Why do I need Roon?

Nobody “needs” Roon.  It’s a bell and whistle that you may or may not find really fun.  I listen to Classical Music and I didn’t find that it did much to enhance my enjoyment, but many people like the type of links that it provides between musicians and albums and such.
They offer a free trial so you can try it yourself

For $500 you will gain a "lifetime" subscription to extraordinary metadata and an integrated library consisting of your own music and Tidal/Qobuz. I use Google and manage my own library and services. 

I am skeptical about the value these days of purchasing "lifetime" packages on anything in the digital music platform arena. With the rapid development of platforms and such, even 5 years can make generational improvements and changes in how services can be delivered and features that come available. Just look how quickly streaming alone took over. I doubt 20 years (or way less) from now that Roon will rule this space with little competition providing similar offerings. In fact I'd be willing to wager that what they provide now will soon become free from others as new features and services hit the markets.

I use the player that delivers the best SQ, and currently, that’s not Roon. You can stream Tidal and Qobuz with other player software that’s free and better IME.

Roon is the current darling, but remember Amarra….

Steve N.
Empirical Audio