Researching an "affordable Roon server/streamer, and my choice...


I learned a lot while researching (ie, torturing myself) for this project, researching an "affordable" Roon server/streamer. I DO NOT want to run the Roon Core on a computer. Obviously there are many other choices like Auralic, Lumin etc and I’ve read reviews until my eyes bled. Oh, to have more money!

Items 1-6 are what I considered and eliminated. Obviously if you have $3000-10,000 to spend, there are other choices. Your mileage may vary. I really wanted something made in the USA or EU, not China (though I would bend that rule for a Denafrips DAC, maybe). If I had super big bucks, some of the DAC/preamps/streamers that have Roon server capability built in look amazing, like SimAudio Moon, but they are *really* expensive, and still require a Roon server. I decided I want to spend more money on an amp upgrade by spending less on the Roon server/streamer, so I set a budget of around $1500. Don’t need/want anything with an onboard DAC.

  1. Bluesound Node 2i: Many owners are reporting hardware and software problems and frustrations. I wanted both a Roon core and endpoint, and it isn’t.
  2. I originally thought I’d get an Aurender N100 until I decided I want Roon, which it doesn’t do. Then I read about problems with Aurenders after power losses and other issues. Nope. Nice units, especially the one for $6k with ripper.
  3. Then I settled on the Innuos Zen III, but it’s made in Portugal and they don’t have a US service facility. In addition, in reading the fine print they don’t guarantee that with the Zen you can run it well as both a core and streamer, and it only has an i3 processor, which some claim isn’t powerful enough. They don’t offer an SSD drive until the Zenith, which is $4k+. It’s out.
  4. Roon Nucleus -- Meh. i3 processor, expensive for what it is, just a server box.
  5. Salk Streamplayer -- Looks nice, has an i5 processor, and the maker is very nice on the phone. Only available in the mid-level with an HDD drive, and I wanted SSD. No internal ripper drive either. So no.

  6. >> The one I would likely buy if I had >2x the money to spend: Wyred4Sound’s MS music server (well reviewed by Darko https://darko.audio/2018/10/a-short-film-about-the-wyred-4-sound-music-server/ ). One box solution, runs as core/streamer, has great connection options incl SPDIF, USB, and I2S and my preamp/DAC has I2S. Built-in ripper. Runs Squeezebox and UPnP apps. REALLY nice unit, but $3k with 2tb SSD. Could but don’t want to spend $3500k to $4500! Darn it. EJ Sarmento, the designer, was super helpful discussing it, and I regret not giving him the order. Next time. https://wyred4sound.com/products/music-servers/ms

  7. THE ONE: Small Green Computer Sonictransporter with 2tb onboard SSD and a Microrendu streamer (the UltraRendu is more and maybe I should have done that?). About $1500, a great value I think. No, not a one box solution but that’s okay, and not really a compromise except for that. Has an i5 processor, comparable to the Roon Nucleus+ which is 2x the price. Should work great with Roon using DSP if I want to. No onboard ripper drive, but just plug a CD reader in and works the same. MOST bang for the buck that I have found, so I hope I am happy with it. The proprietor Andrew Gillis was very helpful and patient with me as I decided. www.smallgreencomputer.com
I will update after testing it.



128x128patrickdowns
I have had an SGC i5 sonictransporter since Dec 2016 and continue to be extremely happy with it.  My music files are on a spinning hard drive connected to i5 via usb3.  I run Squeezeserver which comes pre-loaded on the i5 along with Roon and other options.

In 2017 I added a microrendu...which feeds and iFi nano iOne dac.

The sound has been excellent, big improvements each time amazing me like I have found new life in all my old music.  

The i5 has run with only a few minor interruptions over the last 4 years...twice i had some issues when I waited too long to upgrade the software (years lol) and once a drive failed.

No issues at all with microrendu.

Support has always been excellent, even when the problem was arguably me.  This is key for systems like this and guys like me...lol.

I am addicted to this system!  Any down time is very stressful!! 

Really happy with the i5 and micorendu system...hoping to experiment with Roon in the near future.

@patrickdowns when you said 
 Running Roon DSP on a core server/streamer definitely doesn’t work with an i3 or slower processor.
Isn't the Roon server an i3 based unit? 
Just trying to understand things because I'm deciding to either get the SGC or Roon dedicated unit myself.
rsf507

The reason I opted for the SGC was the i5 processor, which I’d read works better with large libraries and using multiple zones. An i5 Nucleus is ~$2400 iirc, which is 3X the price of my SGC i5 box. The standard Nucleus in an i3 (or was at the time) and still more than my SGC.

I liked the Wyred4Sound streamer with built-in ripper but to upgrade to the one with an SSD drive and i5 would have been about $3200! I would love to audition one (or an Innuos) and see if it sounds better than my SGC+microrendu, but I am betting that it’s not better enough to justify the $2000, if it’s even better at all. I am a value-driven buyer! I do like the Wyred box for one reason: it has an I2S connection and so does my Audio Alchemy DAC/preamp, but I am okay with using the USB connection instead with my SGC.

Caveat: I don’t have much of hands-on experience with all the choices out there, so I mostly know what I read in reviews. Based on how good my SGC+microrendu sounds, I can’t imagine spending $10-20,000 like some of these most expensive streamers cost. My system isn’t of that caliber overall to justify it.