Which media core?

Hello,
I now have Roon running fairly well and installed on a highish performance PC (Dell M3800). The music library is on a Synology DS214+ NAS and connection is via a normal copper wired 1 GB/s LAN.

The future will be a considerably extended LAN using fibre links (for very good reasons) from the main core switch to edge (aka access) switches. The existing PC will either be replaced by a notebook (Dell Inspiron) with i7 processor and 8GB RAM or alternatively a hardware based server could be added to the network and control might be by use of a tablet. Multi room functionality as well as wireless and satellite radio streaming are also on the agenda.

My dilemma is whether to stick with my existing NAS drive and its software based media server or to invest in a dedicated and more expensive hardware based media server. There is also the third option of a Meridian Media Core thereby avoiding a lot of effort but incurring expense.

Any suggestions as to the “best” way forward would be of considerable value.

Best wishes to all,

Geoff

Keep your audio endpoints far from your core. Your Dell is good enough to run Roon. In the future, expand using the multitude of RoonReady devices that will be hitting the market starting next year.

Buying a Meridian Core would be a mistake, especially if you want to run Roon.

I would suggest buying a Meridian endpoint (MS200, for instance) for far less and adding a QNAP NAS to your system - it need not be a large or expensive one - just one that is compatible with Meridian’s new QNAP core, which your Meridian dealer should supply for free.

Good luck!

John

John, the OP already has a synology 214+ which is more than capable of serving up files for Roon. No need to buy a Qnap NAS. I would just add the MS200 as it works very well.

In other words with a capable PC and NAS that Geoff has already he is only missing the network zone.

You’re absolutely right. My bad. I have lived in the Meridian world so long I am still focused on the Sooloos core.

John

No worry John. It’s like speaking two languages…need to remember which one to use.

The MS200 is a good solution now. In a few months, there will be a lot more options on the market.