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Do you need a Roon Ready device to stream Roon?

I've been considering a Hegel integrated, but I want Roon before the unknown day comes they'll be Roon Ready. Can I feed USB from a Roon Nucleus to stream Roon in a Hegel, or any USB dac for that matter? Yes, I've seen the threads in Roon Labs sort of hinting at this and a rep from Roon said that you can stream Roon via USB into Hegel integrated amps.............but the language they use doesn't make me 100% confident this is true. Also, due to the condescending nature of the Hegel dealer in my area, I'd prefer to not to inquire or have them demo in their store. Thanks in advance for your help. 
ggecas2
crn3371
224 posts
 
You can use the Nucleus as both the Roon Core and a streamer too. Digital out from Nucleus will be compatible with any DAC
tomcy6's avatar
tomcy6
2,544 posts
 
Yes. You can stream a streaming service (Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, etc.) using Roon as your interface with the service through a Roon Nucleus by its USB out into your Hegel or other USB DAC.  If the other USB DAC is not Roon Ready it may need a little more setup to work.
glionameghan
1 posts
 
Look out for Roon Ready certification on your playback devices. These are the guaranteed Roon integrated bits of kit which have Roon's hi-res streaming RAAT technology inside. Roon will discover these without a problem and automatically deliver the highest possible audio quality to them.
mspot
113 posts
 
As others have said, it is no problem to connect Nucleus to any DAC on USB. The requirement of Roon Ready is for DACs that connect on a network such as WiFi or Ethernet. You can connect to the Hegel with USB, but not over WiFi until it is certified as Roon Ready.
You can stream a streaming service (Spotify, Tidal, Qobuz, etc.) using Roon as your interface with the service
Only Tidal and Qobuz are supported (not Spotify, Apple, Amazon or others).
yyzsantabarbara
4,587 posts
 
My Matrix Audio Mini-i 3 Pro DAC was not ROON READY on the day I bought it (Black Friday). So the only way to stream was either through AirPlay2 or my Sonore microRendu. 

Maybe 2 weeks ago they got ROON READY certification and I was able to enable the Ethernet streaming on the DAC. Prior to that I got a message saying the device could not be enabled because it had not passed ROON READY certification.

So now I can stream from ROON 3 ways (this DAC offers even more options). This DAC also has album art on the display and only AirPlay2 and the new Ethernet streaming support that.
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