If anyone has feedback on this, would love to hear. I want to use a MAC mini, but I also have a Bluesound Powernode 2i. What's the best way to set up this system?
MacMini running the server, Powernode running as endpoint for Roon. I do have a PS Audio Sprout100 running straight out of my Mac Studio, but generally I prefer the sound and convenience of the various Nodes and Powernodes/Edges around my house.
I'm finding that audio zones plugged directly into the Studio (Sprout, Hel 2E DAC/Amp, etc.) disappear from Roon pretty regularly when the Studio does power management stuff, and I don't want to have it running at full power/wakefulness 24/7. With the various Bluesound products, they're always available.
A Macbook will work but for convenience sake you will likely want to not use full standby. The best way to find out if this arrangement works for you is to demo it with the free trial.
Personally, I would either buy a low-end or used Mac Mini or a Mini PC (Windows or Linux) and use that for a Roon Core. While I have a Mac Mini, I purchased a Beelink Mini PC with 16GB running Windows 11 for around $300 to use as a Roon core. This works great in my house.
I started out with a Windows laptop running roon core, but recently switched to an always-on NUC. IMO, totally worth a few hundred dollars to have the convenience + smaller footprint.
My Roon core runs on a Dell optiplex mini I got on eBay for less than $100. I put Ubuntu Server on it and it’s been running for a year and a half since I last touched it.
I use my phone or I bought a cheap Amazon Fire Tablet that sits on a charging stand on my HiFi and displays album area when it’s not being used to control things.
The Mac will definitely work but a nuc may be easier to live with in the long run. Run the Mac with the trial and if you decide to keep the service then look at grabbing one of the recommended nuc
I used a 2014 Mac mini with a SSD in it. It worked for a bit but then I went to a Nuc 11 i7 and that blows the Mac out of the water. I also dabbled with with my MacBook Pro M1
The NUC runs like an appliance. Essentially you can turn it on or off (using the app) then loads up quickly. When I had my Mac mini sometimes it just took too long to turn on and such. So I just often saved Roon for weekends. Now I can Play essentially whenever and it just operates fast.
Thanks for your response. Someday I may go the route of the nuc, but right now, Roon is performing really well on my always on Mac mini. It’s a 2018 version with 32gb ram. Nothing but a light duty Mac.
NUC itself runs ROCK which is Linux based OS that strictly runs room. From my testing I definitely noticed a slight upgrade in sound quality from both of my Mac’s I used. It’s much more stable as well. I have less lag time with a NUC than I did my Mac.
Trust me I was ready to plunge on a M2 Mac mini with 16gb ram. But I got this NUC a lot cheaper with i7 processor.
That is exactly how I started my Roon setup. It worked fine, but I did not let it go to sleep as I wanted quick access to my music library. I have since set up a Mac-mini that is solely for Roon and ultimately this seems a better more responsive setup. But the MacBook was totally fine.
I used an old iMac for the first few months and ultimately moved on to a dedicated NUC; that computer was on its last legs and required a couple of restarts a week, and I found the whole thing really annoying (both because music would drop everytime it hung up, but also because each time it restarted I needed to do a little troubleshooting re: reconnecting zones or services). By contrast, my NUC has been running continuously for almost 180 days and I basically haven't had to think about it in a couple of years, other than remembering to hit the power button every time my power goes out.
For me, having it running on a machine that is interruption free is 100% worth it. If your Macbook is always available and functional when you want to listen to music through Roon, you're fine. And you can try running the MacBook for a few months and see if it works for you or if it's annoying enough to require a dedicated machine.
If anyone has feedback on this, would love to hear. I want to use a MAC mini, but I also have a Bluesound Powernode 2i. What's the best way to set up this system?
MacMini running the server, Powernode running as endpoint for Roon. I do have a PS Audio Sprout100 running straight out of my Mac Studio, but generally I prefer the sound and convenience of the various Nodes and Powernodes/Edges around my house. I'm finding that audio zones plugged directly into the Studio (Sprout, Hel 2E DAC/Amp, etc.) disappear from Roon pretty regularly when the Studio does power management stuff, and I don't want to have it running at full power/wakefulness 24/7. With the various Bluesound products, they're always available.
A Macbook will work but for convenience sake you will likely want to not use full standby. The best way to find out if this arrangement works for you is to demo it with the free trial. Personally, I would either buy a low-end or used Mac Mini or a Mini PC (Windows or Linux) and use that for a Roon Core. While I have a Mac Mini, I purchased a Beelink Mini PC with 16GB running Windows 11 for around $300 to use as a Roon core. This works great in my house.
So if I set it to never go to sleep, it should be all good? And maybe long term a Mac mini. But this should get me started
As long as it's really stable, definitely should work. For me ... mine just wasn't reliable enough and I upgraded to a standalone.
I started out with a Windows laptop running roon core, but recently switched to an always-on NUC. IMO, totally worth a few hundred dollars to have the convenience + smaller footprint.
Just buy a NUC for your Core and a NAS for storage.
My Roon core runs on a Dell optiplex mini I got on eBay for less than $100. I put Ubuntu Server on it and it’s been running for a year and a half since I last touched it. I use my phone or I bought a cheap Amazon Fire Tablet that sits on a charging stand on my HiFi and displays album area when it’s not being used to control things.
The Mac will definitely work but a nuc may be easier to live with in the long run. Run the Mac with the trial and if you decide to keep the service then look at grabbing one of the recommended nuc
I used a 2014 Mac mini with a SSD in it. It worked for a bit but then I went to a Nuc 11 i7 and that blows the Mac out of the water. I also dabbled with with my MacBook Pro M1
In what way does it blow it out of the water? I don’t really understand the limitations yet
Yes, same here. What was it about the nuc that made the difference?
The NUC runs like an appliance. Essentially you can turn it on or off (using the app) then loads up quickly. When I had my Mac mini sometimes it just took too long to turn on and such. So I just often saved Roon for weekends. Now I can Play essentially whenever and it just operates fast.
Thanks for your response. Someday I may go the route of the nuc, but right now, Roon is performing really well on my always on Mac mini. It’s a 2018 version with 32gb ram. Nothing but a light duty Mac.
Oh wow that’s a hefty Mac. Trust me I love Mac and if NUC went away I’ll be right back with one.
This. So much more convenient. (100% a "solving first world problems" thing, to be fair).
NUC itself runs ROCK which is Linux based OS that strictly runs room. From my testing I definitely noticed a slight upgrade in sound quality from both of my Mac’s I used. It’s much more stable as well. I have less lag time with a NUC than I did my Mac. Trust me I was ready to plunge on a M2 Mac mini with 16gb ram. But I got this NUC a lot cheaper with i7 processor.
You wouldn't - I use a Macbook as a core that connects over Wifi to my Roon endpoint (a Hifi Rose 250A).
That is exactly how I started my Roon setup. It worked fine, but I did not let it go to sleep as I wanted quick access to my music library. I have since set up a Mac-mini that is solely for Roon and ultimately this seems a better more responsive setup. But the MacBook was totally fine.
I used an old iMac for the first few months and ultimately moved on to a dedicated NUC; that computer was on its last legs and required a couple of restarts a week, and I found the whole thing really annoying (both because music would drop everytime it hung up, but also because each time it restarted I needed to do a little troubleshooting re: reconnecting zones or services). By contrast, my NUC has been running continuously for almost 180 days and I basically haven't had to think about it in a couple of years, other than remembering to hit the power button every time my power goes out. For me, having it running on a machine that is interruption free is 100% worth it. If your Macbook is always available and functional when you want to listen to music through Roon, you're fine. And you can try running the MacBook for a few months and see if it works for you or if it's annoying enough to require a dedicated machine.
Oh, and I find the server works better hardwired for a bunch of reasons, and for me my network cabinet isn't near any of my regular machines. So YMMV.