Vectra

I would like to start an upgrade journey. Today I have a tower gaming PC running Roon connected USB to my Emotiva XMC-1 pre/pro USB and HDMI for multi-channel and movies. The PC is in a closet behind the TV room with cables through the wall so the hardware is quiet in listening room. So today: Router > Switch > HTPC > Pre-Pro via USB > Emotvia MPS-1 amps > Speakers (Golden Ear Triton r.One) My idea: 10TB+ music files on NAS + Qobuz > Roon ROCK on Intel NUC > Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ via USB > pre-pro > speakers - upgrades: power supplies for NUC and Brooklyn Other ideas: - the new CAPS Roon bridge w/high end USB and NIC vs. Intel NUC? do this after Brooklyn? don't want to buy both at same time due to cost - put the Roon core on NAS and use a CAPS Roon bridge I heard a Mytek Liberty with Intel NUC and wall wart power running Foobar2000 w/Tritons and it sounded good and better than Oppo 105D I have a MM Music Hall MMF-5 TT so the phone on Brooklyn would be used assuming better than external Emotiva phono stage I watch video from Emby on HTPC over HDMI and play quad and 5.1 music files with Roon over HDMI to pre/pro.

I am replacing my HTPC (JRiver & Emby) direct connected (USB & HDMI) to Emotiva XMC-1 AVR. I also have an Oppo 103 connected to AVR. The HTPC will be used in my home office and still serves music files from big drives. Option 1: * ROCK (Roon NUC appliance) * HDMI direct connect of Roon Core to AVR for Multi-channel audio * UltraRendu ethernet to USB as Roon end-point for stereo Option 2: * Run Roon Core on HTPC (tower PC w/big drives of music files) now in home office * Ultra Rendu ethernet to USB as Roon end-point for stereo Option 3: * spare Surface PC or Win7 Laptop USB to $2K DAC like Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ (MQA, etc) Option 4 * ???? I ,may move the music files to a true NAS (Synology) some day. If I go UltraRendu I may still get a better DAC but not near term. For video I am looking at using nVidia Shield & Emby HDMI to AVR

My sound quality benchmark is simply playing the 5.1 SACD on an Oppo 105 connected to my stereo but I like the JRiver jukebox experience (and perhaps Roon) more than swapping discs. My current method uses a windows PC (think gaming PC class build) HDMI connected to my Emotiva XMC-1 pre/pro (internal DAC close to 105). I use JRiver on the PC and Remote Desktop into the PC from a laptop for control. New idea: * Roon and a Network Player (Roon ROCK & Oppo 205 on LAN? ) * I can also just run JRiver on a NUC connected USB to an Oppo 105D and play .dsf stereo fines or HDMI to pre/pro for MC. Remote Desktop from my Laptop to the NUC for control I assume a Roon ROCK connected USB to a 105D will also play stereo where the Oppo 203/5 are listed as Roon end-points so they could play .dsf files over ethernet? Multi-channel? I can connect the ROCK HDMI to pre/pro and control from Roon controller like laptop/ipad but do I need two ROCKS (one for HDMI and one for USB? With my windows PC I can connect both USA and HDMI For movies I am watching Mkv Blu-ray rips streamed to Emby on Fire Cube HDMI connected to pre/pro. Suggestions?

For me it depends a lot on the product, pricing and my support needs (if any). - sometimes I don't need to stay current. Every 3rd update may be sufficient making buy model more attractive (i.e not sure why I want more than JRiver MC23 at the moment) - some buy models have enough sales to make that even more attractive - some SW seems more risky of being my desired platform over time which wouldn't justify too long of a breakeven period 3 years is often attractive if not too painful upfront and I want all the updates I use: JRiver - buy w/periodic updates Emby - lifetime Collectorz - buy w/periodic updates plus Apple Music for phone and Netflix

What backup schemes do you use? Full backup + N incremental then full backup plus N incremental then repeat? Delete entire backup and rewrite periodically? Sync drives with a push to backup overwrite type strategy? I am looking for new ideas for backup of my growing data (MC SACD, DVD-A, CD, Music video, needle drops, digitized analog tape, etc.) which has too much ripping/digitizing and tagging time invested to lose: 1. big drives in server w/Acronis backup software to bigger external drives - A full backup with incremental works well until it's time to do another full backup. Multiple copies takes up too much space so I have to delete and start over. Ideally I would have 2 full plus incremental. 2. Big drives in server with backup to much bigger NAS or NAS with backup to much bigger NAS 3. Big drives in server (or NAS) with push strategy to multiple copies. I have seen this successfully used for 3 copies but it doesn't have a N-1 copy. I currently have a 3 copy off site which gets dated if I don't update. I have thought of using cloud for the third copy off site.

Everyone has their own preferences but I thought I would spark some thinking so you can plan vs. invest months into ripping before realizing you would have preferred a different setup. Other things I like: - I tag each rip so I know the source item and avoid confusion like "was that from the RCA or Virgin pressing. Here is an example of what I put in the comments field: 2002 UK Virgin CD1234 - I also auto copy the rip results in .txt to folder so I know the accurip results - my neighbor only uses scan of his item so the pics and music library are also an inventory so he can see what his item looks like (too much work for me although I try to only use exactly the correct art). - portability between players - you might want to think about how easy is your library to power different players like Foobar2000, JRiver, Roon, iTunes, etc. If you get too custom it might be too hard to switch players. Have fun! I have ripped my 7,000+ CD collection over many years.

How do you execute the NAS to raw drive scheme? Any special tricks to the replacement of an old BU with a new? Seems that is one big delete? How many copies off site are desired 2? I like 3 versions so that during a BU the source and BU can fail and I still have another. - Copy NAS to 16TB raw drive for cold storage off site - Copy NAS to another 16TB drive for a redundant cold storage off site - Retrieve first 16TB drive and delete it before making another copy from NAS?

Here are a few things I have thought about with a very big library: Growth (especially if not using a NAS with one giant logical volume). I have Pop/Rock A-M as a folder on a 5TB drive so that I have room for growth. Ease of adding albums - How easy is it to find the folder? Scroll a directory for subdirectory "Rolling Stones" starting with "A" bands? or click on "R" folder and then scroll down to Rolling Stones sub-directory? Multi-disc sets and multi-layer discs (CD, SACD Stereo, SACD MC). One folder with three discs like previously mentioned? Artiste/Album/Disc Number-Track Number-Composer-Song Title. Three sub folders? Various mixes and masters: /Album [MLP 24-96 Stereo] /Album [MLP 24-96 5.1] /Album [Steve Wilson Remix] /Album [Original UK flat transfer] /Album [Quad Reel-to-Reel digitized to DVD-A] /Album [Remaster w/bonus tracks] /Album [2016 Vinyl RM]- etc. I also have been ripping the bonus video DVD and putting that folder under the album folder /Album (Deluxe Edition)-1 [Original Album] /Album (Deluxe Edition)-2 [Live Bonus Disc] /Album (Deluxe Edition)-3 [DVD Video MKV] I name artists as they are listed vs. surname, first so I don't need to worry about Alice Cooper being an "A" folder or "C" folder or Howlin' Wolf being "H" or "W" (or filed under Chester Arthur Burnett ) etc. although I do tag Surname, First which creates controversy. I like to have my major genres separated as I sometimes like to copy select genres (Classical, Jazz, Blues, etc.) to other drives/players and this is easy w/o worrying about having everything tagged. This is especially true for Classical which I have as a separate collection. Various Artists has gotten really big. I also use Soundtracks. I make sure I have the Artist and Album Artist tagged. You should also think about album art and where that is stored and the player you prefer. JRiver has a feature that will show multiple pictures but only reads from certain folder names, etc. I also keep a .txt file record of my rip stored in the album folder. dbPowerAmp does this automatically. The Steve Wilson YES BluRays are a good test project as are 4.0 AF Hybrid SACDs and even Deluxe Editions and big 8+ CD box sets.

I just heard about Roon and had a few questions: 1. Their web page markets a "problem" and their "solution" which to me looked similar to surfing All Music Guide web site w/a subscription so no ads. Is their content any more interesting than AMG? 2. Do you recommend Roon for controlling songs played in various rooms in the house (i.e. alternative to Soonos)? I have been enjoying Apple Music on my iPad played on my Airplay speaker (RIva) and wanted to use a controller like WIN 10 Laptop (or iPad) to search and play my multi-TB PC based FLAC songs sent to various rooms (less interested in syncing songs in various rooms). I use JRiver today. I have been thinking of just using Apple Music and Airplay/Apple TV or Chromecast/Spotify for casual listening around the house outside my main audiophile room or working with DLNA and JRiver. 3. How is Roon for managing different versions of the same album (i.e. I have several different mixes and masters of classic albums (MFSL, AF, Steve Wilson 5.1 BD, original WG, etc.). I have this all tagged and sorted in JRiver. In general I'm trying to summarize why I would be interested in trying Roon.

Isn't the upgrade a one time cost for v21 vs yearly fee? Maybe v22 will come out a year later but that would be another optional fee. I am still on v19 and might move to v21 and assume I just pay this one time upgrade and then have another decision when v22 come out Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

thanks...that explains it.

My new processor is the Emotiva XMC-1 which can play DSD streams from my Oppo off SACD discs over HDMI. I'm told it can play DSD streams from a PC over HDMI as well since it is just seeing a DSD stream and doesn't care if it's from SACD disc or .dsf file on pc. I am using JRiver and can't seem to play DSD. I can play DSD converted to PCM on the fly (using integrated USB DAC or HDMI) with my i7 HTPC but I get errors trying to send DSD. I am trying to determine if I'm just not configuring my PC and Jriver correctly or if there are reasons why I get a "HW won't support" error. Also, are there sound quality concerns with using HDMI?

I have been scanning at 300 dpi and resizing image to 1000x 1000 or 800 x 800 using max jpeg I like to have the correct cover for the item on my system. If I am listening/viewing the AF SACD then I want to see their slip case vs. the standard cover. If I am listening to an original RCA Bowie CD then I want to see the cover art with the RCA logo like my CD. I then want to have a resolution that can be well displayed in JRiver Theater Mode "now playing"...take up a big portion of my display w/o looking stretch to fuzz. Then I like good crops, colors and detail. AlbumArtExchange is frequently used along with my own scanning & PS.

I am comparing: Jriver DLNA over wired Ethernet to Oppo 105 - to pre-amp/amp/speakers Jriver USB from HTPC to Oppo 105 USB DAC to pre-amp/amp/speakers Optical disc in Oppo 105 to pre-amp/amp/speakers I'm playing hybrid SACDs / CDs and .DSF .FLAC rips. I"m wondering if the network connection is away to get around worrying about the electric noise from HTPC USB to DAC? At first pass the DLNA and USB connections are similar and putting SACD & CD's in the Oppo (vs feeding it files) seems to be slightly better....I think

I used the 50kHz filter + volume leveling. The volume leveling makes the comparison more fair and delta less obvious, but I still think I'm hearing more air/highs from the SACD vs. DSD file. The bass sounds tight and great on both. I am going to try to iFi USB since I am using a 400W powered i7/Radeon7870 traditional HTPC vs. linear power supplied audio PC. More testing to do.