NucubeOpen protocols
“I like what Roon does for a collection, and I want a player for the files I already own, without running a Core.”
Owned files, no Nucube server
Nucube plays the files you already have — folders, SMB and NFS shares, DLNA servers — on the devices you already own. No Nucube server. No box to buy. Files are never moved or retagged.
Stay with Roon if the ecosystem is the point
Roon is a discovery and multi-room ecosystem — credits, reviews, photos, TIDAL and Qobuz, Valence, its DSP engine, and playback across a very wide set of endpoints. A paid subscription or lifetime license is part of that product. Roon Server can run on a Mac, Windows, or Linux machine, some NAS devices, ROCK, or optional Nucleus hardware. Nucleus is not required. Stay if you want that metadata and multi-room layer and will run a Core. Try Nucube if the files you already own, and not running a Core, are enough.