Linux Users - How do you stream your music? What's your setup?

[Yamaki]

I am working towards becoming a Linux user and removing Windows from my computing environment.

I have converted an older laptop, that was not compatible with Win 11, to Linux using Linux Mint Cinnamon V22.3 and completed some basic setup.

One of the priority items on my conversion list is to implement a Linux-based streaming solution. Here is my current audio setup and how I stream within the Windows environment:

1. Audio Gear: McIntosh amps, McIntosh pre-amp processor, McIntosh D100 used as a DAC, Schitt tube pre for music only.

2. Digital setup: Bluesound Node, BluOS music controller, Synology NAS for digital storage, all hardwired from a modem/router to a network switch and controlled on my Windows based Dell G7 laptop.

I've read that BluOS works within a Linux environment but not without some patches. I'm OK with BluOS but miss Roon. I've read that Roon works well within the Linux environment. I was a Roon subscriber for some years but a Windows update in 2022 or 2023 created some conflicts with Roon on Windows failing to operate correctly. I am not opposed to going back to Roon so that may be my first choice.

So, what is your setup? Does using Linux create some difficult issues to resolve or is it fairly seamless? I'm looking for the easiest, least complicated streaming solution within Linux.

I appreciate any comments, tips and tricks you may have when streaming within the Linux environment.

Thanks!

Michael

 

[BmWr75]

Roon’s operating system ROCK is Linux based. I run it on an Intel NUC.

 

[hifihoosier]

Roon
I use Roon Server on a linux host. I love it. I have also used Roon Bridge on linux acting as the streaming endpoint for a USB connected DAC. I understand that the licensing cost of Roon makes it unattractive to some.

Music Assistant
If Roon is not your thing, take a look at Music Assistant (music-assistant.io) It is designed to be a plugin for Home Assistant, but can be run pretty easily as a docker container. I have used it on-and-off a few times in the last year, mostly to watch the fantastic progress they are making. It's open source with an active community of contributors and users.

Plex
I have heard Plex is pretty good for music as well, but I have no experience with it.



A note on "docker" - super useful way to run software on linux.
If you are learning linux and haven't run into Docker yet, ask your favorite AI chatbot about what docker is and how you can use "docker compose" to download an image and run it as a container. It's a useful skill to build.

 

[Yamaki]

Roon
I use Roon Server on a linux host. I love it. I have also used Roon Bridge on linx acting as the streaming endpoint for a USB connected DAC. I understand that the licensing cost of Roon makes it unattractive to some.

Music Assistant
If Roon is not your thing, take a look at Music Assistant (music-assistant.io) It is designed to be a plugin for Home Assistant, but can be run pretty easily as a docker container. I have used it on-and-off a few times in the last year, mostly to watch the fantastic progress they are making. It's open source with an active community of contributors and users.

Plex
I have heard Plex is pretty goood for music as well, but I have no experience with it.



A note on "docker" - super useful way to run software on linux.
If you are learning linux and haven't run into Docker yet, ask your favorite AI chatbot about what docker is and how you can use "docker compose" to download an image and run it as a container. It's a useful skill to build.

Roon is my thing and the only reason I moved away from it was a conflict between Roon & Windoze that I could not reconcile. I'd be more than happy to go back to Roon and it was on my list of positive results when I initially looked at a Linux solution.

I've looked at Plex and didn't care for it at all.

I am really looking for some detail on how all this comes together, whether or not I can use my Node as the digital bridge in Roon, what I need to do to make this work (the nitty gritty if you will) and any specific considerations or tasks needed to make this work.

Thanks for the input!

 

[hifihoosier]

Given that it appears that you are new to linux I sugget using Ubuntu, and going with whatever the latest "LTS" or "Long Term Support" version is. Currently 26.0.4.
(info on release cadence here)

For Roon I suggest choosing hardware that has "extra memory" rather than "faster cpu". For example I recently moved my Roon server from a VERY old Mac Mini over to a BeeLink mini PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 H255 cpu and 32Gb of memory. This is not an endorsement for this specific manufacturer, just my experience. There are many choices of small-ish, quiet, power-efficient mini PC's out there.

Roon works best when it is the only 24x7 server software running on a linux box. (If you want to dive further into why I am happy to. Key topics are "mDNS" and performance.)

The Roon installation instructions work well. You can find them here: help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/linux-install

If you are new-ish to installing, running, maintaining, and using linux I recommend using Claude AI if you have specific installation and configuration questions. I know that may sound crazy, but the Claude Sonnet and Opus models really do provide surprisingly good answers to these types of questions.

 

[hifihoosier]

whether or not I can use my Node as the digital bridge in Roon

Focusing in on this, the Bluesound Node should be "Roon Ready", and thus just magically show up in Roon's Audio setup page.
Here's the official list of Roon Ready products from Bluesound: Roon Ready Devices - Compatible Audio Equipment

converted an older laptop, that was not compatible with Win 11, to Linux using Linux Mint Cinnamon V22.3

Mint 22.3 should work fine. The only question I see is the relationship between your Roon library size and the cpu/memory available in your laptop.
Memory tends to be more important than cpu, and I suggest 16gb. (It should work with 8gb, but you may get the occassional hiccup while browsing around the Roon UI)

McIntosh D100 used as a DAC

If I am understanding things correctly, the signal path would be:

Source files on your NAS > Roon Server (old laptop + mint) > Roon RAAT protocol > Bluesound Node > ??? > McIntosh D100 > Awesome McIntosh Gear > Speakers > Ears > HAPPINESS.

...and the open question is around getting out of the Node and into the D100?

If I got all that correct, I think you will be slightly limited by the Bluesound's only digital outputs being optical SPDIF and coax SPDIF, which then connect to the D100.

Specifically the maximum digital resolution and the clocking of the SPDIF signal may be considered as limitations by some folks:

• maximum resolution likely 24bit/192khz - only an issue if you have a bunch of very high resolution FLAC or DSD files on your NAS.
• SPDIF sends clocking with the PCM signal. The D100 can likely recover the clocking signal without audible issue.
• I only mention clocking/jitter as it always seems to come up on audio forum discussions and is a reason why alternatives to SPDIF are often discussed:
  • USB - asynchronous with buffering bypasses the issue
  • AES/EBU - AES and ADAT formats designed to deal with and correct the issue
  • I2S - separates clocking from audio data

In practical terms I suspect the Bluesound Node -> Coax SPDIF -> McIntosh D100 connection will work just fine!

 

[Yamaki]

Thanks @hifihoosier. I am coming to the same conclusion.

The Node is Roon Ready and I suspect that it will show up in Roon's GUI. I also believe that it will act as that digital bridge between Roon, the NAS and the DAC.

I am getting a clearer picture thanks to all the great info I have received here.

When it comes to Linux I still have a steep learning curve. The laptop I will be using is my test machine for a full Linux implementation on two daily use computers so I am not worried about killing that PC. I am, however, trying to avoid the whole trial & error thing and do as much as I can to guarantee success.

Still some questions to ask, I'm sure, but I don't know enough to determine what questions I should be asking!

 

[linuxfan]

Here is my current audio setup ...
McIntosh D100 used as a DAC
Bluesound Node
Synology NAS
Dell G7 laptop.

I am really looking for some detail on how all this comes together

Yes the NODE can/will act as Roon Bridge. And of course your music library is contained on the NAS.
So the two remaining components you need are Roon Core (server) and Roon (controller). It appears you wish to use your Dell laptop as controller device, and that's fine - Roon controller can be installed on Linux.
Now you just need Roon Server running somewhere. Is your Synology NAS one of the more powerful Intel or Ryzen models? If so you can install Roon Server on the NAS, and that would be ideal. But if you have the less powerful ARM-powered NAS models, that won't be possible, so you would need to install Roon Server on the Dell laptop. Yes, it's possible to run both Roon Core and Roon controller on a single x86 laptop ... though I suggest it would be better to buy a dedicated mini-computer to run Roon Server, as @hifihoosier did with a Beelink computer. I would prefer an Asus NUC, but these can be pricey.

If you do decide to install both server and controller on your Dell, Roon recommends Ubuntu 15.10.
Instructions and download for Roon server -
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/linux-install#Overview

Download for Roon controller -
Download Roon - Mac, Windows, iOS & Android Apps | Free Download
scroll down to "All Roon downloads"

 

[Yamaki]

Thanks for the information, @linuxfan. It was very helpful!

Here is where I am at the moment with Roon on Linux:

1. I downloaded Linux Mint 22.3 and have done some setup there and connected my test PC (HP Envy) to the NAS. Everything seems to be working fine on that front. I still have a steep learning curve on how to use Linux but that will come with time, I hope.
2. My NAS is a Synology DS220+, Intel Celeron J4025/2GHz 2 CPU cores, 2048MB memory.
2. I downloaded Roon Server to the HP PC and activated the ffmpeg dependency. I struggled a bit as it's been years since I used CMD lines so it was quite the experience. I failed to complete the download on 3 separate occasions but attempt #4 was a winner.
3. My Node is Roon Ready and the Roon support folks confirmed that it will work as my digital bridge.

The Roon Server runs headless so there is no controller GUI to use at this point. However, I am hoping to find a way to add it. So far, my search has not produced any results.

 

[hifihoosier]

there is no controller GUI to use at this point

For the "controller", or more simply named "Roon app", I have had good luck using both the IOS and Android versions. I have both an iPad and Google tablet and have had good luck with both of them. Also use the Roon app on my phone, but the smaller screen is less fun than either of the tablets.

 

[linuxfan]

I downloaded Linux Mint 22.3 and have done some setup there and connected my test PC (HP Envy) to the NAS. Everything seems to be working fine on that front.

OK that's good - I think/hope that means you have successfully auto-mounted your NAS to the Mint operating system - by editing etc fstab

I downloaded Roon Server to the HP PC

OK that's great - I'm guessing you used the "Easy Installer" and if so, hopefully Roon Core will now automatically run at boot.

The Roon Server runs headless so there is no controller GUI to use at this point. However, I am hoping to find a way to add it.

Roon Core is headless - there is no GUI.

Now all you need is a Roon controller app running somewhere. You could install this on the HP, as I mentioned earlier - scroll down to "All Roon downloads" here
Download Roon - Mac, Windows, iOS & Android Apps | Free Download
click on the "+" next to "Roon" then you will see the download for Linux

... but instead of running the controller on the HP, you might alternatively consider running the Roon controller app on iOS or Android, as hifihoosier suggested.

 

[Yamaki]

I am going to leave Server on the HP and get an Android device (tablet) to run Roon Remote.

 

[linuxfan]

Hey Yamaki, let us know how it goes - if you can get Roon Core, the NAS, Bluesound NODE, and Roon Controller all working together.

 

[Yamaki]

Hey Yamaki, let us know how it goes - if you can get Roon Core, the NAS, and Roon Controller all working together.

No luck yet. Roon Remote on a tablet can't seem to find Roon Bridge on the PC. I haven't had much time to work on it and when I do, I haven't had much luck!

 

[linuxfan]

You need to install Roon Server ("Core") on your PC, not Roon Bridge.
Roon Bridge turns a PC into a Roon-compatible endpoint, but you already have a Roon endpoint - your Bluesound NODE.
Roon Server is the "brains", and that's what you need on the PC.
You should use the "Easy Installer" method, explained here -
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/linux-install#Overview
I will go through it - launch Terminal (obviously). This command downloads the install-script -

curl -O -L http://download.roonlabs.com/builds/roonserver-installer-linuxx64.sh

this command makes the install-script executable -

chmod +x roonserver-installer-linuxx64.sh

this command runs the install-script -

sudo ./roonserver-installer-linuxx64.sh

 

[Yamaki]

I will give that a try tomorrow.

Thanks!

 

[Yamaki]

@linuxfan I found the Terminal, copied and pasted the commands into it and it worked!

The result was a msg in terminal that Roon Server should be working on my PC. Great...but how do I get to it? Or do I even have to? I'd like a Roon or similar GUI and find my streamer.

I'm tellin' ya, I don't have that much knowledge on how all this works, even basic cmds.

 

[linuxfan]

Roon Server should be working on my PC. Great...but how do I get to it? Or do I even have to?

Roon Server is headless - it just runs in the background. I think you can now configure everything from the Roon app, which you should install on your Android tablet -
Roon - Apps on Google Play
Obviously the Android tablet must be connected via wifi to the same network as your PC, where Roon Server is running.
When you first launch the Roon app it should prompt you to connect to any Roon Server it can see on the network - this is your first measure of success.
I believe there will be a speaker icon at the bottom of the screen - tap it to see available output devices - your NODE should be listed. That's your second measure of success.
Next you need to configure your storage location, which will be your NAS. I'm Googling this now, and it's a little messy. It's a sunny Autumn day and I have some other things to do, so I will get back to this later. In the meantime do the things I mentioned above ...
and also in preparation for the configuration of your NAS make sure you have these details ready:
- the IP address of your NAS, and/or the hostname of your NAS - that's the "Server Name" you assigned your NAS when you first set it up.
- the name of the shared folder on the NAS - don't confuse this with the NAS hostname.
- the username for the NAS
- the password for the NAS

 

[Yamaki]

That sounds very familiar, @linuxfan. It's very close to, or covers the process exactly, when I set up Roon some years ago on a Windoze PC.

I'm pretty sure I can do as you suggested. The Linux Mint program is still very new to me so some of the basics I have done, and need to do, can't be done like I did on that OS. Maybe I should have reread my How To on installing and using Roon. It might have reminded me of what I need to do. But, I forgot. That seems to happen to me more often these days.

I have gathered all data you suggested and so there's nothing to it but just to do it. I'll fire up the Linux PC tomorrow morning and give this a try.

I am in no rush so there's no need to apologize for enjoying a fine Autumn day! I have time for this project.

Thanks again for the help!

 

[linuxfan]

OK, regarding accessing files on the NAS, various online instructions tell me that Roon has a particular method of accessing network shares, which is done at application level, not operating system level.
I don't like this. It means that from the device which runs your Roon server - in your case a PC running Linux Mint - you won't be able to readily access the NAS for other purposes, such as acquiring new music, or adding/changing tags.
So I will show you how to configure a NAS the way I believe it should be done - you should auto-mount the NAS as a network share, then every application on Linux Mint (including Roon) will be able to access it from a fixed local directory path.

For the following let's assume these values for your Synology NAS:
NAS IP address 192.168.1.50
NAS hostname (server name) Mynas
NAS shared folder Mynas_share
NAS username mynasuser
NAS password mynaspass
Obviously substitute your own correct values.

First we need to create a directory where the NAS filesystem will be mounted. I suggest \mnt\nas
but you can use whatever you prefer. From Terminal run this command -

sudo mkdir \mnt\nas

- but substitute forward-slashes for my back-slashes. This forum blocks forward-slashes !
Now we will edit Mint's fstab file to mount the Synology NAS, using administrator/root priveleges -

xed admin:\\\etc\fstab

put the cursor at the end of the last line in the list of devices - it will be right over on the right side, after a numeral - then press Enter to create a new line. Type this text in the new line -

\\192.168.1.50\Mynas_share \mnt\nas cifs user=mynasuser,pass=mynaspass,iocharset=utf8

"iocharset=utf8" allows the use of filenames with special characters, such as café.
then File > Save
then File > Quit
Now in Terminal run this command, looking for any errors.

sudo mount -a

If no errors, your NAS should now be mounted in the Linux Mint filesystem. Launch the file manager, Nemo, and navigate to \mnt\nas
to check if you can see all files on the NAS.

Now open the Roon app on your Android tablet.
Click on the 3x horizontal lines top-left, then Settings > Storage > "+ Add Folder"
and you will be presented with a page called "Choose Music Storage Folder". Browse the directory structure to find \mnt\nas

Small tip - if on your NAS your music files are located in a sub-directory of the shared folder - let's say "MyMusic" - then you should select this sub-directory as Roon's storage location. Otherwise Roon may be seeing files which are not audio-related.
Finally click "Select This Folder"
A final warning - at the bottom-left of that page you will see "+ Add Network Share" Don't select that. It's Roon's unique application-level method of accessing a NAS.