Building and deploying your own Roon Core OS server

[Chris]

Many of you know that I am a long time Squeezebox user and proponent. I've been running the Squeezebox system for more than a dozen years and I still think it is the best when you consider price (free) and features.

In case you are new to all this, Squeezebox is the original streaming audio system that was targeted at organizing a users music on their computer and streaming to client devices (e.g. Squeezebox, Squeezebox Touch, etc.) in bit perfect audio. The Squeezebox system was invented by Sean Adams and his team at Slim Devices. Slim Devices was acquired by Logitech who produced two hardware devices - Squeezebox Duet and Squeezebox Touch. Logitech later stopped development of all hardware but keeps on staff one engineer who maintains the Squeezebox server software. One of the critical things the original Squeezebox team did right was make the software Open Source which has allowed enthusiastic fans to continue to extend the Squeezebox system without needing the blessing of Logitech who are still the owners of the original IP. Most recently, thanks to the Raspberry PI, there has been a flowering of DIY Squeezebox emulations (Squeezelite) including the fantastic PicorePlayer. This software when combined with a base Raspberry Pi computer ($35) and an add on DAC Hat (e.g Hifiberry, Justboom, etc) allow one to easily create a Squeezebox clone for less than $50 and exceeds the original Squeezebox hardware in specs by streaming up to 24 bit 192k via S/PDIF and even higher rates via USB.

So with this bit of history out of the way, where are we in 2018? Well, obviously there is a profusion of music streaming services from Apple to Tidal. For audiophiles only one of these services matters - Tidal. Tidal has aggressively supported CD quality streaming audio and most recently adopted the somewhat controversial MQA system. For many, this has become the beginning and end for their music streaming needs. But, for other audiophiles with legacy collections of CDs and digital music there is still a gap to be filled.

In 2018, in my opinion there are three major home audio streaming systems that matter - Squeezebox (Logitech Media Server, Free), Plex (Free, plus paid premium), and Roon Labs (paid).

I've already discussed Squeezebox. Plex is a major player in the home media streaming stage with an emphasis on Video streaming but also strong Music streaming features. For some even the more limited Music streaming features of Plex will be all they need. Plex has features that neither Squeezebox or Roon support including the ability to stream securely your entire media library both inside and outside your home.

We now turn our attention to the subject of this thread - Roon Labs.

Roon Labs released their first product Roon Core OS in 2015. Roon was built on the original Sooloos system that was briefly owned by Meridian if I remember correctly. Roon has quickly developed a large following and I would say many if not most audio reviewers have now adopted Roon as their music library manager of choice.

The key to Roon is that it is actively developed by a for profit company so it is very up to date and constantly being improved. It is a paid service ($119/year, $499 lifetime). The biggest barrier for Roon is the price. But when you compare to streaming services it is not out of line but of course you are supplying your own music! Once over that barrier, Roon is a revelation when it comes to organizing and actually getting more value out of your existing music collection. I think I can safely say you will enjoy and learn more about your existing music than you ever thought possible. In this case, Roon is a true revelation. Another benefit of the paid service is the wide adoption of partner devices that must now run in the hundreds by being "Roon Ready". Roon Ready means that a given device has the necessary code on board so that when you install it on your home network (ethernet, wifi) it will be recognized by the Roon system. I bet that some of you already have a Roon Ready device and don't even realize it. Devices such as the Chromecast Audio and Ultra products and the popular Oppo 203 and 205 Blu-ray players are Roon Ready.

Below is a graphic illustration of the Roon ecosystem. In my next post on this thread I will describe how I setup my own Roon Core OS system. I hope this thread can become a resource and catalyst for other DCHFG members who would like to implement a Roon system of their own.

Here is a link to a very recent review that might whet your appetite. Also, I would highly recommend listening to the John Darko podcast where they discuss Roon. And finally, John Darko has created a Roon walkthrough video.

[speakertom]

A little bit of additional info on Squeezebox. It is also the basis for Daphile which combines the operating system and music app in one.

www.daphile.com

Daphile is free and I am currently running it on an Intel NUC which is tiny. It is $133 for the basic kit plus $34 for 4 gig of RAM plus whatever HD you would like. Works very well. It is operating as a headless PC and you can access it with any browser or smart phone that is on your network.

smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MSZTD8N/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It also provides access to a lot of streaming radio stations plus more.

[Deleted]

Aug 20, 2018 12:26:53 GMT -5 speakertom said:

It also provides access to a lot of streaming radio stations plus more.

Including Tidal, but only RedBook...

Roscoe

[Chris]

I'm sorry for not returning to this thread with more info but so much has been going on! I do have a lot of interesting things to convey which I hope to soon write up.

But, I will tease something that I just figured out this morning. Take a look at this screenshot.



Let me breakdown what is going on here. You will see the Roon signal path display that shows the source as FLAC with MQA encoding. This is a CD rip from a new Bob James CD that has MQA encoding! Roon recognizes this metadata and then the Roon decoder is able to decode/unfold the CD rip to 88k/24b audio. It then is sent via the DietPi OS with Roon Bridge running on a NanoPi Neo board to my Geek Pulse DAC/Headphone Amp via USB. So a 44k/16b CD turns into an 88k/24b signal via MQA/Roon. Pretty cool.

BTW, the NanoPi Neo is a $13 dollor SOC one board computer like the Raspberry Pi.



We live in amazing times.

[Chris]

Okay, I've left this too long so I am going to post what I can and keep adding to it as necessary.

When I left my first post I had reviewed the landscape for streaming audio in 2018. I pointed to Roon as the current successor to the Logitech Music Server and Squeezebox ecosystem. I will now focus on some of the components and approaches to building your own Roon streaming server and endpoints.

Firstly, Roon is very flexible in how you set up a system. At the very minimum you just need a computer of almost any type (Windows, Apple, Linux). I am very impressed how far Roon has spread their code to accommodate practically everything out there. I think they took their cue from Squeezebox which is equally expansive in where you can install their code. In fact, Roon supports legacy Squeezebox hardware such as the Touch and Duet as well as the Squeezelite software emulator used on Raspberry Pi distributions such as Picore Player. This means you can get up and running very quickly possibly using hardware you already own.

As I mentioned, you can install the Roon OS Core server on almost any computer and create a very simple system for maybe a Headphone station or basic speaker based system. Both the Roon OS Core and your music files would exist on the same computer. This might be the simplest way to dip your toes in the water if you are unsure if Roon is for you. What I want to focus on, though, is how to set up a more permanent setup by dividing the workload across several devices. The advantages to this are performance (especially for very large music collections) and reliability.

Roon Labs provides excellent documentation on their site along with a very active user forum so I am not going to recreate that here but provide links for detailed reading. I will, though, tell you how I set up my personal system.

Also, if you are really more interested in just getting a plug and play Roon system, then Roon Labs now have the answer in the form of a couple of ready to go Roon Servers starting at around $1400. I believe DCHFG Industry Member - Russ Katz is now able to provide you with a Roon Server. You might chat with him at the next meeting if this appeals to you?

In my case, since I like the DIY approach and I am at ease with computers I decided to build my own Roon Core OS server. Roon Labs provides both the Server code for the major Operating Systems as well as providing something called Roon Rock OS which is a Linux distribution that is optimized to run only the Roon Core OS. Roon Labs is pretty up front that they have targeted the Intel NUC (Next Unit of Computing) self contained  computers (about 4 inches square). For Apple users these boxes are the Intel equivalent of a Mac Mini only the box is even smaller. Roon Labs does not hide the fact that their new ready made servers are essentially an Intel NUC computer with a custom case for heat dissipation and silent running. The cool thing is Roon Labs provides all the software and detailed instructions for you to setup your own Intel NUC Rock OS server yourself.

In my case, I already had an appropriate Intel NUC series 6 i3 processor in my inventory. I did need to add some memory and a new M2 hard disk which I will get to in a minute. Roon Labs is pretty specific on what Intel NUCs will work. Basically, any NUC series starting from 5 to the latest versions are fine. You can use ones with a i3, i5, or i7 processor. All the faster processors get you is more performance for larger collections and handling Roon's DSP functions and multi room streaming. In my case my NUC was a series 6 version with and i3 processor. I added memory and a new M2 hard disk for less than a hundred dollars from Amazon.

If you shop around, you can find some good deals. For instance you could buy an Intel NUC Kit NUC7I3BNH for $219 from Micro Center in Rockville. You would need to add 8gb of RAM and a 128gb M2 or SSD driver for another $100. This would then put you in the sweet spot for the recommended Rock OS install as described by the Install Guide.

Please understand that the Rock OS is just the Database and Streaming DSP engine. Your actual music files will either be stored elsewhere (on a NAS device) or could be attached to the NUC via USB drive, etc. In my next post I will talk about best practices for storing your music files and setting up and creating your own endpoints using Roon Bridge software.

[lancelock]

Thanks Chris

[Chris]

This is my recipe for creating an inexpensive Roon endpoint.

Cheap RAAT usb device.

1. Buy Raspberry Pi 3 B+ ($35)
2. Download Allo Dietpi RAAT ready image (dietpi.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2317)
3. Use something like Rufus for Windows to burn Allo image to a micro sd (rufus.ie/)
4. Follow instructions to further customize Allo running (dietpi.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=2317)
5. Plug Raspberry Pi into USB Dac of choice (I use the excellent Khadas Tone Board).
6. Use Roon Settings - Audio to configure your new Endpoint
7. Enjoy musical bliss

[Chris]

Great price on Intel NUC ($224.99) for building your own Roon server. Just add Memory and SSD hard disc. Install RoonOS and you are up and running.

[clausen]

Chris,

Do you have a Black Friday special recommendation for a roon core device?

Thanks,
Clausen

[Chris]

I haven't seen any special pricing yet but you might look over at the Roon Labs Forum and see if there is any chatter.

You can also talk to Russ Katz who carries Roon Servers and might be able to offer you an attractive deal?

[michaelstewart]

$700 DIY Roon ROCK Streamer PDF - This PDF includes the pictures and links.

$700 DIY Roon ROCK Streamer- by Michael Stewart
$700 DIY Roon ROCK Streamer PDF - This PDF includes the pictures and links!

This article will teach you how to build a very nice Roon ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit) Audio Streamer. I first considered getting Roon’s own Nucleus streamer and or another manufacturers’ streamer, but none of them seemed great and the good ones were all overpriced for the hardware you get. I knew I could make a better mouse trap and I couldn’t be happier with the results. It sounds fantastic, looks cool and works flawlessly. Hopefully some of you will be inspired to try this relatively easy DIY project and post your findings and results to help others.

A little general info about what Roon is will help audiophiles understand why they would want to build a dedicated server to run as a Roon Core. Roon software creates an audio ecosystem that eloquently organizes and plays music files. It overrides many audio functions of a computers operating systems in order to send a better digital signal (usually to a network attached DAC). Roon can use your music archive in combination with subscription services like Tidal & Qobuz. The Roon player simply sounds better, even if you are using your computer as the Roon Core.

Roon relies on your network and internet connection. It will find network connected music devices that are Roon ready and use them as endpoints. Endpoints can be computers with DACs attached, Roon ready devices like Node or my favorite: a Raspberry Pi mini-computer with a DAC.
There’s a lot I could explain about the way Roon works and why it’s a great system, but this paper is about building a DIY Roon Audio Streamer. Roon sells their own streamer but they also offer the software as a package called ROCK. It’s designed to be installed on an Intel NUC mini-computer. It’s an OS that’s based on Linux but designed to do nothing other than stream music elegantly. It dedicates one of the streamers processor cores for those processes that require timing like decoding.

The simplest and cheapest approach would be to buy a NUC and install the ROCK package. Nothing wrong with that but for a little more money and some DIY time, you can make a top-notch streamer. I believe that a streamer should be in a fan-less case and use a low noise linear power supply. I also added some extended antennas so it could be placed anywhere. I’m connecting mine using an ethernet cable, but many people may want to try the wireless route.
Below, I will list the parts used and why I chose them. Then I will discuss putting the hardware together. Finally, I will talk about installing ROCK and setting up Roon to play.

Note: my build came out to $905 but read carefully. Some of these parts are not necessary for Roon ROCK. I might use this NUC for other functions in the future, so I paid a little more for memory, storage, cooling, antennas, etc. I also purchased a $100 power supply that may not be necessary (I think it is). You could easily do this for $600 and not be missing anything.

$700 DIY Roon ROCK Streamer PDF - This PDF has pictures and links.

NUC Kit NUC813BEH $312

I chose the 8th Generation Core i3 Kit Model for $300. I considered buying the Core i7 model for $600 but I’m not sure that kind of power would be utilized. The i3 model only has two cores but I think that may be all Roon uses. I was unable to confirm this. If you have a giant archive or want to do multiple streams at one time, the i7 would be nice. I’m not having any issues with the core i3 though I have not figured out how to monitor the CPU usage yet. I’d love to have more info about Roon hardware needs if anyone can fill me in. Intel sells NUC boards as well but it was cheaper and easier for me to get the kit which has everything except Ram and Hard Drive.
Fan-less Case - Akasa Turning $150

There are a couple of options for fan-less cases. I choose the Akasa Turing Compact fan-less case and I could not be happier. I looked at some reviews and it keeps the CPU much cooler than the stock fan. It’s basically one giant aluminum heat sink. I like the look of this case in a horizontal configuration. I did not install the side plates as they look cheesy to me and serve no purpose.

Boot Drive M.2 PCI-E SSD – Silicon Power 512 $65

A good SSD to run the OS is vital. It can be small, like 128-256GB. Look carefully at the read and write speeds. Some smaller drives have substantially slower speeds than the larger versions of the same brand/model. You can’t put files on the drive that Roon is installed on, so no need to go big.

Boot Drive Cooling - M.2 Heat Sink $11

Storage 2.5” SATA SSD - Silicon Data 1TB $90
This is where you put all your music files. I decided to put an internal 2.5” SSD in the case. You can also use an external USB drive. In some ways, the external USB method is easier because you can plug it into another computer and copy files to it, then plug it back in. You cannot preload the internal drive. It must be formatted by the Roon OS and then have files added from the network.

RAM - GSkill 2X16GB $115

I put 32GB of fast RAM in because I had it already. I don’t think Roon currently uses more than 8GB but that’s another question I could not find a solid answer to. Anybody who knows how much RAM and how many cores Roon uses, please let us know.

RAM Cooling - Graphite Silica $22

I added these cooling fins to my memory. You need to buy one for each Dim.

Micro SD - Card Silicon Power $30

The NUC Gen 8 motherboards have a slot for a Micro SD card. The Akasa case cuts off access to this port and Roon does not support Micro SD cards. I’d love having a 256 GB Micro SD to back up the OS, but for now you can forget about that Micro SD port. I added one (only $30) before I sealed off the port just in case Roon adds this feature or I use the unit for something else in the future.
19V Linear Power Supply - eBay best-for-sell $100

There is much debate about the need for fancy power supplies on streamers. In one camp are the people who say it does not matter until you get to the DAC. I’m in the camp that thinks everything that generates noise matters when it comes to streaming music. I found a company that makes linear power supplies to your specs and bought one for $100.

Wireless Antennas - Highfine $10

The antennas that come with the NUC utilize a steel plate in the chassis. The new aluminum case will not suffice, so I replaced the antennas with better quality external antennas. I’m not intending to use my wireless network as my whole house has CAT 7 ethernet run but many people will use wireless. I do not know how using wireless will affect response time and sound quality in the Roon ROCK software. Anyone who can fill us in, please do.
Assembly

I’ve done a lot of DIY projects and this is by no means a simple one, but it’s also not difficult. Take your time and look at the video tutorials if you need help.
The first step is to get the motherboard out of the case and remove the fan ( Video Tutorial ). Be very careful to not break off any wires. There are mics/speakers attached to the front panel and antennas taped on. After taking out all the screws, I had to pry out the back side using a screwdriver under the USB port. I did this gently and after that it came right out.

There’s not much to putting the motherboard into the fan-less case ( Video Tutorial ). I cleaned off their thermal paste and applied the thermal paste that came with the case. It fits perfectly. I did put in the Micro SD card. The microphones that are on wires still had enough glue to stick them on the new case. You do not need to remove any buttons or parts from the old case if you are using the Akasa model I used.
Install the RAM and PCI-E M.2 Drive. Look for a computer building video of you do not know how to do these basics. If you are using an internal drive, there are hanging bars and cables that come with the case; it’s self-explanatory.

I made two mods to my case. First, I used motherboard standoffs as spacers to leave a gap for airflow under the lid. I believe this will help keep parts cooler. I’m not worried about the processor getting hot, but there was no airflow for the other components. Second, I had to do some minor metal work to attach the antennas where I wanted them. They would easily fit in the holes on the back cover but that spot wasn’t “perfect” and I couldn’t live with the imperfection. I drilled two holes and grinded a slot in one case fin using a Dremel tool in order to have perfection.
Loading ROCK

I followed the guides Roon provides and everything worked out for me. It’s complicated but completely doable if you have some computer skills. You may have to research a few common computer terms and procedures if you are new to computer building. I’m not going to repeat the whole process that is clearly documented by Roon but I will give my experience with those instructions and that process.
Plug in a HDMI screen of some kind: computer monitor, TV, etc. I had an issue with my monitor not liking the resolution the NUC was displaying. I used another monitor and everything was fine. Also, plug in a USB keyboard and a mouse.
Boot into the Bios. Instructions say to hold down f10 during boot but it was F2 for my NUC. Make sure everything is working and you can see your drives in the bios.

Update the bios by downloading the file onto a USB drive and follow the instructions.

Plug your streamer into your network using Ethernet a cable. Even if you are going to use wireless later, it’s probably much easier to plug into the network with a Ethernet cable to get started.

Download ROCK and unzip it (right click Extract All). Put the files on a USB thumb drive. Follow the instructions and Roon will load Rock on the streamer. It will end by giving you an IP Address that was assigned by your network. This might change if you unplug it or restart it. Now you are done with the monitor and keyboard. It’s time to go headless.

Go to another computer and type in the IP Address into a browser. Here you can set up ROCK and then you can set it as your core and control it from any device with Roon installed.

I missed something and lost my Roon playlists when I assigned the streamer as my new core. No big deal for me because my playlists are mostly Tidal and Qobuz but you probably want to follow the migration instructions to transfer info from your old core machine to the new ROCK installation.
If you used an internal SSD SATA drive for storage, then you need to format it before transferring files to it. External USB drives can be formatted and loaded with files from another computer. Internal drives have to be loaded through the network using Roon. It’s easy to connect to any drives connected to the streamer by using Roon’s Data Directory. Just type \\ROCK\ into Windows Explorer(not a browser). You can use this to add files through your network.
For those of you industrious souls who want to add a CD Ripper.

Conclusion

I could not be happier with my ROON ROCK STREAMER’s performance so far. I have seen no reason that I should have gone with the Core i7 for $300 more. I hear a huge difference in the sound quality I get using the streamer core vs my laptop as core. I did not do a fancy double blind, but wow does it sound great. It also looks cool, stays cool and doesn’t make any noise. It just sits there giving me whatever music I want, instantly, with exquisite detail and clarity. I understand why audiophiles appreciate vinyl: there are many issues with the fidelity of digital music, but my ROON ROCK STREAMER solves most of them and a really good modern DAC solves the rest. I hope you’ll give it a listen.