Is there a wifi Roon Ready endpoint WITHOUT a DAC that is USB out?
I bought my WiiM Pro Plus thinking the USB C power plug was an outlet.
I saw the Microrendu, but it requires Ethernet,
The iFi Zen looks like a good fit… just wondering if there is anything I’m not seeing…
Not Roon Ready.
@George_Inskeep, the list of RR streamers (with no DAC) with USB out is going to be pretty small. There is the Element S but it is pretty pricey for just a streamer. Is there a reason why it has to be just a streamer? Just hoping to save a few bucks or?
Roon Bridge isn’t the same thing as Roon Ready which is what the OP specifically asked about.
Please ignore my post, I am trying to give the OP a workable solution. He can decide for himself if he has any interest. Some people would just as soon spend $100 versus $1500.
I never said otherwise. I simply pointed out that a RPi doesn’t fit the OP’s requirements.
And some people don’t want to build their own endpoints (or provide the support for that matter) regardless of the savings so your point is? Never mind that a budget has not been specified and the Element S actually fits the ask.
I have a good DAC on my Jotunheim 2 with the ”True Multibit” module.
The WiiM I got has no way to plug into it, so I’m using the RCA’s instead of digital…
It does indeed. I appreciate the referral.
The Element S is a little spendy for what it does for me, but in checking it out, it led me to the Element I2 which is actually a streamer, DAC and amp all in one, and while not inexpensive, I could sell the $700 Jot and return the $240 WiiM to make up a lot of the difference.
My god this is a slippery slope. Lol.
Ok, but even if you got a streamer with a DAC, the streamer’s DAC would not be used if using USB (or any other digital out for that matter) to your Jotunheim.
I’m not following. The WiiM is currently your streamer/Roon endpoint, correct? All of the WiiM devices (including the one you have) have digital out in the form of SPDIF. Does the external DAC you wish to use not have an SPDIF input?
George, Roon Ready doesn’t really do much for you if you are just looking for a device to grab the packets off the WiFi and forward them to a DAC via USB.
I second @Jim_F 's suggestion of a Raspberry Pi 4 running RoPieee, which will give you Roon Bridge. Simple and effective, USB output, and @spockfish is right here on the Forum to help with it.
My WiiM has only RCA, optical and coax out, my Jot DAC has only USB in.
Correct. No input other than USB.
I screwed myself not understanding what the specifics of Roon were when I bought, and thinking that the WiiM had a USB out because there was a USB C port on it.
This might be true, but what I’m looking to do is send Tidal music at full resolution (24/192) to my headphone amp, adding a PEQ and Crossfeed in Muse.
The reason I got the WiiM was because it had the ability to Eq for the headphones. But, as so many things in this milieu, the devil is in the details. It has a 10 band GEQ but only a 4 band PEQ, additionally, no crossfeed. And the fact that I’m orphaning my new $200 DAC is another problem. It’s just wasteful.
Another option, is to get one of those cheap Windows computers like this one
“https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Celeron-J3455-Processor-2-5-inch/dp/B099KSJN8P”
and load
I’m likely incorrect. But I understand that you can’t stream 24/192 to a Bridge, and I need to be Roon Ready to stream Tidal at full res.
My HEOS isn’t Roon Ready (yet) and it won’t stream higher than 16/44.1, where the WiiM (being Roon Ready) will do the hi res.
It might be dependent on hardware, but, you can stream any resolution that RAAT can carry to a RoonBridge endpoint. I’ve run 24/192 or DSD128 and higher to RoonBridge endpoints.
Is the music you are listening to on Tidal even 24/192 or are you just planning for that scenario? Even if it is, in Roon it will be “hi-res” MQA at best until Roon implements Tidal Max support. Until then you can either use Tidal MQA through Roon and make use of Muse or skip Roon and use Tidal Max on the WiiM with more limited EQ.
Also, have you tried the DAC in your WiiM? It is supposed to be pretty good especially considering the price so you might find you don’t even need the external DAC?
Bluesound Node is another Roon Ready streamer with USB out (it also has an internal DAC).
If all you need is a Roon endpoint with USB out, then Raspberry Pi running RoPieee will work for you and is the lowest cost solution. Your Jotunheim is a very good headphone amp and a reason you might want to stay with it.
You can stream Tidal or Qobuz at full resolution with RPi4 running RoPieee.
As we speak. I’m not home now, but using my Dell XPS 15 Roon server with WIFI to RPi4 and USB to Mojo2 DAC.
This is with my AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt that will only render MQA up to 24/88.2 or 24/96 IIRC.
I’ve been streaming Qobuz 24/192 to my RPi/RoPieee for years.To get 24/192 from Tidal, currently you need either a DAC that supports full MQA decoding, or a streamer that supports Tidal Connect (use it instead of Roon). Support for Tidal Hi-Res FLAC (instead of MQA) is currently available only on Tidal’s own apps and just a few streamers, but not yet supported on Roon (but it is coming).
