Help in improving audio performance

[lal99]

Roon's comment about the Nucleus+ (i7 processor) vs the Nucleus (i3 processor) is that the Nucleus+ can handle larger libraries, more zones simultaneously, and some more intensive DSP operations. Upsampling can be intensive but the basic Nucleus with the i3 can handle most DSP operations.

When it comes to using a NUC with a Devialet the biggest limitation on upsampling is the Devialet. The Devialet can handle inputs of up to 192/24 PCM and up to DSD64. There's no point to upsampling to DSD 512 with a Devialet because the Devialet can't handle it. There's no point to feeding the Devialet with higher resolution inputs than 192'24 or DSD64. The Devialet will itself upsample lower resolutions than 192/24 to 192/24 automatically. You could have Roon upsample lower resolutions to 192/24 if you wish but one of the things Roon says about using its DSP capabilities is that one reason for not using Roon DSP is that you're streaming to a device which does its own upsampling if that device handles upsampling well itself. I've got a Nucleus+ and I've compared having Roon upsample to 192/24 vs letting my Devialet do it and I wasn't certain whether I heard a really small difference or couldn't hear a difference but in the end decided that I preferred letting the Devialet do the upsampling. The i3 Nucleus is perfectly capable of upsampling PCM to 192/24 and you can make your own comparison and decide for yourself but in my view there's no reason to use Roon's DSP to do upsampling of PCM.

As I said, there's no reason to upsample DSD to DSD 512 because the Devialet is limited to DSD64 input. You could have Roon convert PSM to DSD64 and send that to the Devialet. That can be an intensive processing task but I think the i3 Nucleus is up to it. The Devialet, however, can't do native DSP processing so it converts DSD input to PCM and it gives you several options for the conversion process. I've tried a couple of those options and preferred not converting PCM to DSD. It's possible that I may have preferred one of the options I didn't try but I think that's doubtful and I can't see any point in doing a PCM to DSD conversion only to have the Devialet then do a DSD to PCM conversion. I think as a matter of principle that it's best to minimise the processing you do.

The bottom line is that provided you have a library of less than 10,000 albums/100,000 tracks and have 6 or less different zones you want to use simultaneously through your house, the i3 Nucleus is probably all you need. Roon may add some feature at a later date that requires more processing power than the i3 can deliver but the i3 is probably all I really needed. I went for the Nucleus+ with its i7 processor because I was upgrading from an older Antipodes model with a less powerful Celeron processor which could run a little slow on searches and I decided to go for the Nucleus+ simply because it was the most powerful of the 2 models and therefore probably a little more "future proof" than the basic Nucleus but my library isn't large enough to need the Nucleus+, I'm not using Roon's DSP for the reasons given above, and I never use more than 1 zone at the same time so I probably wouldn't notice any difference at all between the Nucleus and the Nucleus+.

Really the only reasons for preferring the Nucleus+ to the Nucleus with a Devialet are that you've got a very large library or you're wanting to use more than 6 zones at the same time. The Nucleus should handle any DSP processing you will want it t do.



Thank you very much for your detailed and precise reply, really appreciate your help. Neither I have more than one zone nor do I have albums more than 10,000 songs. At the most I may have maximum two zones in future. 

Regarding up sampling I do hear mix reviews some people like and some dont. So may be I should not worry about it. Thanks for making my decision easier by letting know all the details. Thanks once again.