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Roon + studio monitors

Lee Johnson

December 04, 2020 15:48

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Hi All

I'm very new to music streaming, Roon and Tidal, but enjoying the experience.  I have zero experience of RPI or similar, but feel that perhaps HIFIBerry might be able to help me.

My use case is this.  I have a pair of studio monitors (KRK Rokit RP7s).  The have built-in amplifiers. I'd like to stream music to them from Roon.  I'd be quite happy to use an out-of-the-box solution.  It seems the Chromecast audio might have been a good solution until it was discontinued.

I'd like a device that (i) Roon can stream to and (ii) will output music at a line level to my RP7s.  It will ideally have XLR outputs and perhaps a 3.5mm jack output in case I want to use it for something else later.  It can be wi-fi, but I think I'd rather it was ethernet.  My music is all CD quality or better, so I'd like the device to be able to maintain decent quality as far as possible.

 

I have no idea what hardware / software is required.  On that basis, might HiFiberry be beyond my ability?  If not, would someone kind be able to share exactly what hardware / software I need to buy, and point me in the direction of a guide to put it all together?

 

Thanks in anticipation,

 

Lee

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5 comments

• 0
  
  HiFiBerry team December 04, 2020 15:58

  For XLR output, you would need to use the DAC+ Pro XLR. You can just create your bundle configuration here:
  https://www.hifiberry.com/shop/bundles/hifiberry-dac-bundle-4/
  
  There are lots of options for the software. While I recommend HiFiBerryOS (https://www.hifiberry.com/os), there are also other Roon players available. Feel free to try multiple distributions and see what works best for you.

• 0
  
  HiFiBerry team December 04, 2020 16:29

  BTW: If you're not using very long cables (6m+), a simple unbalanced output with an RCA->XLR cable will be just fine. While balanced operation has it's advantages they are usually not relevant for short cables in "normal" environments.

• 0
  
  Lee Johnson December 07, 2020 09:39

  Thank you.  Very helpful.  Hope you don't mind if I ask another please.  My ambition has grown, and I'd now like to add the official 7" touchscreen.  My questions are:

  1. Do the DAC and the screen use different connections to the Pi board so its okay to use both a DAC and a screen?  I ask as I note that some of the Roon players disable the HDMI socket.

  2. Are you able to recommend a good case to accomodate the Pi, DAC and screen?  Many of the screen case reviews complain of having to mount the screen upside down.  That can be fixed with a simple command it seems, but the screen viewing angle isn't as good when it's upside down.

  3. Do you have a project / instructions / bundle on your site for building a Pi + DAC + screen?

  Thanks!

• 0
  
  HiFiBerry team December 07, 2020 09:42

  Yes, the DAC and the screen use different connections to the Pi. The screen connects via a small flat cable directly to the Pi.

  I can't really recommend a good case for this and we don't have a specific guide for this. In my opinion, especially with Roon, the best user interface is the Roon app on your PC and/or mobile phone anyway.

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  Lee Johnson December 07, 2020 10:22

  Helpful.  Thank you!