High end multiroom streaming


Hi all,

I am looking to do multiroom streaming without roon.

I have 3 zones - living room, kitchen and backyard.  I listen to spotify for multiroom and tidal for critical listening.  Roon does not support spotify which is why I need to avoid it.

High end options seem to be limited.  I have found Naim, Simaudio/moon and bluesound node into a high end dac.

I tried to do it with Lumin but their multiroom does not sync perfectly and I get a nasty echo when using the living room and kitchen zones together.  I was very disappointed with Lumin - bought the gear installed it and it would not sync (not sure why you would do multiroom that does not sync) ??

Anyway any suggestions for other brands to look at would be appreciated 

Also does anyone use Naim or Simaudio/moon for multiroom setups?

Thanks



Ag insider logo xs@2xefoo
A little more information I use Tidal my with uses spotify and spotify does not play with roon which is why I am staying away from roon.

Sounds like Moon/sim, auralic, naim and bluesound  are the only ones that would work ... unless I am missing one.

I wish DCS would launch a multiroom streamer.  Darco said in a review of the bartok they are working on it.  
I have three zones with Roon and have never had a problem streaming to all three simultaneously whether all three were playing the same thing or different.

I believe the Nucleus will support up to six zones. Nucleus+ extends that to twelve.
"Hi-end" and Spotify don't really go together in my mind.  Spotify is nice for background music.

Roon is your best bet for high quality sound and a great interface.  I am controlling three rooms with Roon.  I haven't however tried to play the same thing on all three at the same time so can't speak to how well it syncs up when all are playing.  It does have a "group" control, so I assume it can play to all three, or two at a time.

Roon can play radio stations like Radio Paradise and can also create "radio" from your sources - Tidal, Qobuz, your server if you want background music.

Unless you're really stuck on Spotify, give Roon a look.
sure. Naim Uniti Atom with Mu-So ….

I have some other NAIM “ kit “ in a different system but don’t use any multi room functionality….just yet…

https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/7100#&gid=1&pid=5

Unicorn in the flesh
While it doesn't cost enough to qualify as "high end" for some, the LMS music management software can sync multiple players and also has the ability to set delays as necessary to coordinate differing players that have slight timing differences.
Yamaha?  Doesn’t quite have the snob appeal of a company like Naim but I’ve seen it get high marks from HT reviews.
  I found Bluesound problematic with multi room.  With updates, one unit would tend to get hung up, then fry itself trying to catch up to its siblings.  I actually had 1 unit self destruct this way.  After arguing with Bluesound and the dealer for a year (it was literally one week past warranty) I was given a replacement.  The same thing happened to the replacement unit a few weeks later and I just didn’t bother.  In the landfill now.
  Another solution is to get AirPlay compatible devices and then play Spotify from an Apple source.
  Do you really care what your patio sounds like?  It is hard to get decent outdoor sound.  And after a few glasses of Chardonnay it’s a wash anyway.
High-end. Multi-room. Streaming. Let's mount up our unicorns and get going!