Lumin and roon

Anyone have an opinion on roon, its metadata/tags, etc. vs other navigation software? Getting ready to start up my system with my Lumin streamer. Is roon worth the $500 lifetime cost?

I’ve used both,I borrowed a U1 for a couple of days locally to see if I would like their library vs Roon and also compare the overall sound quality to which is the most important aspect for me.I did like the ease of navigation with lumin but since I use Roon,HQ player and tidal,the lumin was good but I like the sound I currently get much better,much smoother and more of those analog qualities.

Offcourse my computer is highly tweaked and I’ve come to the realization that everything matters including the dc cables and connectors that I use with my pwr supplies.

Roon does imply that some big changes and improvements are in the works for 2018 but nobody has any info yet.

Best of luck to you,
Kenny.

I guess I am leaning towards roon. I am needing a good music navigation software and metadata. Maybe roon can do both in a satisfactory manner

Lumin is made to use with Minimserver, according to their site.

Do you like classical music? Minimserver is hands-down the best way to organize a large classical collection, although you have to invest the time to tag your files.  Once tagged, it serves up your music as you want it. In my set up I can start with any tag (composer/artist/resolution/genre/composition/artist) and then drill down on any of the same.So I could start with Chamber Music, select Beethoven, select Guarnieri quartet, or start with the Guarnieri and see all their recordings, etc.
The only thing I have to re-tag when I download or rip is a. check the spelling of the composer and b. change the genre ("classical" doesn't cut it).  You can use foobar or Jriver to bulk edit also.
And Minimserver is really lite on your server. Free with Synology, QNAP, etc. I'm really jazzed that Lumin suggests it. Looking into one of these myself.

Well i have many times looked if i should try a 14 day trial on Roon , the reason for me is , that i would get more information on the band playing / artist and also suggestions on what else would be to my liking depend upon what i play.
The Lumin App in itself i find really good for streaming from like Tidal Master , as i have an Lumin T1. I am compelled to try it out but also have to say that if i like it , i need to be ready to pay the lifetime subscription as that seems to be the best offer. Could of course also try paying 1 year first and then upgrade to lifetime. 

I like roon, the UI is very smooth and I love that when I add local music on my roon core (my pc) roon automatically picks it up.

Now my only problem is I don't feel like paying for it. I have already invested $300+ into it for 3 + years and considering another option. I am considering getting a lumin u1 mini and using the lumin app. For those people who have used it, is it as smooth and seemless as roon. Does it automatically add local files that you add to your music server?

@smodtactical I

I did that. Was running Roon core on Mac mini to ultraRendu as Roon endpoint. I switched to a Lumin u1 mini. Cool thing about the Lumin is you can use it as a stand-alone unit or as a Roon endpoint. The lumin gave me Better sound quality and added more digital outputs (usb, rca coax, toslink, AES, BNC)

my goal was to rid of Roon as I didn’t want to pay the $120/yr anymore either. I only use streaming for Qobuz and Tidal. I don’t have have any files of my own since I still use Cd Player for that.
The lumin app is very good but Roon is better in my opinion. Once i got used to how the app works, I ditched Roon.

lumin also has amazing support. One of the lead engineers is on a ton of forums answering questions directly for folks. They update the app and firmware consistently. Overall good experience.

I have a Lumin T2 that is roon endpoint enabled and I use and like Roon. The lumin app is very good, stable and intuitive but it does not provide the metadata depth the lumin does. you may with to consider  a free roon trial and make your own decision.