Roon sold to Harman. Implications?

wonder if this will extend into a power offering - like a Sonos Amp. this for 500 plus another 300 for power/connectivity would be an interesting proposition

Indeed. The Harman take over seems to be working nicely and this is a really good move as the old Nucleus was always seen as poor VFM, although perfect for a simple ‘plug and play and off you go’ solution.

I’d been having a few issues with sluggish Roon performance and was starting to look elsewhere, but the recent updates and (finally !) full Roon Ready support for Linn network players, has restored my faith in the product, with back to normal performance and a nice boost in SQ too.

My Nucleus can rest easy for now :grinning:

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just read that you can connect up to 8TB of storage and send the stream to an external DAC. good VMF all of a sudden

Harman apparently knows what it’s doing; cheaper hardware is going to hook people into the 14.99 monthly subscription.

Razor < blade.

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Does it need a hard drive if you are just running Roon software with a seperate music hard drive such as the Uniti Core?

Yes, the Roon software will need to be installed on it.

Pretty sure it is pre installed but it is not clear on the Roon site

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The question is, does it need a hard drive installed just to run Room (with a seperate Uniti Core in my case)? I “think” the answer is no.

Also, would in send the audio signal through the Nucleus, or would it go from the Uniti Core streamer directly, like using the Naim app?

According to Roon’s website, the Nucleus One:

● Provides space for 2.5” internal SATA drives

● External USB storage, two USB-A

● Network storage (NAS)

If it’s like the Nucleus, then you can either fit an internal drive to store your local music, add an external USB drive or point it to a local networked music store, such as a NAS .

In your case, as long as you can see the internal music store externally on the Core across a network connection, you’d just be using the Core as a ripper and music store. All control would be via Roon and the Roon app.

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Isn’t this just a NUC in a nicer case - I read it had a fan although it didn’t come on much. Good move though for Roon as costs are similar I guess to a NUC and looks more interesting, and you don’t have to DIY.

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One could get a pretty new mac mini without a fan (I hate fans) for the same money. Would this Nucleus One be a better choice and if so why?

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Can you get a Mac Mini without a fan (quiet as they are) ?

As I read the quick start guide everything is included to set it up as a server. But you can also add external hard-drive, USB etc if you need for local files.

Step 2:
Unbox your Nucleus One

In the box, you’ll find everything you need to get going with Nucleus One and Roon. Please take a moment to identify what’s included:

● Nucleus One
● Power supply
● AC power cord
● Ethernet cable

From Mac mini M1 processors and onwards there are no fans (released 2020 I believe). Dead quiet. Always. Same with Macbook Air.

When I had a chat with Small green computer on dedicated Roon server vs a mac I got this reply.

“Roon runs much faster on a dedicated box than it does on a general purpose computer with a desktop operating system. This improves the sound. It’s also easier to manage as you don’t need to worry about OSX upgrades.”

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Interesting - my Macbook Air doesn’t have a fan but the Mini still appears to have one - there is a vent on the rear.

This information is posted on the Roon
community:
It will have an m.2 SSD that holds the Roon OS and the Roon Server software. The (optional) 2.5" drive is purely for local music storage.

Hope this answers the original question.

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Which year is your mac mini made?

EDIT. Indeed mac mini even with M1 processors and later has a fan. Very strange since Macbook air with the same doesn’t.

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I don’t have a new M1 / M2 mini, but a quick google at some tear downs shows an internal fan.

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You are correct. Even though mac mini have M1 or later they do have a fan. Strange when Macbook air doesn’t.

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Yes, it does thanks.

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