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How to make a direct connection between a Roon Nucleus and a Devialet Expert Pro.
#1
If you have a Roon Nucleus or Nucleus+ server you will have it connected to your network via the single ethernet socket on the rear of the server. You will also have your Devialet connected to the network, either by ethernet or wifi unless you use a USB connection to the Devialet. When you're playing music the server and Devialet communicate with each other over the network if you're using ethernet or wifi and the data stream will be passed through an ethernet adapter or the router at some stage. It is possible to connect the Nucleus/Nucleus+ directly to each other with an ethernet cable and avoid the data passing through the server or router.

Why would you want to do this? Well, some servers from manufacturers like Innuos, Melco and Antipodes have 2 ethernet sockets, one for a network connection and the other for a direct connection to a DAC or to the Devialet's ethernet input, and those manufacturers claim that this direct connection delivers better sound quality. This is a way of duplicating that sort of connection arrangement with a Nucleus and a Devialet.

I've been running with this connection for nearly a week now and it works extremely well. I think sound quality is slightly better than what it is over the normal network connection method and I haven't had any of the "an audio file is loading slowly" error messages and dropouts/stuttering that some people have used when  using the Devialet's Roon Ready input with files of any resolution up to 24/192 and DSD64. Since some people are getting those problems and others aren't, I can't guarantee that you won't see them with this setup in your system but audio_engnr who has also tried using this setup also hasn't had any of those problems and we both have gigabit speed connections between our Nucleus+ servers and our Devialets. I can''t guarantee you won't run into those problems but so far I've had no reports of anyone getting them with this connection method.

I also make no guarantees about sound quality though both audio_engnr and I believe we're each getting an improvement. You can use this with Roon whether you use RAAT or AIR. Some people think AIR sounds better with the normal network connection, others prefer RAAT. I doubt this method will change your opinion about whether RAAT or AIR sounds better.

The other thing I need to stress is that this works with a Nucleus or Nucleus+ running Roon. I haven't tried it with a normal Intel NUC or with any other server apart from the Antipodes DS I was using prior to getting a Nucleus+ which  has only one ethernet connection and I could not get a network connection using a USB to ethernet adapter with one of the USB connections on the Antipodes DS which means it doesn't work with an Antipodes DS. If you're using a server other than a Nucleus or Nucleus+ it may or may not work. You can try it but I don't know whether or not it will work. If you want to try it with some other server I'd suggest trying to borrow a USB to ethernet adapter if you don.t have one, using it to make your network connection and seeing if you can get a working network connection. I also haven't tried it with any other server software than Roon and I don't know if it will work with any server software other than Roon. You can try but I don't know whether or not it will work.

To be totally clear, the only claim I am making is that this works with a Nucleus or Nucleus+ running Roon and a Devialet. I am making no claims about sound quality. You can try it but you may decide you prefer the connection you were using previously. I prefer this way but just as some people prefer RAAT and some prefer Roon AIR, there may well be some people who prefer this method of getting music from a Nucleus to their Devialet and some who prefer the way they're currently doing it. That's fine, preferences are personal and subjective and there is no right or wrong whatever you prefer. If the connection works for you, you're free to say whether you prefer the sound of this connection or your previous connection and anyone with a Nucleus or Nucleus+ can decide whether they want to try it based on whatever reports they read and how adventurous and willing they're feeling about trying a different connection method.

Now that all of that has been stated and is out of the way, here's how you go about connecting this way:

Instructions for direct ethernet connection from Roon Nucleus/Nucleus+ to a Devialet Expert Pro


You will need a USB to ethernet adapter for this. These are available for 10100 ethernet and for 10/100/gigabit ethernet connections. I use one which provides a 10/100/gigabit connection. These will probably be labelled as “USB3 to ethernet” or “USB3 to gigabit ethernet”. I’d recommend getting a gigabit ethernet adapter because this is going to be used for the connection Roon uses to the internet for things like accessing Tidal and Qobuz, retrieving reviews etc, and it is also the connection you are going to be transferring files over if you’re storing your music on an internal drive or a drive attached to your Nucleus.

To make this work you also need to provide manual IP addresses for one of the 2 ethernet connections you will have to your Nucleus and also for your Devialet. In order to work out what those manual addresses will be, you need to find 2 pieces of information about your current connections to the Nucleus and Devialet. You need to know their current IP addresses and the sub net mask setting currently in use. The sub net mask setting will be the same for both, the IP addresses will be different.

When setting a manual IP address, you are presented with windows in which to enter 4 items which are:

- IP address

- Netmask (Nucleus)/Network mask (Devialet)

- Gateway

- DNS Server (Nucleus)/Server (Devialet)

You need to enter these items for your Nucleus in the web interface for the Nucleus which is where you do other things like updating firmware, etc and you need to enter these items for the Devialet in Devialet’s Configurator settings for the ethernet input. You can find your current settings there as well so if you don’t know what the IP address and mask settings for your Nucleus and Devialet are, you will find them there. The IP addresses will be different and will be 4 numbers with a full stop between them like this: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx. The mask settings will have a similar format but they will be identical and will almost certainly be 255.255.255.0

So, let’s say the IP address for your 2 devices looks like this a.b.c.d where a, b, c and d are each a number. The address you will use for your nucleus will be a.b.(c + 1). d where a and b are the same as in the current address, the third number will be the current value of c plus 1, and d will be a number between 2 and 254, your choice. The IP address for the Devialet will be a.b. (c + 1). d’ where d’ is a different number between 2 and 254 than the one you chose for the Nucleus.

The setting for the mask is identical for both Nucleus and Devialet and is exactly the same as the current setting. Don’t change the number.

The setting for both the Gateway and the DNS Server is going to be 0.0.0.0 for both the Nucleus and Devialet.

So now you have 4 numerical settings for your Nucleus and 4 for your Devialet. The IP address is different for each but the other 3 settings are identical for each. Write them down on a piece of paper so you can copy them to each device’s configuration settings

Now to put it all together.

1- Devialet configuration

Create a new configuration in the configurator and in the Advanced settings for the Ethernet Streaming Input turn DHCP off. Then insert the 4 settings from above for your Devialet. Configure any other inputs you want, the general, speaker and remote settings, give the configuration a name and then download it and copy it to an SD card for loading in your Devialet. Don’t load the configuration yet.


2- Physical connections.

(a) Nucleus: plug the USB to ethernet adapter into one of the 2 USB sockets on the rear of the Nucleus. Remove the ethernet cable from the ethernet socket and connect it to the USB to ethernet adapter. If that cable connects to your router via a network switch and the Devialet is the only other device connected to that switch you have a choice. You can leave the Nucleus connected to the switch or you can disconnect it from the switch and connect it directly to your router (you may need to use a longer ethernet cable if you do this depending on where your router is located).

(b) unplug your Devialet from the switch or router it is connected to  if your’re using an ethernet connection and connect that cable to the ethernet socket of the Nucleus. If your Devialet is connected via wifi just get an ethernet cable and use it to connect the ethernet socket on the Nucleus to the ethernet socket on the Devialet.

3-Roon configuration.

Open Roon’s web interface and at the bottom of the page where before there was a single Ethernet tab under “Networking” there will now be 2 tabs, “Ethernet” and “Ethernet2”. “Ethernet” is the ethernet socket connection to your Devialet, “Ethernet2” is the USB to ethernet adapter connection to your network.

-Ethernet tab: Select the “Static IP” tab for this address and enter the settings for the manual address from above.

- Ethernet2: select the DHCP tab for Ithis address and your router will automatically supply the settings.

- Press the “Save” button at the bottom of the page and your settings will be saved.

4. Your Nucleus and Roon are already running with their settings loaded. Insert the SD card with the new configuration file in your Devialet and restart it with the new configuration.

5- Go to Roon’s Audio Settings menu In its Settings menu. You Devialet should appear as a Roon ready device  in the list of zones. It may take a minute or two to appear. Once you see the Devialet listed there, activate the zone and give it a name, close the Settings menu, select the zone and some music and start listening.


That's it. I hope you enjoy the result if you try it and I welcome any suggestions to my manual IP address setting instructions which may work better. I know nothing about networking and this method was developed by trial and error. Roon say you need to use manual addresses to make this work but made no suggestions about how to set up the manual addresses. I tried using Google and looked at other threads here and on Roon's site and tried using a few different settings.Some settings didn't work (no connection, no sound) and some worked. This way of creating the manual addresses has provided the best result in terms of how well Roon does things like searches and finding your artists and albums and also in terms of sound quality, at least to my ears.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.

Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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#2
Thanks, this is exactly what I have been trying to do myself but did not know how to.
Spiral Groove/Soundsmith - jRiver/Audiophile Optimizer/Process Lasso - Devialet 1000 pro - Rockport Ankaa
Nordost Valhalla, Brahma, Frey2+ & Tyr2/Ansuz Mainz C/D8
Isoacoustics OREA/Shunyata Dark Field/Nordost QV/QK
Devialet Gemini
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#3
I have Expert pro 220 core infinity and Dynaudio C1 platinum speakers. Do you think there would be much improvement playing USB via USB/SPDIF or AES converter before Devialet DAC?
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#4
I have no idea but in general I don't like converters.

What's being described here is a way of creating 2 network connections to a Nucleus or NUC. so you can stream to a Devialet via ethernet without passing the signal through a network switch or router. What you're asklng about is something very different, how to convert a signal from one sort of output on your source to something that can use a different type of input on the Devialet. There's a different type of conversion going on. You're converting an asynchronous signal to a synchronous one and you're dealing with a signal that is being transmitted in real time. What the method being discussed in this thread is about is a signal that isn't being transmitted as an audio signal in real time, it's being transmitted as a data signal in packets using a network protocol and those packets have to be processed and reassembled to create the audio stream which goes to the DAC.

What you're asking about is completely different to what's being discussed here and I've never tried to do anything like what you're asking about, in fact I've never seen what you're asking about being discussed. If no one is discussing it, I'd say there's aa fair chance that's because it's not a particularly good idea so I'd say don't bother trying something like that, just use a USB connection and keep things as simple as possible.
Roon Nucleus+, Devilalet Expert 140 Pro CI, Focal Sopra 2, PS Audio P12, Keces P8 LPS, Uptone Audio EtherREGEN with optical fibre link to my router, Shunyata Alpha NR and Sigma NR power cables, Shunyata Sigma ethernet cables, Shunyata Alpha V2 speaker cables, Grand Prix Audio Monaco rack, RealTRAPS acoustic treatment.

Brisbane, Qld, Australia
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#5
@chungjh: USB to S/P-DIF or AES3 is a fairly well-trodden path; there are some suggestions in this thread for suitable devices although it might be a little out of date now.  Many of us on the forum have used the Mutec MC-3+ USB which can convert USB audio to either/both of S/P-DIF and AES3 and is generally reckoned to be a "good thing" (although not cheap).

It might be worth bearing in mind that in the Expert series before Pro/CI, the AES3 input was generally thought to sound better than USB.  There are reports in the forum that any difference in sound quality between these inputs has narrowed in the Expert Pro/CI.  In the end it's an evaluation you will need to make for yourself.

PS as @David A mentioned this is a bit off-topic, so perhaps best to continue the discussion in either of the two threads I linked to above.
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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