MEET THE LUMIN U1 MINI

[David A]

I wasn´t clear enough, sorry.
I have just my laptop (meanning computer...) running Roon core in another room connected with the Dev by wifi.
What i pretend is to replace the laptop for something that keeps the system simple (dev, speakers and something else) and could even be directly connected to the Dev.
I read a lot about several devices but I noticed that some do not dispense a computer.
I hope I have been clear enough now.

You've already got things as simple as they can be, at least as far as components go. The only reason to replace the laptop is not going to be to make things simpler because replacing one device with another which performs the same functions in the system doesn't make a system simpler. What it can do is to make the sound better.

If you're going to replace the laptop you need to replace it with something that can do the same things. That means that you need to replace it with either another computer or with a dedicated music server of some kind. You've got several options for a server starting with some kind of NUC on which you install Roon Core since you're already using Roon (the Roon Nucleus and Nucleus + are Roon's own versions of a NUC option) or a server from some manufacturer like Innuos or Antipodes or quite a few other options including BluSound whose Vault is one of the cheaper server options I've seen if price is a factor.

Whatever one of those options you pick, you're going to have to give it an internet connection for Roon. I don't know how you connect your laptop to the internet at home but the only network connection most of the above devices have is via ethernet so you're going to have to come up with an ethernet connection somehow. I assume you have a wifi network. If that's in a different room to the Devialet and you want the computer/server next to the Devialet you could place some kind of wifi extender that works with your wifi router next to the computer/server and connect it to the router via ethernet. Alternatively you could place the computer/server next to the router and connect to the Devialet via wifi or place an extender next to the  Devialet and connect via ethernet. If the computer/server is next to the Devialet you are going to have a choice between connecting the Devialet via ethernet to the same network as the computer/server or to the computer server by USB or, in some cases, by ethernet to a second network connection on the computer/server. 

So, swapping the laptop for something else is easy. The real issue for you are the connection issues. Work out how you want to make the connections between computer/server and internet, and computer/server and Devialet first, then start working out what you're going to do about replacing the laptop.

I'll also add that you have another option: connect your laptop to your Devialet via USB when you want to play music and use a wifi connection to your router for the internet connection. You could still use the iPad for a remote while the laptop sits next to the Devialet. That's likely to produce an improvement in sound quality over using a wifi connection from the laptop and it doesn't require any expenditure. You simply connect the laptop to the internet over your wifi network rather than connecting the Devialet to the laptop over the wifi network.

If you want to get the best sound quality, whichever of the options above you want to try, I'd recommend using wired ethernet connections instead of wifi. Having the computer/server next to the Devialet and using a USB or ethernet connection between them is better than using wifi to the Devialet. Using ethernet for all network connections with no wifi stages between rooms will improve sound quality if the Devialet and the computer/server are in different rooms, and it will provide a more stable, less problematic network. Getting rid of the wifi connection between rooms in my house and replacing it with a wired ethernet connection is one of the best things I've done. Eliminating wifi in my setup was a really good move in my view.