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In Reply to: RE: Are CD Players Even Relevant Anymore? posted by PAR on September 11, 2016 at 04:18:04
I initially thought of Roon as just an 'aggregator' of metadata to enhance your own music library along with Tidal integration. It is much more than that.I do not subscribe to Tidal but I find Roon to be very rich with metadata for my own library that resides on the Mac Mini. I also like the fact that I can quickly and very intuitively navigate my library using the Roon app on my iPad.
I am also able to 'redirect' where the music is to play. For example, I have the Mac Mini in my office directly attached to my DAC so I tell Roon to play through the DAC in my office. If I decide to go down to the basement, I can use the Roon App on the iPad to tell Roon to play to my Sonore microRendu network streamer. Or, I can have it play to the AppleTV box in our family room or the one in the bedroom.
I have very little experience with Classical music so I can't help describe how Roon handles that genre.
There's a lot more to Roon and the best place to come up to speed on it is on their website, or better yet just download it and play with it.
Roon album art view
This is the Mac Mini and DAC in my office. If I want to control my listening setup while in the basement I just take the iPad with me and I can play the music files from Mac Mini in my office and have it stream to the networked microRendu streamer in the basement. The iPad acts as the controller and navigation interface to the music library.Sonore microRendu network music streamer in the basement system
Edits: 09/11/16Follow Ups:
Abe, nice rug. I like the clear stand for the DAC too.I just replaced two tower PCs with an Intel NUC. It runs JRiver MC21 and provides music for 3 rooms. Dragonfly Red is visible behind the NUC. The actual music files are on a QNap NAS but they could be stored inside the NUC.
my blog: http://carsmusicandnature.blogspot.com/
Edits: 09/12/16
Nice setup! Which NUC do you have, if you recall? There are so many variations available. I haven't researched them much but I'm curious to know what the most 'powerful' version is w/o the need for a fan.
It's an Intel Skylake generation i5 with 2 memory slots, an m.2 SSD slot and a cage for a 2.5" 7mm thickness SATA drive.
It does have a fan but changing to a quiet fan operation profile in the Biosonly takes a couple of seconds. With that setting, the fan runs very rarely in normal use and when it does, I am not conscious of it for awhile. A simpler, easier, cheaper and more mainstream solution than putting a NUC board into a fanless case.
The rest of the spec:
- 2 by 8GByte ram kit
- Samsung 1 TB m.2 SSD
- Windows 10 Pro (OEM)
I chose an m.2 SSD to leave the SATA drive position open for more storage if needed. However, music and photos are now on a QNap NAS so I may never need more than 1TB of storage.
I carried over a Dell 24" monitor, a logitech wireless keyboard and mouse and an Audioengine AW1 wireless DAC.
Performance is quite snappy. I am not conscious of any lags relative to the previous Sandy Bridge i5 desktop with SSD boot drive.
I had intended to replace the dedicated MusicPC with a JRiver Id (atom based Intel NUC with Linux and JRiver installed.) However, I decided to try moving the MusicPC function onto my personal NUC. I haven't found any downside in terms of sound quality or functionality.
I am well into replacing all the computer and audio gear. So far I've replaced the WiFi router/firewall, 2 DACs, 2 PCs and a bunch of cables of various sorts. Parts for my wife's NUC are arriving today so I'll replace her desktop next week.
Still to be replaced: powered speakers in our home office, active 3 way speakers in our library and the TV.
I've been interested in good audio for about 50 years and am happy to do my own research and thinking. Quite different choices now from those I made ~10 years ago when I first went to computer audio.
my blog: http://carsmusicandnature.blogspot.com/
Thanks for the detailed response. Nice!
Where did you get that acrylic shelf that your Mytek DAC sits on? I could use one for my Raspberry Pi.
Cut-Throat
Try this one from OWC:
The Newer Technology NuStand mini
It's a plastic picture or nicnack stand/easel. I think my wife got it at an arts & crafts store called Michael's. I've seen similar items at places like Target.The other stands that I like are from:
Anker
iClever
You can search Amazon.com for "Anker stand" or "iClever stand", or a broader search on "smartphone stand", "tablet stand", "iPhone stand", or "iPad stand".
Edits: 09/12/16
Looks Great !
Cut-Throat
Nice looking setup! I like the acrylic on acrylic.Is the Raspberry Pi up and running and streaming over your network?
Edits: 09/14/16
Yes, with the PiCorePlayer, it is about a 10 minute job..... A lot easier when I configured a Pi about 4 years ago......I am pretty sure the New Pi is my main streamer now, running LMS. I guess you could say it's my 'Main Squeeze' now! :-)
Cut-Throat
Edits: 09/14/16
Just got back from Michael's and Target.. They don't carry anything like that...If you get a chance, ask your wife where she picked it up...Thanks.Also, How thick is the Acrylic Material on the shelf you have?
Cut-Throat
Edits: 09/12/16
Sorry you struck out on the picture stand / easel. It's a pretty common item. Another source for little boxes and stands is the Container Store or possibly Bed Bath and Beyond if you have those in your area.That thick acrylic stand that fits the Mac Mini below it came from MacSales.com. See the link below.
NewerTech NuStand Mini. Monitor Riser designed for the Apple Mac mini. $25
Edits: 09/12/16
I saw a lot of Acrylic Risers on-line, but most were very small for jewelry etc. Most were only 1/8 thick and pretty flimsy....And most all were the wrong dimensions. The one that you have is the perfect dimensions for me.
Cut-Throat
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Cut-Throat
Abe, that is a really useful response for which I thank you. I think that I must give Roon a trial. I was impressed by one of their screenshots of a classical album page which actually showed notes about the piece recorded and not just the composer.
Unfortunately the price is now comparatively steep for us in the UK due to the drop in the value of the pound v. USD. When I looked when Roon was introduced I thought OK but it is now 90 gbp per annum. The value of this to me would have to be created entirely from the improved information available as I have no use for the multizone/play point feature nor integration with Tidal. In my small place if I want to hear music in another room I just leave the door open :-). So if I do trial it then it has to be very hot indeed to open my wallet.
I do get the feeling from their webpages that the design of Roon is ideally for viewing on a big wide screen. My dedicated music PC is a 13" laptop which I chose for size and weight as it sits on top of my CD transport (neither switched on in tandem of course). This is too small I think for the standard Roon view. In fact it is too small for me whatever I have displayed on it as I losing my sight as I get older. But I see that you run it in a headless configuration with an i-pad for control. Once again Roon impresses me by having an Android remote app that I can use on my phone and tablet. I can get closer to these screens than the PC and more or less see what is happening. I hope that the screen design for these devices is as impressive as the full screens shown on the website. Only one way to find out, install it (once I have got my head aroubd the price).
NB: I love those acrylic supports that you have for your DAC and the Sonore.
I wanted to mention that Roon works great on a 13" screen. The screen on my iPad Mini is only 7.9". I played with Roon on my 13" MacBook Pro laptop and there's plenty of screen real estate. There's a setting in Roon that allows you to show fewer albums so the size of each album on-screen is larger, or you can set it to to show more.
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