Roonlabs Nucleus by Roon - Music Server - The Best Way To Experience Roon

I started out on the Roon platform as a better way to manage my music collection and improve my listening experience. Using my MacBook as the "core" and streaming throughout my home. I was attracted to the Nucleus as a way to offload my library and music mgmt capabilities to a dedicated device. I also grew tired of running down a flight of stairs to "wake up" my Mac to stream music each morning. The Nucleus really met my needs. Although I don't consider myself a strict audiophile I found the sound quality to be noticeably improved as well. One time setup was fairly straightforward with plenty of support from the Roon online community if you run into issues. Great product...

To be fair, it works exactly as described - a "turn-key" Roon core. However, it's rather pointless to pay that much money simply for the case. Yeah, it's silent, blah blah blah, but it's important to note that as it's configured, you *won't be using it as a source (ie, the internal NUC's usb or through HDMI). As such, save yourself a ton of cash and just pick up a suitable NUC (using Roon's own list of compatible hardware) and connect it to your network somewhere away from your listening area. The only thing moderately complicated about a ROCK install is the BIOS tweaks, but that too has been adequately documented. NUC prices continue to go lower as time goes on, but the Nucleus' price sadly doesn't reflect that (they've already sunk the money on the board). Look, I dig Roon and their work, but if you're considering a ~$1,400 Nucleus, just buy a NUC, install ROCK on it, and with the money you save, pick up a lifetime membership to Roon's service (with some left over for Tidal or Qobuz).. you'll be happy you did.------ *EDIT/CORRECTION ------As another reviewer pointed out, apparently you can connect a Nucleus directly to a DAC and use it as a streamer; I never bothered trying that under the assumption its NUC's USB would simply be too noisy from crosstalk. While I can't definitively declare noise (folks' power "cleanliness" differs, after all) my guess is that if the possibility of such distortion doesn't bother you, a wee bit of fan noise (if any at all!) from a NUC with ROCK installed on it shouldn't bother you either. As such, I still stand by my recommendation to get a suitable NUC, install ROCK, and save a ton of cash.Lastly, I figured it might be useful to mention what I ultimately went with (after gratefully returning my Nucleus): NUC 8 i7 (with ROCK) in an HDPlex fanless case. I use it as a streamer by way of an independently powered Matrix Audio "Element H". And for what it's worth, I am not employed or associated in any way with any of those vendors.

The Nucleus is rock solid. I found it easy to install and it just sits in the background doing what it is intended to for with no fuss. Sound through my Cambridge Audio is excellent. It initially found and effortlessly indexed all my NAS based FLAC music (but doesn't see WMA files) It does seem a bit overpriced to me though and had difficulty finding the NAS after power outage - is suspect the Nucleus doesn't handle DCHP lease changes properly. (Hence the four stars)I hope viewers realize that without the Roon software, this device is useless. So, I will also comment on the software. If you hunger for the days when you actually knew who all the musicians are that are playing the music you listen to it is worth the subscription to Roon. You see the musicians per track, extensive bio's (way beyond Wikipedia), discography, links to related music and more. Recommendations are excellent (Sorry Amazon, but way better than Amazon music). Still room to improve Roon software - annoyingly, often shows "can't find Nucleus" for a few seconds before connecting and I find some settings deeply buried or in unexpected places - like behind the volume symbol. I had trouble reconnecting the NAS after an extensive power outage and the loss of the NAS DCHP lease (both now on a UPC). That said, very much enjoy the Nucleus and Roon software. It adds real depth to the listening experience.

Fantastic simple to use, easy to hook up streaming server, HDMI and optical output, easy to use. Does require a Roon subscription, which can be $500 if you decide to get a lifetime subscription. That does not include music services. But people to buy this product out to know that and will have no problems with it. Rune is probably the best software package for management of straining out there. The nucleus is a great streamer

I signed up for Roon last September and up until now it has been a great program. All of a sudden in the middle of the day it crashed 2 weeks ago and I have been unable to get it working again. I have disabled firewalls and antivirus programs. I try to log onto my account and it asks for for the authentication code. Don't remember enabling this but I have 4 authentication apps and none of them work on Roon. And what is really frustrating is when you do have an issue there no e-mail, phone number etc. to contact anyone. So beware, it is a good program, when it works but support is woefully lacking!!