Out of interest @anon23154165, what fanless case did you go with for your NUC? Thanks.
I bought an Akasa Newton case. There are different ones based on the NUC you buy so don’t just by anyone. Use the intel nuc name as part of any search.
Forr example intel NUC7i5BNH. They go for about £60 mark
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I agree… it’s what really put the final nail in the coffin for my NAS drive running the core. It would be running real nice and then you add a filter and the cpu usage would jump. The menu interface on the app became very sluggish so I needed a new solution that would last.
The i5 gen 7 seems to be the sweet spot for NUCs at the moment based on price/power ratio. If I’d kept an old Mac mini that would have been ideal as well… if kept out of the room.
Hi, thanks for all the input, my take away from the above is… get at least an i5 to be future prof and if placed in listening room seriously consider a fan less solution.
I have done a bit of googling and it seams that there are fan less cases for NUCs and experiences are generally positive. (Looks not to complicated and roughly a 2h job to convert to). So was thinking order an i5 an see how bad the noise actually is.
Then stumbled on a firm Cirrus7 that can provide this ready built. They even install different OS and Rock among them, so basically ready to use. Anyone who have any experience with these NUCs?
They can’t supply it with Rock installed it’s against Roons licensing. Whilst its free it can’t be redistributed buy others. They already did a cease and desist on another company doing this. So I would look down on this if it’s actually installing it.
That said there a number of users of this model on Roons forum and they seem very happy with it.
Akasa fanless cases are very well built.
You may easily build your own Nucleus like machine.
But be aware that the Roon Rock version included in the Nucleus is slightly different from the standard Roon Rock (it includes thermal management).
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Hello Thomas. If I understand you correctly you are saying that a LPS does not improve the sound quality of a Roon Rock NUC, Nucleus or otherwise. Elsewhere, you have spoken of an expensive waste of money. In fact, Intel discourage the use of alternative power supplies with their NUCs. They do not specify power requirements and state that a non-standard supply invalidates the warranty. They also helpfully include a ferrite with their cable. Yet some others here speak very warmly about the positive benefits of swapping standard SMPS for LPS. So what advice do you and others offer? Thanks.
This is of course my own experience.
I tried it several times. No difference at all.
Considering the Nucleus or Roon server is networked, it makes sense.
But, if the Nucleus is directly connected to the DAC using the USB port, than yes the LPS makes massive difference.
The Roon Server, as recommended by Roon Labs, shouldn’t be anywhere near your audio equipment. It should be away from it, and hardwire connected to your network.
Mine is in a network cabinet, in a dedicated little room.
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Getting the Roon core away from the hifi could have three benefits:
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Less EM noise fields emanating directly from the box that does the core processing into nearby cables and boxes.
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The EM noise the core processor spills into connected cables has further to travel to reach the hifi?
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Less mechanical vibration into the hifi.
Which is most important?
Is number 2 above really a thing??
I’d also add getting a SMPS away from the hifi and (probably) onto another ring reducing the noise pushed onto the mains.
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I utilise a repurposed Mac Min Server, 2012 model from memory?
I replaced the original pair of Apple (Samsung) SSD’s with Samsun EVO 860 @ 2x 2TB. One runs the MacOS and Roon Server, the other is home to all the audio files.
In my case the Mac Mini is located in another room and runs over 10m of Ethernet cable to my main LAN switch.
Can’t say I ever did any serious comparisons with other options apart from an evaluation of the Innuos Zen Mini a little while back (and other non Roon server capable options).
I had the Mac Mini Server lying dormant looking for a job and to be fair I’ve had no issues with it since it was setup.
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How did the Zen Mini compare to the Mac Mini as a Roon core and file store?
Thanks for the info. The case sure look a nice quality one if you ask me. Pre installed OS is probably not a dealbreaker for me, but convenient none the less if included.
Hi Thomas, a question. Do you connect your Roon Rock NUC to your last switch or is it on an earlier switch.
For me this has proven to be a clear benefit both with my current MBP running core and earlier NAS running minim upnp server.
JimDog, not sure but my experience above would imply an other factor to consider.
- server on dedicated switch with streamer, less influence from general network “noise”?
What do you all think?
Have you tried connecting your NUC (Rock server) direct to the etherRegen switch?
No. That wouldn’t make sense.
The Roon Server is noisy, like all computers by the way, and would compromise the isolation provided by the EtherRegen
It might make sense if you consider the server as part of your audio setup and thus needs to be protected from the rest of your network, if that make sense?
I was evaluating it at the time against a Naim Uniti Core and Melco N100.
I’d say my main critera being establishing features and ease of use against price point. I wasn’t focussed on an analytical comparison of sonic capabilities in all honesty as many have/would be.
I found the Zen Mini a good allrounder for the price. I expect it would probably struggle if you pushed it enabling the more advanced features in Roon.
Relative to the Innuos, upgrading the Mac Mini with bigger/better SSD drives was cost effective, buying a used one and doing similar would still be a cost efficient option in my opinion.
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To my mind the emergence of more expensive audiophile NAS/server devices (both UPnP and Roon) has encouraged people to put them on their rack, because they come in fancy aluminium cases that make them look like HiFi components. My experience is that they work at least as well, if not better, if they are kept away from the HiFi, which is what Roon recommend for hardware running their Core, as Thomas says.
If you’re using the same box via a direct USB or SPDIF connection to a DAC, it’s a different matter, but we’re talking here about network connections.
That, at least, is my experience. Others appear to disagree, which is fine as long as they have made accurate assessments of how these things affect the sound. Not an easy thing to do in some circumstances.
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