Roon - streaming only...where'd you get your NAS?


I'm considering Roon but I only stream Tidal and don't have a single song downloaded.  

So, first, would Roon pretty much be a waste? 

Second, how does everyone acquire such a large downloaded collection of high-res, DSD, FLAC, or whatever files in their NAS library?

Did you rip your CD's?  Get from a friend?  Download them online and pay by song?  Seems like a monumental task and money pit.
dtximages
I use a Synology NAS which I bought on Amazon. I have a Mac Mini that I used to rip my very small collection of CDs to FLAC and then loaded it on my NAS (about 1 TB). Sometimes I download music, never used Tidal or any other streaming service. I also use Minim Server on the NAS and a Lightning DS app as the endpoint since I have an Auralic Aries LE to stream to my DAC. I tried Roon twice and didn't like it. Didn't organize my files the way I liked and it wasn't worth all the trouble to get it to do what I needed it to do. Didn't really care for their content either. So me definitely a waste.
I also use a Synology NAS I bought on Amazon. My files are my ripped CDs, about 800, and then files I've bought or friends have given me. Most of those are bootleg live shows, I have about 3.5TB of my own files plus I stream Tidal and Qobuz. I don't use Roon I use Lightning DS app from Auralic with my Aries Mini.
I need better friends with files :(

I think, if I got Roon, I'd have to run it from a laptop... Then USB from lappy to my Cambridge CXN v2 as a digital input..

Isn't that correct?


you do know you need to also run one of the streaming services as well ( if you do not have music stored locally) as Roon. Roon is only an interface and organizing program not a streamer in itself. so you will need a tidal, Spotify etc account as well as ROON. Also an internet conection. 

I run a small form computer outputted to a DAC, running tidal-roon on the computer. I have a tv in my listening room so i can use that as a monitor and i added a wireless keyboard with a track pad. Works for me. I will be going to a dedicated server though eventually as it will sound better then the computer and its noisy power supply.
I use a Synology NAS and converted my old INTEL NUC to a Roon Rock.  I didn't shell out the 499, but decided to do the 120 per year to give it a full test.  I think it is a great app and provides liner notes and artist info that otherwise I would never see when streaming.  I do wish they developed an APP for Apple TV to stream the current song's info. 

For endpoints I use my Sonos connects and I have one ultra Rendu I bought to experiment with Hi-REZ files from Quboz and Hi-rez downloads. I am not sure the Hi-Rez files by themselves are worth it, but found to be very recording dependent. Quboz didn't have enough of the titles I wanted and too few Hi-Rez.  I am using tidal, but will eventually cease once I fill in my library with a few genres I neglected for many years - mainly early punk and progressive rock.

I am curious on the Innous - if that is tremendous improvement over NAS to DAC, or NAS, to Ultra Rendu to DAC.  I am guessing marginal, but I am nonetheless curious.  Just a lot of money to drop.