supported from next year, I am investigating a mini computer i7 32 GB RAM Windows 11 that is being advertised online for around a $1000.
Make sure you Roon Server computer is connected to the network via ethernet and that your own music files are also on a USB connection with your Roon server.
Melbourne based Roon user here! Started with an older MBP server about 5 years ago, then upgraded to a Roon Nucleus Rev B. Once I had that, I immediately upgraded to a faster internal system SSD along with faster and additional RAM. Recently, I made the ultimate Roon commitment and purchased the lifetime license. Overall, I couldn’t be happier.
Roon Nucleus
Gato Audio DIA-400S NPM
DALI Epicon 2
Well, there you have it. we all have different, but maybe essentially, similar ways of getting to our own endpoints. For me, Roon expands my musical experiences in many ways. It’s a generally robust platform with good Community support, and as Paul Williams pointed out, it’s best to be over spec’d. I’ve read a lot about Nucleus One, and listened to Hans B’s YouTube review long ago (unless this is a new one, thank you Aman), but so far, I haven’t found a reason to justify the price of the N1 over using my very old iMac. As always, follow your own path according to your own knowledge, experience, understanding, what you are comfortable with, and musical needs. Have fun with it
I am another Aussie user, started out using an 2009 MacPro as my RoonServer in 2017. I quickly realised that I did not want this running constantly and letting it go to sleep always made things a little less stable.
I then successfully installed ROCK on a repurposed HTPC/Gaming PC in a HDPLEX case, fondly known as a MOCK, this has been running ever since but is not officially supported by Roon so if I have problems its tough luck!
I also have a NUC10i3 running ROCK, one server runs early access the other runs the production version.
Personally I’d go down the NUC installed with ROCK path and then purchase a Nucleus One if you so desire. No issues worrying about OS updates to MacOS or Windows, just set, forget and access to your music all of the time (baring mishaps or unforeseen events).
- after sleeping on it and reading the replies on this thread I realised that once I install ROCK on a supported NUC, then it has effectively become a ROON Nucleus - perhaps missing some cute enhancements but nonetheless, a dedicated network appliance so the support status from Intel is not that important (there are a lot of Linux based appliances out there running way less (and older) hardware than the NUC.
