This is an organization that has developed software that consists of a Interface overlay to keep track of Music from streaming services. And create narratives about tons of albums. It’s amazing in all that it does. I have a lifetime membership.
They have a forum that provides assistance from others including all kinds of technical service which is really challenging to deal with should you have problems. They don’t offer phone service.
my question is is this some operation that operates out of someone’s basement? Do they employ thousands of people? Is it a nonprofit organization? Are they doing well financially? Is there a Mr. Roon?
Who are these people that have coordinated this service. Does anybody know anything about this organization?
My gosh you're going through a lot of agony with all these details. roon and I think immigration may be worth monthly basis and come to terms with how you feel about it before going for a Life commitment.
Marriage provides the same opportunities where you never know what you're getting into and then it is too late.
I don't understand people who design interfaces for processors, tvs, streaming platforms, it is as if they never really try it or put it out there for A Focus group review. The underlying cake can be quite good and then it gets screwed up with frosting that's awful.
Roon has been great for me...allows me to stream my music library or internet radio to multiple rooms...and gives you "liner notes' on everything. I have not yet played with the DSP functions...but that may be in the future.
This thread has been a very interesting read. I had been strongly considering an investment in the Roon "lifetime" subscription because I've become so very frustrated with JRiver. My online research of Roon seemed to indicate most people really like it for streaming and say it handles their stored libraries well. I've held off because I hate subscription-based software business models, wasn't thrilled with $900 for a "purchase" (way more than MS Office, which actually does work) and do not stream anything except terrestrial radio station websites through my browser.
As a work-around experiment, I recently gave JRiver one last installment to "upgrade" to version 33 over the holidays. Same damn problems: Will not rip CDs into my internal SSHD library and will not retrieve metadata on my mid-2012 MacBook Pro running a fresh install of OS X 10.13. It won't even recognize a folder (album) ripped on a different Mac computer and then copied into the library. Shows and plays in Finder and in Windows Files but neither JR27, 28 nor 33 saw/see it. And their forum "help" flatly isn't.
I'm going to try installing JR33 on both my 2016 Mac Air and 2024 Mac Air to see if the newer system architectures can resolve the ripping problem using an external DVD drive through the laptop to an external SSHD. I'm not hopeful but have to try.
Another work-around was importing the library to Apple Music, and it simply does not recognize the artist-album-song file organization in the near-terabyte size data set. Everything is 44.1 KHz, 16 bit (WAV extension), with a few higher resolution PCM items. Excepting only a few that were downloaded, Music categorizes as individual song listing only and I've yet to find a way around that.
Never had that problem with iTunes. The only reason I tried JR was to get higher PCM resolution for some stuff I got through an AgoN sampler, a Linn holiday collection and later on, some vinyl digitized through a TASCAM DA-3000. iTunes required a MIDI interface reset and computer reboot to change output resolution.
Now that I learn that this Harmon International / Samsung product does not offer factory support, I don't care how well it's reviewed. I will not plunk down that kind of coin for something without a factory warranty period, period. For the same reason, I have zero interest in their "free" trial (TANSTAAFL). My thanks to all of you for the warning/guarantee. Roon clearly appears incapable of providing me with the functional and happy digital listening I'm seeking.
Roon was wonderful and informative… until I had a fatal issue with my lifelong subscription account and could no longer access it. I found their version of customer service (open forum of users) less than welcoming and ultimately unhelpful with my problem. So after attempting to resolve the issue several times over several years, I moved on to greener pastures (Innuos) and look back with some regret at the time I wasted trying to fix my Roon account. What a brilliant design for customer service - make the customer do it for free. I will never again buy gear from a company that doesn’t stand behind their product with more integrity than that.
I've found good info on Roon forums, albeit about subjects that were not directly Roon-related (since I have no use for Roon). Folks there tend to be helpful and often quite competent.
you have no idea who’s responding if they are from roon or from who knows where
From what I was able to discern during my limited exposure, you are better off talking to folks who are not from Roon.
The ability to access a folder from a Microsoft desktop with roon and dealing with the folders within the nucleus that serves as the host for roon software is challenging and if you have problems god help you. You can launch a question into the forum and the answers are all over the place and extremely technical. My questions were fairly basic yet it was so convoluted and awful experience. The organizational aspects of roon when accessing folders leaves a lot to be desired.
Organization of albums is not very good as it just presents them all and you have to scroll through hundreds of albums to find what you’re looking for. Would be nice if they developed a system that could easily be used to organize things. Fortunately the underlying software for roon is old and I think it’s challenging to Bring it to the modern ages. If anyone needs to use this who is handicapped and uses voice control the app is not set up properly to accommodate Apple features for voice control. apps that are available on iPad generally conform to the standards of Apple but for some reason roon could care less.
And yes they do not offer customer service phone number and this further frustrates the experience if you have problems. The forum Interface they offer is archaic and challenging to deal with as well the people they have involved with it are responsive but you have no idea who’s responding if they are from roon or from who knows where.
Roon is not open source / free, therefore it is superior.
This is a false statement. Plenty of open source software that is just performant and reliable as any proprietary software.
sorry I have nothing to add about Roon as I don’t use it.
Sarcasm sometimes goes undetected but let the record show that I am a big fan of open source software, and that I use and support it whenever possible. I don’t use Roon either, and I won’t until the day I see an escadron of pigs perform daring aerial maneuvers outside my window.
I know this started as a very unserious thread but I will chime in nonetheless.
I love Roon and now have a lifetime license. Fabulous music discovery, seamless blending of on-site and streaming music, DSP adjustments, and a really great user interface. A bargain in my eyes.
Roon is not open source / free, therefore it is superior. In high-end audio, the more expensive products are the better they sound, which is comforting - you get what you pay for - and Roon was happy to oblige. It became such a cash cow in the process that Harman, shrewd enough itself to sell out to a multinational giant, acquired it.
@gdaddy a problem with that is Bond caught Goldfinger cheating at cards prior.
It’s a common problem these days that people use the sins of others to justify their own sins. Not a happy path! But Bond has a license to kill in any case so he is clearly special. Cheers!
@mapman After years of admiration for James Bond I recently came to the realization that Bond was the one who cheated Goldfinger in their golf game.
First offense... Goldfinger would never find his ball because Bond was standing on it. This forced Oddjob to drop a ball down his pants. Then Bond, cheating again, switched balls in the cup and declared that Goldfinger must forfiet the game. A blatant cheat!
Golf is a game of integrity and I'm disappointed that Bond had to cheat to beat him. Goldfinger was, in fact, the better player and made a hell of a putt on the last hole and deserved the win.
Actually it helps lesser knowns get discovered by linking to them from better knowns so that is at least something positive for most musicians.
Also Roon provides no music itself. It just integrates external streaming sources into a richer experience for the consumer. Qobuz and Tidal pay teh artists is a different yet related story.
Also if you find something you like in Qobuz via discovery in Roon, you can buy teh files from Qobuz. Of course there is no pretty record or CD to look at when you buy it, you just own teh music now in case you fear losing access to something precious to you via streaming somewhere down the road.
Why would you assume that an expatriate oligarch, or any oligarch for that matter, has any national loyalties at all? Perhaps if money and power were a country.
@tony1954you got a point there! I guess we're not so lucky after all.
It can't handle all libraries though you won't see mention of that in their glossy adverts. When it can't handle your library they just blame the library and won't refund your $$$
I was an early adopter but I wish it had more features. Their support reminds me of chat rooms when I was in college in the early 90's. Roon radio always seems to end up playing the same songs over and over.
I don't know of anything better so I still use it but I could never say I love it. I will admit that maybe it's user error. For example, lets say I want to look for Christmas playlists. In other format I would get thousand of playlist based on rating etc. Roon doesn't give you much.
Not a serious knock, but get outta moms basement it's 2025.
"Luckily Musk is OUR oligarch having immigrated from South Africa. Lucky us!"
Why would you assume that an expatriate oligarch, or any oligarch for that matter, has any national loyalties at all? Perhaps if money and power were a country.
Roon is excellent! It’s not just a layer on top of Tidal or Qobuz. It’s a beautiful way to organize your music, yes, but it’s also technically very capable. Allows you to separate the computer away from the HiFi rack, and RAAT is a fantastic protocol for controlling audio grade streamers, with transparency over what’s happening in the chain.
There is a Roon Ready device for every budget, including my Esoteric N01XDSE. Speaking of which, the native Lumin derived Esoteric app is nothing compared to Roon, when it even works.
Maybe one day there will be a better Audiophile library/ control interface, but in my 25 years of audiofoolery I’ve found Roon the clear winner.
Thank you very helpful comment. It would also be nice if they could stream Netflix maybe the sound would be better. Glad to hear it's a homegrown entity providing a platform for us to infiltrate others abroad.
A sham? When you see a worthless reply like this, you ignore ignore any replies from this poster in future threads because he doesn’t know what he is talking about.
Like others in this thread, I got rid of my $3500 Classe cd player in 2006 - 2009 timeframe because ripped music sounded better than cd played on a cd player using either pure music or audirvana at the time. Then when I got an A+ rated dac 6 years ago, I sold my $15k TT setup with my 500 albums because digital with mqa, dsd, hires became equal or better than vinyl.
I find Roon to be quite useful. Worth the money to me. For all the useless things we spend our money on, Roon is easily still worth it. (I mean, anyone have a streaming service that they barely watch any show on? Buy a Starbucks coffee you didn't really need this month?) That's what I'm talking about.
Roon offers a wide range of features designed to enhance the music listening experience. Here’s a detailed overview of what Roon does:
### 1. **Music Library Management**
- **Centralized Library**: Combines local music files and streaming services into one cohesive library.
- **Metadata Enrichment**: Automatically fetches detailed metadata for albums, including artwork, credits, and reviews.
### 2. **Streaming Integration**
- **Supports Major Services**: Integrates with services like TIDAL and Qobuz, allowing users to stream high-quality music.
- **Unified Search**: Users can search across both local and streaming content seamlessly.
### 3. **Personalized Recommendations**
- **Discovery Features**: Suggests new music based on listening habits and preferences.
- **Explore Artist Connections**: Allows users to discover related artists and albums.
### 4. **User Interface**
- **Intuitive Design**: Features a visually engaging interface for easy navigation and exploration.
- **Interactive Elements**: Users can view artist bios, album details, and curated playlists.
### 5. **Multi-Room Audio Support**
- **Zone Management**: Enables playback across multiple devices or zones in different rooms.
- **Synchronization**: Users can synchronize music playback or play different tracks in different rooms.
### 6. **High-Resolution Audio Support**
- **Formats**: Supports various high-resolution audio formats, appealing to audiophiles.
- **Output Options**: Allows for playback through high-quality DACs and audio equipment.
### 7. **Advanced Playback Features**
- **Equalization and DSP**: Provides tools for audio customization, including equalization and digital signal processing.
- **Crossfade and Gapless Playback**: Supports seamless transitions between tracks.
### 8. **Mobile and Desktop Access**
- **Cross-Platform**: Available on various platforms, including Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android.
- **Remote Control**: Users can control their music library and playback from mobile devices.
### 9. **Community and Social Features**
- **User Reviews and Ratings**: Allows users to rate music and read reviews from other listeners.
- **Curated Playlists**: Offers access to user-generated playlists and curated content.
### 10. **Integration with Hardware**
- **Compatible with Many Devices**: Works with a wide range of audio hardware, including networked speakers, DACs, and home theater systems.
Roon aims to provide a comprehensive and immersive music experience, making it a popular choice for serious music enthusiasts and audiophiles.
You may want to enter the following in your favourite 2023 search engine or AI: "Roon Labs Acquired by Samsung-owned Harman International". See the Roon blog itself for the following too: "the-next-evolution-in-roon-technology-roon-ready-relay-expands-your-audio-possibilities". Sounds like the first results.
"Roon is a glossy sham?" Are you kidding me, LOL? It my be a glossy sham to you, but for me and thousands of others, Roon is pure gold. I got rid of my CD player and my turn table years ago and became a dedicated streamer because of the shear brilliance of products like Roon. And, after 40+ years in high end audio, I've never been happier nor have I ever had as much fun. Happy listening.
I know it’s only January, but I nominate this one for thread of the year…..
@ozzy62, would that award be applicable for the entire A'gon collection of discussions, or would it only apply to the subsection of cryptic threads that have nothing to do with amps or preamps but are mysteriously posted in that forum anyway?
They don't "create narratives about tons of albums." Perhaps there's some original content that I've missed, but as far as I can tell, all of the music reviews come from Allmusic or Wikipedia.
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