Comments on Profile Post by HeyWaj10

Very nice. I've looked at the various Nucleus models now and then, but they seem overpriced. This seems like a nice way to have a low-profile Core. Not wild about the crocodile top, but whatever. Big question: Will it run HQ Player?

@wbass , not sure about Nucleus' abilities or limitations with third party software, however, is there a need for HQ Player if using Roon's robust DSP? Personally, I've never used HQP, so I have no idea what it does.

Hmm, just reading up on it now... Seems like you have to install HQ Player to a separate computer whichever way.

No need for HQ Player, correct, but a lot of folks seem to like it for upsampling duties (similar to what a Chord M Scaler does). I need to do more reading on whether Roon can do that on its own, but there seems to be wide acceptance of HQ Player.

It's sort of ridiculous they don't list this units computing specs. Doesn't list the processor or ram on their site. Especially when you can buy a very nice Intel NUC for around $300 or under and install Roon Core yourself. The case looks nice however.

^ exactly what I thought when I checked the page @RestoredSparda. They’re f'ing hiding it, plain and simple. My question is why?

I take it as given that all of the Roon Nucleus boxes are way overpriced. They seem to be pretty firmly for those who will pay for a branded, plug and play (or less fiddling) solution.

Looks like the Sonore Sonic Transporter (various models) let you install HQ Player. They're a little pricey, too.

@wbass pretty much hits the nail on the head (for me). I am willing to pay a premium for a set it and forget it, all-in-one, finished product without any need for set up, configuration, or tinkering on my part. No bloat, sufficient specs to meet Roon's operational requirements, all in a (IMO) nice looking enclosure.

I think there's an argument to made for the Nucleus or the Sonic Transporter or whatever. You don't want to fiddle. You don't a computer in your system. You want a box that blends in the rack. And presumably the Nucleus is more stable as a core.

For myself, I'm running Roon Core on my MacBook air, on which it freezes up constantly. When I get my desktop out of storage, I'll use that as the Core, where it's more stable. And, I think, has the processing power to do all sorts of upsampling. I might try out HQ Player then, though annoyingly not all of my streamers are compatible with it.

Computer Audiophile stuff is such an impossible rabbit hole sometimes, with plenty of tweaks that are of dubious merit and/or really difficult to hear the benefit of.

EXACTLY. I've had nothing but headaches with everything computer audio, and that's going at least 3 different iterations over 10+ years of trial and error. I'm just over the fiddling. A box designed specifically for dedicated audio playback? Perfect.

Don’t disagree with plug and play, but may be hard to get away with selling a computer (even a simple plug and play one) with no specs listed. We’ll see if they cave on that…

@wbass Roon upsampling is solid, but simple. It did a lot for my RU6 when I still had it, but (in minimum phase mode) is identical to what my Meier DAC does by itself to my ears. HQPlayer, OTOH, takes it to another level. I think Roon helps when the DAC’s filter is shit or if you prefer linear/minimum phase and your DAC does the other one.

Stupid question, I'm sure, but here goes: does upsampling become moot if your dac can't support sampling rates above 192 kHz (as is the case with the Bifrost 2/64)?

Also, consider the Innuos line of systems. I'm running a Zen Mini Mark II as my Roon Core, and it has been relatively hassle-free.

I have a SonicTransporter i5 that runs HQ Player embedded. I'd get a dedicated Mac mini for that if I had it all to do over again. The SonicTransporter can't handle many of the settings I'd like to use for DSD and only upconverts to DSD64.

@HeyWaj10 I asked myself the same as my DAC doesn’t go higher than 192 kHz, either. I simply tried HQPlayer, and I’d recommend you to do the same: Without a license, you can only play for half an hour and have to restart HQPlayer afterwards, but you can completely test what it does for you without paying a penny.

And yes, it does a lot even at 192 kHz. :) But I admit that one reason for keeping my eyes open for other DACs is that nervosa says it might be even better with a DAC that can swallow higher rates.

I should also add that with the RU6, the difference between Roon and HQP wasn’t as big by far as with the Daccord, although it does 384 kHz. My guess is that the clock must be good in order to be able to appreciate the difference, but that’s just speculation.

Not to hijack, but I tossed a few of my own queries over here:

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/the-hqplayer-thread.11376/page-3