Roon is a wonderful high end service for usability and sound quality. I use it to access Qobuz and tidal subscriptions in hi-res and access files stored on a hard drive (which in my case is in a custom Roon server/computer). Roon itself will not hold back your sound quality. But you need a server to run the software, an endpoint to connect to your dac, and a device like phone or iPad to control it. Lots of hardware options at all price points.
Roon for high end audio?
I have been listening almost exclusively to CDs but want to start to get into music streaming. Sound quality is very high on my list, and I am interested in streaming for 2 reasons; broad selection and hopefully better sound. I am using a dbx Venue 360 with a Jeff Roland Concerto Preamp and Roland Power amp. I have a Savant system that allows music playback in multiple rooms, controls video etc. My Savant integrator suggested Roon. Since I am not currently into streaming, I can’t figure out if Roon is the right thing to do. It seems like a great music server service with the ability to manage very high quality digital files, but the downstream handling of the files and conversion to analog (DAC) seems lacking. It seems most people are using it for playback in less than audiophile situations, and compatible equipment is very limited. Quality wise, am I better off with something like Bluenote and a high quality DAC like say, Denafrips?