Would I benefit with Roon?


I use a Bluesound Node 2i with a power supply upgrade in my main system and a Vault 2i in my second system. The Vault has about 800 CDs and my old iTunes in it. They are both on the same LAN so I can access either and listen anywhere in my home. I stream mostly Qobuz, Amazon Music, and various streams through Tune In. I like the Bluesound App (on two computers in two locations) a lot, but find that it gets clunky and has to be rebooted from time to time.

Would I benefit with Ron?

adeep42

I posed the Question on another thread that had a fair number of Innous Sense app chest thumpers.  I specifically ask if it did several things that were highly regarded in ROON. Crickets.

Buying the lifetime subscription to Roon was the single best investment I have made in my audio system. At the time, it was $500. I've spent way more than that on a single cable, and there is no comparison on the value and satisfaction I have received. 

I like Roon for all the reasons already mentioned. The features I really like are:

1) Combining local files, Qobuz and Tidal streaming into one unified library. 

2) Ability to control multiple systems around the house, from multiple devices, and to be able to sync them together when desired.

3) Incredibly rich metadata and cross-referencing of content. 

4) Great discovery tools and recommendations.

5) Excellent sound quality with the ability to share the same environment on hardware from lots of different brands. 

6) DSP functionality and integration with HQ Player. 

"Buying the lifetime subscription to Roon was the single best investment I have made in my audio system." - @jaytor

Me too. I have discovered more new music that I love than I EVER thought possible. I love that there are so many streamer/servers that are Roon-certified, so one has many good choices. Harman seems to be doing good things and is committed.

I honestly cannot imagine not having Roon.

Roon appeals to many because of its cataloging/discovery/multi-room features which are awesome.  I'm not arguing with anyone on this.  

However, I have a somewhat revealing system and after a pretty thorough audition (using an older Windows PC for the core, which I admit may have not been optimal) I did not feel that Roon offered any improvement in sound quality.  I am presently streaming Qobuz using an opticalRendu with mconnect.

Roon did play my favorite radio station (KUVO), though.  When I want to listen to radio, I switch my DAC to Bluetooth and use my Android phone to stream the station from their app, my phone has an LDAC feature which sounds pretty darn good.

P.S. I think Qobuz offers some suggestions for new music that are pretty good.  So does Stereophile magazine.  I get a lot of suggestions reading the equipment reviews (when the reviewer references a track used to audition a component), as well as the actual recording reviews at the back of the magazine.

I was hesitant re Roon, but about two years ago, I started using it and it is completely worthwhile, based on the organization, music discovery and more. It does help if you have a reasonably sized music library.