For someone like myself, the Roon Nucleus is the endgame music server that will never have to be replaced as it satisfies 99% of my digital music listening needs. I have access to everything that I own and rent (streaming) and I ultimately decide what it all sounds like based on the components on the other end.

The Nucleus is a superb—but pricey—platform for running Roon Labs’ fabulous music server software.

The ROON Nucleus Plus is an always-on, powerful, digital, music server that provides multiple zones of playback, controls multiple devices, enables access to, literally, millions of songs or “tracks,” and curates extensive metadata on those millions of songs or “tracks,” or albums. Further, it delivers bit-perfect data for playback, and renders a, relatively, noise-free, pristine, and natural music signal, that your off-the-shelf computer, simply, cannot match.

Considering what a Mac Mini runs these days, the Nucleus is a bargain in comparison. Get your email on your phone and leave the music serving to ROON. You’ll be glad you did.

After a couple of days of using my laptop as the core, I fired up the Nucleus once again and was instantly reminded how much better it is in terms of accessing music searches, selecting and playing tracks and all-round usability. Sound quality at my Roon endpoints was unaffected.

For those who, like me, don't want to go the hair-shirt, DIY route to networked audio, the fit'n'forget functionality and routinely excellent sound quality of Roon Labs' Nucleus+ through both of the DACs I used it with make it an easy recommendation. It's not going back!

The Roon Labs Nucleus+ server has changed my thinking concerning the selection of an optimum playback device to use for the Roon music software. Enough cannot be said for the overall user-friendliness of this device. The outstanding integration of the OS with the hardware and the Roon music software is something that was quite apparent to me as I listened to the Nucleus+. I found the Nucleus+ to be a solid piece of engineering with its use of Intel’s NUC and custom fanless design. The Nucleus+ is going to be a keeper for this computer audiophile.

So, if you are smitten with Roon and its abilities, the Nucleus is easily recommendable as it’s small, easy to accommodate and simply allows the software to work at its optimum. Your personal library just keeps growing and growing and it is just too easy to lose yourself for hours while listening to music you have never heard before. This just has to be one of the main reasons for owning a decent system. In the next issue I will be incorporating the Nucleus-powered Roon software into a high-end home system built around a dCS Rossini so I will be able to take a closer look at sound quality and formats. If you like Roon, there’s no doubt you’ll love the Nucleus. It does precisely what it says on the tin. Tidal’s wingman? In fact, the Nucleus is audio’s Top Gun!

there’s no real secret in deciding what to buy when it comes to finding a home for Roon Core. You really don’t need to fuss over this choice. If you want a plug and play solution in a very nice package, get a Nucleus. If you want to spend less, spend less. If you want to spend more, spend more. In the end, I suggest factoring your time into this purchase decision using the following equation: time x cost = budget

The Roon Nucleus Plus Music Server is convenient, capable, and costly. Despite cheaper alternatives, the Nucleus Plus does exactly what it is advertised to do.