- Joined
- Oct 8, 2019
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I am having trouble figuring out what I do not know about Roon… I wish to try Roon because it sounds great and I am tremendously disappointed with the alternatives I have tried for browsing and selecting music. Most of my library has been ripped from my personal CD collection (I rip each CD into both FLAC and ALAC). The files are on a desktop computer in my home office (plugged directly into the router). The sound system is in the living room.
Currently, I use a Monitor Audio A100 as a preamp/DAC/streamer using the analog outputs to my amp. The device supports DLNA and AirPlay from my desktop (over a Wi-Fi connection). However, I generally play lossless files resident on the iPhone using AirPlay Direct. My iTunes catalog is a horrible mess, and yet I think the FLAC files are nicely arranged as the folder structure aligns with the CD ripping. But the iPhone is just really convenient. I am overall pleased with the system’s sound quality.
I think I can install Roon on my desktop: the Roon library would exist on my desktop and the desktop’s processing power would do the heavy lifting. Roon would also play the files on the desktop. Then, I think, I could select the Monitor Audio A100 as the output device. I expect the sound quality would be just the same as I have today. But I would enjoy the Roon interface (with my FLAC files) and I am interested in getting Tidal as well to use with Roon.
The prospect of spending $700 for Roon makes me wonder if I could take better advantage of the investment by also getting Wi-Fi out of the equation. As the desktop has a good backup arrangement, I have thought about using an NAS. A wireless NAS could be synchronized with the FLAC files from my desktop, which are already backed up, so that I would not need to worry about backing up the NAS. Then the NAS could output USB to a DAC, etc.
But am I missing a component, an “endpoint?” I do not think I need a heavy duty NAS (or a Nucleus) since the desktop would provide the horsepower. Then how would Roon identify the NAS an as output device? And would another device be necessary to function as a player (to convert the files into an audio stream)? Like the raspberry pi approach? Now it is starting to sound like more tinkering than my schedule might permit.
Thanks for reading all this ramble, and please share any insights that might help fill the gaps in my knowledge. I am hoping to get this sorted out up front so I can take advantage of Roon’s 2-week trial listening to music rather than tinkering with mechanicals.
Currently, I use a Monitor Audio A100 as a preamp/DAC/streamer using the analog outputs to my amp. The device supports DLNA and AirPlay from my desktop (over a Wi-Fi connection). However, I generally play lossless files resident on the iPhone using AirPlay Direct. My iTunes catalog is a horrible mess, and yet I think the FLAC files are nicely arranged as the folder structure aligns with the CD ripping. But the iPhone is just really convenient. I am overall pleased with the system’s sound quality.
I think I can install Roon on my desktop: the Roon library would exist on my desktop and the desktop’s processing power would do the heavy lifting. Roon would also play the files on the desktop. Then, I think, I could select the Monitor Audio A100 as the output device. I expect the sound quality would be just the same as I have today. But I would enjoy the Roon interface (with my FLAC files) and I am interested in getting Tidal as well to use with Roon.
The prospect of spending $700 for Roon makes me wonder if I could take better advantage of the investment by also getting Wi-Fi out of the equation. As the desktop has a good backup arrangement, I have thought about using an NAS. A wireless NAS could be synchronized with the FLAC files from my desktop, which are already backed up, so that I would not need to worry about backing up the NAS. Then the NAS could output USB to a DAC, etc.
But am I missing a component, an “endpoint?” I do not think I need a heavy duty NAS (or a Nucleus) since the desktop would provide the horsepower. Then how would Roon identify the NAS an as output device? And would another device be necessary to function as a player (to convert the files into an audio stream)? Like the raspberry pi approach? Now it is starting to sound like more tinkering than my schedule might permit.
Thanks for reading all this ramble, and please share any insights that might help fill the gaps in my knowledge. I am hoping to get this sorted out up front so I can take advantage of Roon’s 2-week trial listening to music rather than tinkering with mechanicals.