The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

[SnowmaNick]

I used to do that too but it was kinda annoying to have to keep my laptop on 24/7 or open it up anytime i wanted to listen to music.

The NUC as @Joe Mac mentioned is real easy to do, although nowadays it may just cost a similar amount to the Roon device. I suppose you need to add a HD to the Roon device though so NUC could still be cheaper. I love the NUC and it was extremely easy to set up and build.

I’d second this. I went from an old iMac to a NUC to a Nucleus. The real improvement was from the iMac to the NUC, which was ~$450-500 to build, including a 1tb ssd. ROCK was stable and was he little NUC did everything I wanted.

 

[MikeH]

I’d second this. I went from an old iMac to a NUC to a Nucleus. The real improvement was from the iMac to the NUC, which was ~$450-500 to build, including a 1tb ssd. ROCK was stable and was he little NUC did everything I wanted.

What was the reasoning to go up to the nucleus? just curious!

 

[Slimwhit33]

I’d second this. I went from an old iMac to a NUC to a Nucleus. The real improvement was from the iMac to the NUC, which was ~$450-500 to build, including a 1tb ssd. ROCK was stable and was he little NUC did everything I wanted.

Anyone have the info that you used to build the NUC? My son is a CPU guy and could build it I assume.

 

[SnowmaNick]

What was the reasoning to go up to the nucleus? just curious!

Funny enough, I was just curious if it would be better than the NUC, I liked the aesthetics and they had that sale around Thanksgiving which included a free year. Ultimately, I think the Nucleus looks better but I don’t hear any difference.

 

[jamieanderson1968]

Once built, how do you add new files to it?

 

[Joe Mac]

Anyone have the info that you used to build the NUC? My son is a CPU guy and could build it I assume.

There used to be an article on roon’s website. You need the NUC, RAM, an M2 HD to flash the operating system onto and a hard drive for the music (either internal 2.5” or USB departing on the NUC you buy).

Hang on a sec and I’ll see if I can dig out it my post way back in the day about building it.

 

[SnowmaNick]

Once built, how do you add new files to it?

Just point it to the directory that you have music stored to import. And/or add a cd drive via USB to rip discs directly.

 

[Joe Mac]

Once built, how do you add new files to it?

Yeah. Once built and linked to roon as your core you can either send the files to it over the network or if you’re using a usb hd load them onto it. The rock appears as a network drive on window and MacOS.

 

[Thackeraye]

We missed a trick by not calling this thread The Dark Side of the Roon...

 

[MikeH]

Anyone have the info that you used to build the NUC? My son is a CPU guy and could build it I assume.

I can post the stuff I bought later tonight. Might be easier than @Joe Mac since he’s abroad. Got most parts on Amazon here

 

[Joe Mac]

I can post the stuff I bought later tonight. Might be easier than @Joe Mac since he’s abroad. Got most parts on Amazon here

Cool although the NUCs we have don’t exist anymore haha! It does work with the newer ones too. I was more trying to hunt down the post with the instructions on how to do it, I know I put that up here once…

 

[Joe Mac]

I am currently using an i5, it’s the NUC7i5BNH

Intel NUC7i5BNH Tall Baby Canyon Thunderbolt3 Barebone Kit - Black Intel NUC7i5BNH Tall Baby Canyon Thunderbolt3 Barebone Kit - Black: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

im using 8GB of this RAM

Crucial CT8G4SFS824A 8 GB (DDR4,... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01BIWKP58?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

One of these SSDs for the os

TCSUNBOW M.2 SATAIII NGFF32 GB... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B078H763FF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

And this HHD for the the files

Seagate FireCuda ST2000LX001... Seagate FireCuda 2 TB Solid State Hybrid Drive Performance SSHD – 2.5 Inch SATA 6 Gb/s Flash Accelerated for Gaming PC Laptop - Frustration Free Packaging (ST2000LXZ01): Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

Edit: You’ll also need a little usb flash drive to use as an installer to flash your NUC.

So long as you have a usb keyboard and mouse and a hdmi to connect it to your tele for set up you’re golde

There is a comprehensive set up guide on Roon in the rock section where you can also download the necessary software for free.

Roon Knowledge Base - Roon Optimized Core Kit

@Slimwhit33 this is the post! Knew I’d get there in the end. Those NUCs are old models but the new ones are fine too. The link at the bottom is Roon’s ROCK set up instructions.

 

[Slimwhit33]

@Slimwhit33 this is the post! Knew I’d get there in the end. Those NUCs are old models but the new ones are fine too. The link at the bottom is Roon’s ROCK set up instructions.

Thanks Joe!

 

[MikeH]

Thanks Joe!

It’s very very easy to build and install. You will need a monitor though temporarily for setup

 

[Nee Lewman]

Thanks Joe!

I’ll say this, I was looking earlier and the new roon device might be a cheaper point of entry.

 

[Jbraswell]

I've run Roon on a really inexpensive PC that has much better capabilities and upgradable RAM slots.
What am I missing here?

Windows can be pretty eff'd up but stable in the end.

 

[MikeH]

I’ll say this, I was looking earlier and the new roon device might be a cheaper point of entry.

It doesn’t include a hard drive but you might be right. I looked mine up which was purchased at the tail end of 2020. The NUC was $299. 1TB SSD was $99. And RAM was $40 for 8GB. I think I had a 128GB drive in there as well too? It’s probably more expensive now for at least some of those

 

[MikeH]

I've run Roon on a really inexpensive PC that has much better capabilities and upgradable RAM slots.
What am I missing here?

Windows can be pretty eff'd up but stable in the end.

Small footprint and runs the RoonCore OS which is a bit more stable I believe than just running the app as a core on a computer. This also seems like a super simple setup, which people like. Sometimes people prefer an out of the box solution as opposed to something they have to build or setup

 

[Jbraswell]

Small footprint and runs the RoonCore OS which is a bit more stable I believe than just running the app as a core on a computer. This also seems like a super simple setup, which people like. Sometimes people prefer an out of the box solution as opposed to something they have to build or setup

Ok. The app is stupid easy.
It's worked flawless on windows for a couple of years now. But I understand if people like extra hardware boxes or don't want an entire PC in the house. I'm just being rational since we have kids playing games while Roon runs in the background not breaking a sweat. Windows is also more secure and firewalled IMO.

 

[SnowmaNick]

Ok. The app is stupid easy.
It's worked flawless on windows for a couple of years now. But I understand if people like extra hardware boxes or don't want an entire PC in the house. I'm just being rational since we have kids playing games while Roon runs in the background not breaking a sweat. Windows is also more secure and firewalled IMO.

The app crashed frequently on my old iMac, which I had before the NUC, and the NUC was small and easy to hide.