roon basic setup recommendation.

[struts]

Guys your really great (:
Too many thing/comments to procces .
Im not new to cli and linux so ROCK is doable .
So basically as i read from the thread is that the only way to stream the highest quality available for now(until RAAT) support is via ROCK or similar with toslink.

Yes-ish.  The key distinction here is between Roon Core and Roon Bridge.  

• Roon Core (server) is a fairly demanding app that requires a NUC or equivalent single board computer like sonicTransporter or Roon Nucleus, i.e. a PC-equivalent hardware spec.  ROCK is a software package you can install on a compatible NUC to make a dedicated Roon Core.
  
• Roon Bridge (client) is a very slim app can be run on very low-power/small/cheap hardware like a Cubox, Raspberry Pi or equivalent single board computer.  Ropiee is a software package you can install on a compatible RPi etc. to make a dedicated Roon Bridge.
  

You can connect a Core directly to your DAC (i.e. the Phantoms) without the need for a Bridge.  However while you can connect a Bridge directly to your DAC it requires a Core somewhere else on the network.

EDIT: However you can *physically* connect your Core (or Bridge) to your Phantoms *only if the Core/Bridge hardware has an optical out*. Unfortunately the Phantoms lack both USB and Coax inputs which are the two most popular digital outputs on Roon devices. Core and Bridge can both connect to your Phantoms via wifi/ethernet, but as previously explained, the only common denominator with Roon is then Airplay, which is 16/44.1-only.

[eladeb]

Have a laptop with i5 and with 8gig ram that i csn use for this porpese.
But without spdif.
Is there any connector that i can use mybe from usb to spdif ?(and if this connectors degrete quality)

[struts]

Is there any connector that i can use mybe from usb to spdif ?(and if this connectors degrete quality)

Googling around I found this which seems to convert from USB to Toslink but I have absolutely no experience of it so I can't guarantee it will work with Roon.  

Per my earlier post I would suggest a Cubox as a Roon Bridge which gives you freedom of where to place the PC (core) and is known to work - and costs about the same as the above.  You'll find instructions how to set this up on the Roon Forum here.  Note that for hi res you may need a wired connection to the Cubox, it only supports 802.11n WiFi with a very small internal antenna which is unlikely to give you the bandwidth to support hi res.  If that doesn't work, back to the above.

[thumb5]

Another option might be the Matrix X-SPDIF 2, which is what I'd probably go for if I needed a moderately high-quality USB-S/PDIF converter.  As well as S/PDIF it has Toslink and AES/EBU outputs.  There are similar devices from Singxer and Gustard, as well as a slew of cheaper generic devices (e.g. on Amazon).  If you want to go the other way and spend more, the Mutec MC-3+ USB is highly-regarded and works particularly well with the Devialet's AES/EBU input.

[eladeb]

Is there any connector that i can use mybe from usb to spdif ?(and if this connectors degrete quality)

Googling around I found this which seems to convert from USB to Toslink but I have absolutely no experience of it so I can't guarantee it will work with Roon.  

Per my earlier post I would suggest a Cubox as a Roon Bridge which gives you freedom of where to place the PC (core) and is known to work - and costs about the same as the above.  You'll find instructions how to set this up on the Roon Forum here.  Note that for hi res you may need a wired connection to the Cubox, it only supports 802.11n WiFi with a very small internal antenna which is unlikely to give you the bandwidth to support hi res.  If that doesn't work, back to the above.

Loved the idea with the cubox.what about roon license?the installation is deferent.
is there any option to connect it to my tv show roon on display via hdmi.or its just server style no gui.

10x

[struts]

The Cubox is a Roon Bridge (Client), the license is free of charge. Only the license for the Roon Core is charged.

The Cubox is headless, so you would manage it from your PC using a terminal app.

If you want to use your TV as a Remote (is that the use case you have in mind?) then the easiest way would be to connect your Core directly to it. Does your PC have an HDMI out?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[eladeb]

The Cubox is a Roon Bridge (Client), the license is free of charge. Only the license for the Roon Core is charged.

The Cubox is headless, so you would manage it from your PC using a terminal app.

If you want to use your TV as a Remote (is that the use case you have in mind?) then the easiest way would be to connect your Core directly to it. Does your PC have an HDMI out?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks,
so basically the cubox dont give me an extra features since my LTop goin to be hidden and connected directly to my tv via hdmi.
so i can control music via a Remote mouse app or roon remote android/iphone.
the only missing part is the SPDIF connection to the LT.
but as i understand i cant stream more than 16bit ether way (with roon) so the spdif is a bit useless in this scenario streaming 16bit work great with wifi.
or i missing something in the setup?

(BTW is any of you using one of the roon DSP configuration?)

[struts]

Thanks,
so basically the cubox dont give me an extra features since my LTop goin to be hidden and connected directly to my tv via hdmi.
so i can control music via a Remote mouse app or roon remote android/iphone.
the only missing part is the SPDIF connection to the LT.
but as i understand i cant stream more than 16bit ether way (with roon) so the spdif is a bit useless in this scenario streaming 16bit work great with wifi.
or i missing something in the setup?

(BTW is any of you using one of the roon DSP configuration?)

The extra functionality the Cubox offers is an optical connection to the Phantom (for hi res streaming) that is physically separate to your Roon Core.  If 1. you can find a suitable interface box (per @thumb5's suggestions above) with USB input and Toslink (optical) output and can connect your Laptop running the Roon Core directly to one of the Phantoms and 2. this is placement feasible in your domestic environment then the Cubox is superfluous.  

A Toslink connection from your Roon Core (laptop) or a Roon Bridge (like a Cubox) to your Phantom will allow you to stream hi res material up to 24/192 via Roon.  This is the only way I am aware of to achieve the combination of Roon/Phantom/hi res until Devialet implement RAAT support in Phantom.

I am using Roon DSP to perform sample rate conversion to DSD.  I haven't really played with any of the other functions.

[eladeb]

@struts
The extra functionality the Cubox offers is an optical connection to the Phantom (for hi res streaming) that is physically separate to your Roon Core

Just to simplify.
1. Roon core on laptop.
2.cubox to devialet spdif.

Now the Devialets are on wifi.
The roon core are on wifi too.
And the cubex on wifi.toslink to phantoms.
Will i be able to stream 24bit when there no direct input of the media source to the phantoms?

[struts]

@struts
The extra functionality the Cubox offers is an optical connection to the Phantom (for hi res streaming) that is physically separate to your Roon Core

Just to simplify.
1. Roon core on laptop.
2.cubox to devialet spdif.

Now the Devialets are on wifi.
The roon core are on wifi too.
And the cubex on wifi.toslink to phantoms.
Will i be able to stream 24bit when there no direct input of the media source to the phantoms?

Almost.  I am unsure whether the Cubox wifi antenna will be up to hi res (it is a very small internal antenna).  You would have to try it, since even if it worked for someone else it might not work for you.  If it doesn't provide the coverage you would need to wire your Cubox to your network. So:
Now the Devialets are on wifi. - Actually now they are connected via Toslink to the Cubox which is connected to your network.  They can also still connect to your wifi for AirPlay of course.
The roon core are on wifi too. - Yes, that's fine.
And the cubex on wifi.toslink to phantoms. - Cubox wifi or ethernet depending on whether it can get a good enough wifi signal to support hi res.
Will i be able to stream 24bit when there no direct input of the media source to the phantoms? - Yes.  That is the whole advantage of this setup.