Nucleus

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Nucleus
A dedicated and silent hub for your Roon system, the Nucleus and Nucleus + offer absolute focus on your music, without sub-systems and micro-processes muddying the audio signal. Designed to plug in and tuck away, Nucleus offers a seamless and supremely simple user experience.

Designed by the team that made Roon, Nucleus is the only music server on the market that is designed from the ground up to provide the best Roon experience. Nucleus is the centre of your Roon music system. The brain behind the Roon experience is the Roon Core, every aspect of Nucleus – hardware, operating system, and software – was developed to provide a silent, high-performance, power-efficient Roon Core. Roon is a multi-room, multi-user networked audio platform built to the exacting standards of audiophiles, so it offers features like bit-perfect playback, DSD and PCM up-sampling, multichannel playback, and signal path display.

Nucleus is the easiest, fastest way to get your Roon system running. No computer or networking skills required. Just plug Nucleus into your network, connect your hard drives, download Roon remote apps (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows) and you’ll be ready to play music using a wide variety of audio devices, including AirPlay, Sonos, Roon Ready, Devialet, KEF, Meridian, Squeezebox, and a huge variety of USB DACs.

Nucleus has no fans or moving parts of any kind, and its minimal operating system is tuned to deliver high-performance audio. It has an advantage over other platforms because it was engineered to provide the most reliable and problem-free Roon experience. It's designed to do one thing and do it unerringly: create the ideal home for Roon.

As well as distributing music throughout your home, Nucleus also offers the very finest performance possible when connected to a USB DAC. A computer source has never sounded this good before.

Free 1 year subscription

As of October 1st, 2020, Roon offer 1 year of free Roon software subscription included in the box with every purchased Nucleus or Nucleus+. This will arrive either by card within the box itself, or by email. Read our FAQ for more info.

Nucleus or Nucleus+?

Both the Nucleus and Nucleus+ servers look and function in exactly the same way. Their difference is primarily down to the Intel® processor used in each model, which shifts their speed and workload capacity.

The standard Nucleus is suited to smaller multi-room environments, or for installations where complex DSP processing is not required. It's also suited to smaller library sizes.

The Nucleus Plus is a zero compromise for those users that have large music libraries, many audio zones, or want the most demanding DSP options. The Nucleus Plus provides the snappiest and most future-proof experience for running Roon.

See our Technical Data for more information.

  • The ultimate servers dedicated to unlocking the full potential of Roon
  • Manages your music stored on USB hard drives, NAS, and streamed content from TIDAL and Qobuz
  • Runs Roon OS and is controlled by the Roon apps for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
  • Silent design with no fans or moving parts
  • Comes with a one year Roon Subscription
  • Runs libraries up-to 10,000 albums (100,000 tracks) and six simultaneous zones as well as offering all DSP functions in the PCM domain (certain combinations and DSD DSP many not be possible)
Nucleus +
A dedicated and silent hub for your Roon system, the Nucleus and Nucleus + offer absolute focus on your music, without sub-systems and micro-processes muddying the audio signal. Designed to plug in and tuck away, Nucleus offers a seamless and supremely simple user experience.

Designed by the team that made Roon, Nucleus is the only music server on the market that is designed from the ground up to provide the best Roon experience. Nucleus is the centre of your Roon music system. The brain behind the Roon experience is the Roon Core, every aspect of Nucleus – hardware, operating system, and software – was developed to provide a silent, high-performance, power-efficient Roon Core. Roon is a multi-room, multi-user networked audio platform built to the exacting standards of audiophiles, so it offers features like bit-perfect playback, DSD and PCM up-sampling, multichannel playback, and signal path display.

Nucleus is the easiest, fastest way to get your Roon system running. No computer or networking skills required. Just plug Nucleus into your network, connect your hard drives, download Roon remote apps (iOS, Android, macOS, Windows) and you’ll be ready to play music using a wide variety of audio devices, including AirPlay, Sonos, Roon Ready, Devialet, KEF, Meridian, Squeezebox, and a huge variety of USB DACs.

Nucleus has no fans or moving parts of any kind, and its minimal operating system is tuned to deliver high-performance audio. It has an advantage over other platforms because it was engineered to provide the most reliable and problem-free Roon experience. It's designed to do one thing and do it unerringly: create the ideal home for Roon.

As well as distributing music throughout your home, Nucleus also offers the very finest performance possible when connected to a USB DAC. A computer source has never sounded this good before.

Free 1 year subscription

As of October 1st, 2020, Roon offer 1 year of free Roon software subscription included in the box with every purchased Nucleus or Nucleus+. This will arrive either by card within the box itself, or by email. Read our FAQ for more info.

Nucleus or Nucleus+?

Both the Nucleus and Nucleus+ servers look and function in exactly the same way. Their difference is primarily down to the Intel® processor used in each model, which shifts their speed and workload capacity.

The standard Nucleus is suited to smaller multi-room environments, or for installations where complex DSP processing is not required. It's also suited to smaller library sizes.

The Nucleus Plus is a zero compromise for those users that have large music libraries, many audio zones, or want the most demanding DSP options. The Nucleus Plus provides the snappiest and most future-proof experience for running Roon.

See our Technical Data for more information.

  • The ultimate servers dedicated to unlocking the full potential of Roon
  • Manages your music stored on USB hard drives, NAS, and streamed content from TIDAL and Qobuz
  • Runs Roon OS and is controlled by the Roon apps for iOS, Android, macOS, Windows
  • Silent design with no fans or moving parts
  • Comes with a one year Roon Subscription
  • Runs libraries over 10,000 albums (100,000 tracks) in size and more than six simultaneous zones as well as offering all Roon's DSP functions

This product is no longer available to order and will not be coming back into stock.

In Stock products are those that are currently held in stock at our Oxfordshire warehouse. This stock status is updated regularly but is subject to change at very short notice.

Products that are Awaiting Stock are items that we would normally carry on stock at our Oxfordshire warehouse, but are currently unavailable. Chances are there is already more on the way, but if you would like a more accurate availability status please feel free to Contact Us.

Urgent order items are products that we do not normally carry on stock, but they are typically held on stock by our European suppliers. Depending on availability, we will seek to order these products quickly, when we have an enquiry. They can therefore be subject to quicker availability times than "Special Order" products.

Special Order items are those that are most often built to order. For these items, we tend to experience longer lead times as we negotiate them into the production line with our suppliers.

Nucleus

RRP: £1700.00

A dedicated and silent hub for your Roon system, the Nucleus and Nucleus + offer absolute focus on your music, without sub-systems and micro-processes muddying the audio signal. Designed to plug in and tuck away, Nucleus offers a seamless and supremely simple user experience.

Variations:
Options:

John Scott , HIFI Pig , November 2018

Hi-Fi Pig Review The Roon Nucleus

"The Nucleus+ provides an elegant, unparalleled plug and play one-box solution to digital library management, digital signal processing and multi room capability."

See full review

Chris Thomas , Hi-Fi+ , August 2018

Hi-Fi Plus review the Roon Nucleus

"The Nucleus is easily recommendable as it’s small, easy to accommodate and simply allows the software to work at its optimum."

See full review

Daniel J Sait , Essential Install , November 2018

Essential Install Review the Roon Nucleus

"Roon remains the most compelling music service for serious music enthusiasts and the Nucleus+ makes the concept super-slick, very fast and seriously robust."

See full review


format_quoteHenley Says...

The Nucleus and Nucleus+ by Roon are THE way to experience the Roon software. With a quiet, fanless server doing all the work you don't need to worry about your music suffering when you use your PC or MAC for other things.

Being able to load up the hard drive with music and trust it to handle even the most demanding multi-room systems, even with CPU-intensive DSP processing, is a weight off of your shoulders when entertaining guests or trying to relax throughout the house. 

format_quote

Kieran Pickaver Field Sales Manager

If you are interested in the Nucleus and would like to know more, or are building a high-end system and would like some advice, reach out to one of our expert team today.

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  • Roon Labs has always had an open approach to providing its software for the best user experience. That's why you can continue to install Roon on your normal laptop or desktop PC, or you can even make your own bespoke server solution using their freely available installation files. However, Roon Labs also wanted to manufacture a server - not only so customers could get local dealer support, a warranty and all the conveniences that go with it - so customers could purchase a plug-and-play solution that's purposefully designed to unlock and exploit every feature within Roon.

    Learn more about what makes Roon Nucleus and Nucleus+ special here.

  • Though each license is matched against a Nucleus or Nucleus+ purchase, it is not limited to use with that device. You can use it on anything that can run Roon.

    If you are a new user at the time of purchasing Nucleus, your free year can be used immediately. If you are already part-way through a year the free period will be added to the end of your current term eg. 6 months left would turn into 18 months before your next charge for the software.

    Lastly, if you are already a Roon lifetime subscriber, the Roon license included can be used on any other Roon server or device.

  • The Nucleus and Nucleus+ models released in 2018 (now called Rev A) have the same technical ability as the later 2019 model (Rev B). In the revision, Roon Labs moved production from the Far East back into the US, changed to more eco-friendly packaging, improved production processes and changed the chassis. The principal benefit of the chassis change is it allows for access to a second HDMI port on the back panel, and increases the internal space for a hard drive from 9mm to 15mm (as of August 2019 that covers storage drives up to 5TB).

    Click here to learn more.

  • As mentioned above, the Nucleus underwent a cosmetic change during it's lifetime, to distinguish the two units these were dubbed Rev A and Rev B respectively. In instances where the Nucleus looks narrower and taller within review articles, this will be Rev A, the Rev B is shorter and wider to accommodate the additional HDMI port, but remains the same powerhouse server that it always was.

  • Roon have published a complete user guide on their website. Click here to view it. The Roon website is also the ideal place to learn more about the intricacies of Roon's superior software. Visit www.roonlabs.com

  • Roon Nucleus and Nucleus+ owners have  access to Control4 or Crestron home automation systems with their server. Click here for more information on Control4 drivers. Click here for more information on Crestron drivers.

  • PDF | 342 Kb | Hi-Fi Choice Feature

  • PDF | 125 Kb | Hi-FI Choice Review - Nucleus Software

  • PDF | 195 Kb | Hi-Fi Choice Review

  • PDF | 368 Kb | Hi-Fi News Review

  • PDF | 2 Mb | Hi-Fi World Review

  • PDF | 2 Mb | Rev A or Rev B Comparison

  • PDF | 2 Mb | User Guide

  • JPG | 1 Mb | Stock Photo (Front)

  • JPG | 960 Kb | Stock Photo (Left)

  • JPG | 1004 Kb | Stock Photo (Rear)