So, my NAS uses traditional HDDs, but my secondary MAC drive is an SSD, and that does update much faster. So that makes sense.
You’ll have to wait for a PSA FW update to allow Qobuz Connect to work. Paul said they’re still working on it, but you may expect it shortly.
Thanks so much for that. It was what I thought. So I can pretty much rest assured that if someone says Roon sounds better than something else, either they are using DSP or it has something to do with something else, like maybe HOW the software is controlling the other devices. Or maybe, as is so often the case, they WANT Roon to sound better, so it does.
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Thanks for the update. I hope it doesn’t take as long as the Octave Server - PS Audio’s NAS server. I read posts about it from 2018 I think.
My NAS drive is pretty basic - Buffalo Linkstation - which I read is plenty fast enough to serve the music, but I think for more intensive tasks over ethernet, it’s slower.. My Roon server is on the Mac’s SSD. One thing I can do is if I have updated my music library, I can open my audio room Mac’s screen on my office Mac mini next door, launch Roon and let it build the new library while I do research on what I’m about to play in my audio room, or maybe even work.
That should be fine. You’re not building libraries all the time. The calculating is done by Roon on your SSD, as it is with me. My music is also stored on old fashioned HDDs. Only difference is that both SSD and HDD are on the same device (my nas), but that couldn’t account for a drastic speed difference.
I will tell you I did the simple NUC setup from amazon parts. Pre covid, pre tariffs, it was less than $500 and I did an i5 with lots of memory and space on .M2 drive. It has been rock solid for 5 years now. I am almost about to hit the break even point of lifetime Roon. I think it was 6 years as I paid $699. But love it. The NUC keeps up with everything include the heavy DSP I use. Conv. filter and PEQ. NAS is simple synology 2TB. I plug a simple usb back up drive in each the NUC and NAS and do auto backups of each every night. Hands free and solid. (knock on wood). Lightning could get me, but Fiber on network, and those are plugged into a UPS that is plugged into the P15. But never say never.
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Here’s a little update on Roon’s Exclusive Mode, which I couldn’t find to save my life, this from their website:
“This concept only applies to connected outputs – i.e. USB DACs, sound cards, or built-in outputs connected to Roon, Roon Server, or Roon Bridge. If you are using a networked output (AirPlay, Squeezebox, Meridian, or Roon Ready), the device takes care of this implementation detail internally.” So I guess since AirLens is Roon-ready, Exclusive Mode doesn’t need to be specified and doesn’t show up. As fpr DSP. I’m assuming the settings are found in its MUSE menu, where I have everything disabled.
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Good protection scheme Brian. I don’t need to backup my NAS drive because its library is a clone of what I keep on an external drive connected to my office Mac MINI. I still like to manage my music library using Apple Music (old habits die hard), so whenever I make a music update there, I just copy it over to the NAS. As for lightning strikes, I live in the Southern US, so thunderstorms are a way of life. If one is coming, I power down my audio gear which is controlled by a separate sub-panel. I just go to the main breaker panel and kill the audio room sub-panel until the storm passes. Takes me about 2 minutes. As for snakes, scorpions, and shotgun-wielding neighbors, I just do what I’ve always done - RUN.
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Hey, just wanted to update this thread a little. Good news: Qobuz introduced its Connect software (it just updates automatically to include Connect) and PS Audio has added the necessary code to its AirLens firmware for Qobuz and Connect to, um, guess what? Connect. It doesn’t seem to sound any better or worse than running Qobuz through Roon, but if all you do is Qobuz, you could now ditch the Roon subscription.
As I’ve mentioned here already, I’m not a fan of Roon because I don’t like aspects of the interface and I worry that it runs the audio through the application in some way or somehow affects the devices it uses. No proof, just a feeling, and a few reviews I’ve read. And for me I don’t need about 90% of its overhead - pulling artist data from Allmusic, DSP, keeping track of plays and ratings and all that. All I want is something that will run my NAS drive, import my Apple Music library of files, pull the data from the NAS and shove it into the AirLens without affecting anything. The only possible alternative to Roon I’ve found is Audirvana, but I’ve heard it has just as many interface quirks as Roon.
The problem is I’m on a Mac, which won’t see the AirLens as a music output device, except through Roon and now Qobuz. I can see my NAS server, but not the AirLens. Unless someone knows of some sort of back-door sneaky way of getting it to work, looks like my dream has been Rooned.
You might want to try a DLNA compatible player. That should be able to stream music to your Airlens