I use a BDP-Pi with Roon and it’s purdy solid. Rarely does the Pi drop from the network or flake out. But I have it on a mesh network with one of the Nodes wired directly to the Roon Core host and the Pi at the rig. It would be really interesting for the community to hear a comparison at your site.
To get Roon to sound as good as the Pi (MPD) I had to rehost the Roon core from a Mac Mini to a Small Green Computer and get it all on the Mesh network with higher quality network cabling. Sorry can’t remember exactly what they were but certainly nothing really expensive. For really super critical listening the MPD in Manic Moose in some recordings does still produce a fuller sound stage but you really have to have to have your brain in scrutinize mode. Most people I do side x side comparisons for can’t even tell the difference or care.
As far as Manic Moose I have warmed up to it over the years. It’s like tinkering with and old car that performs really well and has a lot of capability. It’s not junk but I understand why people think it is.
I think Brystons BDP series make great ROON endpoints although they are a bit bulky compared to the technology available today.