Roon Discussion

Discussion in 'Computer Audiophile: Software, Configs, Tools' started by AllanMarcus, Jul 3, 2016.

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  1. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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    What makes it better than the alternatives for you?
     
  2. JeffYoung

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    @Poleepkwa, their radio feature (play similar songs from your library) is quite nice. The GUI is much sexier than any of the competition I've seen (this, to be honest, would be reason enough for me). Their meta-data presentation and library curating are also really nice.
     
  3. pedalhead

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    The radio was updated recently so it plays similar songs from your subscribed streaming services. Absolutely brilliant way to discover new music.
     
  4. psuKinger

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    I'll take a stab at this, as I've had roon for exactly 13 days now. Simply put, it's the best piece of audio software I've personally come across so far. And it's "the best", for me, because
    1) it provides superior control over how I am going to play my music (where I'm playing it to, what kind of EQ I'm going to apply to it, what kind of downsampling I want to do to it),
    2) it gives me superior information about what I'm playing ("nerdy" things like the waveform, dynamic range (which I like), and signal chain (how it's doing EQ and downsampling), and artistic things like album art, artist and album info, and even lyrics)
    3) It handles "difficult" tasks with Tagging errors easier/better than anything else I'd seen. Compilation albums from my teenage years often don't scrape properly and aren't identified as 17 seperate tracks by 17 seperate artists all in one compilation album. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out HOW to fix it within Roon, but once I got the hang of it? A breeze. Easy. Fairly intuitive. And resolved all into individual albums, with all tracks associated with all the right artists. Other software like Plex had no way to get that right for me.
    4) The way it integrates my local FLAC file library with my high rez streaming subscription (Qobuz), all in one interface, is really convenient.


    Or, more simply:
    1) Greater control
    2) Greater information
    3) Greater organization/tagging
    4) Integration of Qobuz/Tidal with Local Files


    No remote access yet (to my knowledge)... I'll still be relaying on Plex for that, this weekend, as I travel.... would be a very nice feature to see them add. I read somewhere, I think on their forums, that this is a feature request that they do have on their "roadmap"... I'd love to see it happen.
     
  5. crenca

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    To answer your question, no. This is an oft asked feature request and discussion, but so far Roon have been reluctant to take a stab at this. There is a tread in the Roon community forums where folks have laid bare their success and many failures with hacks using VPN and what not....

    edit: I did not see @psuKinger answered the question. @psuKinger, when your new to Roon, it really is impressive. It does so many things so well. I am 2 years in (lifetime subscriber) and I see more of its flaws now. I still use it more than anything else however...
     
  6. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    I suspect they won't because of their licensing structure. One license active on one computer. Would be interesting to see if you could use the same license and switch Roon Cores as per use.... Doesn't seem ideal.
     
  7. winders

    winders boomer

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    I too am a lifetime subscriber 2 years in. I do see more of Roon's flaws than I did when I first used it. But, I also see more of what it capable of doing and have taken advantage of many of those features. Is Roon perfect? No. Is Roon getting better over time? Yes, for me it is. Nothing else out there comes close to offering the power that Roon has with the wonderful user interface and seamless integration with Tidal and Qobuz. Nothing.....
     
  8. winders

    winders boomer

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    Yes, you can. t's not ideal but it is certainly very easy to do.
     
  9. wormcycle

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    I keep my Roon library backup on a small Seagate HD and move the Roon core between two homes, and the office without any issues. Takes 1 min.
     
  10. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    I have discovered more new music in the past 2 months using this new feature than the last year. Amazing.
     
  11. pedalhead

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    Agreed! A feature like that succeeds or fails on its algorithm, and it seems pretty solid so far. Definitely one of the best things about roon for me now.
     
  12. msommers

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    Maybe this would be a good substitute for using Spotify at home and save it for on the go. Tidal's algorithm for finding new music was pure shit and had since abandoned it....

    I do notice that Tidal, in Roon, still doesn't have all the albums that Tidal actually offers. They're updating this as they go but it's still kind of annoying.
     
  13. wormcycle

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    After two years of subscribing I am very very happy with Roon, I am planning to keep it and Qobuz integration is a bonus.
    I use old DELL SPS-8500 with good graphics a s a core, Bryston BDP-2 as my main endpoint ,and a changing number of RPi based Roon endpoints (with Digi Plus Pro, or a Hifiberry DAC), I just place them where I need them. It is simple and not very expensive.
    I am planning to settle on Roon with Qobuz, no Tidal, once I confirm that my US Qobuz account works when I am back in Canada.

    My only beef with Roon is that their relationship with MQA is a bit too cozy for my tastes. I have Tidal and Qobuz account and when I added an album to my library on Qobuz, if this album had an MQA equivalent on Tidal, Roon will "prioritize" the versions in such a way that MQA version is played. The only way to avoid it is to sign off Tidal.
    I am still not sure is this is a real issue as Roon development is looking if it is not 1.6 code bug.

    Few points to improve SQ:
    -to play music directly from the PC I use jRiver, Roon does not recommend using a Roon core as a source and for good reasons. jRiver-> USB-> M2Tech hiFace Evo ->BDA-1 simply sounds better than the equivalent Roon zone.
    - BDP-2 feeds two DACs: BDA-2 through BNC, and BDA-1 in my office through a long AES/EBU connector. RPi endpoints use BNC or RCA SPDIF.
    - wi-fi is turned off on all Roon devices
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2019
  14. neogeosnk

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    Roon works well for me because the wife just wants to play music from the Ipad to the speakers. She doesn't care how it gets there or what dac is being used. I have a marker on the Yggdrasil to indicate input to select, she hits play on her ipad and I'm an instant hero. The zones are convenient also for playing the same music in every room. Ease of use for non obsessives like us is a huge plus.

    For me, you can run two dacs using a transport switching back and forth pretty easily. Tidal interface is crap and recommends waaay too much hiphop, doesn't really take into account what I listen to. Roon's interface is intelligent and gets me what I need.

    Upscaling to DSD 512 actually sounds pretty good if you're into that. Redbook sounds pretty much the same as Jriver so don't bother if you want it to sound better.
     
  15. Nazrin313

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    Been using Roon for a couple of months now and wasnt happy with the Roon RAAT sound. Using JPLAY and HQPlayer with Roon as the interface transformed my listening experience. This setup is probably the best I can make my PC audio sound, like ever. Im so happy that I have stopped searching for any improvements to the front end now.
     
  16. crenca

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    I have been pleasantly surprised by Roon's Radio algorithm as well. I would not put it as good as Spotify but it's good enough I think.

    Roon's privileging of MQA over Qobuz hi res "equivalent" (putting equivalent in quotes because MQA is not actual hi res in any form - the claimed bit depth/sample rate of MQA is marketing speak) is, according to them, a "bug". There is a thread titled "Prefer Tidal FLAC over MQA option" on their forum where they say this.

    Now that Roon is a front end to Tidal (2 "hi res" formats: 16/44 & MQA) and Qobuz (several: 16/44 on up to 24/192), Roon needs to bring their "focus" functionality to streaming. You could put your vote in for this on that thread and others...
     
  17. Bloom

    Bloom MOT: Bloom Audio

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    Anyone here have any hands on experience with a Nucleus?
     
  18. bixby

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    It's just an overpriced NUC. Have not heard it but if it were me, I would concentrate on the end point and use any decent pc to host the core. The endpoint or bridge will have far more impact on the resultant sound.
     
  19. neogeosnk

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    Yup, just buy a nuc and install the OS yourself. It's super easy and my Nuc is equivalent to the $2500 model for about $600 (same specs).
     
  20. msommers

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    Why use a NUC vs. your regular desktop running Roon, which talks to a streamer (DigiOne Sig like I have, for example)?
     

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