Roon Music Playback Software Review & Comments

How does Room interact with the oppo 205?
I run my Roon Core on my MacBook Pro. One of my end points is my Oppo 205. I absolutely love the integration and sound quality. Simply transformative to my listening experience. Highly recommended.
 
Have had a lifetime membership since June last year and if my memory serves me well worked out at about £390 after converting from $'s, Then purchased a Nucleus and have never looked back. The software and hardware just works ( With regular updates ) but of course is not for everybody considering the cost of membership and the Nucleus circa £1900. There is also a very good community with the developers being very proactive and on top of any problems you encounter very quickly.
 
@rosscouk morning mate, please could you advise how to link last.fm to roon?
thanks for your time
pete

ive sorted it now mate - roon's search function works fine lol - sorry to have wasted your time reading this.
pete
 
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I don't get why it's so expensive...

Roon pay no license fees as this is personal "bought" music
Hardware requirements are pushed on to the end user
Network bandwidth is also pushed on to the end user

Obviously they make the software and utilise a server for remote access... But is that really $20 a month...

Audiophiles are a soft touch. Look at the likes of Russ Andrews still being in business.
 
I really like the way it consolidates my music collection to play the best format available. And the interface is pretty well thought out too.

However for me it won't really be worth it as it doesn't integrate with Spotify and I'd really want access to my music collection outside of my home network.
 
I've got an Elac Discovery DS-S101-G music server which comes with its own version of Roon called Roon Essentials, supposedly a slightly pared down version of Roon although I can't see where the differences are. No subscription is required for Roon Essentials. I love it.
 
I have had Roon for 19 months now, the core is my Synology NAS using iPad as a controller and outputting via a Linn Majik DS. Very simple to use and informative.
 
I have had Roon for 19 months now, the core is my Synology NAS using iPad as a controller and outputting via a Linn Majik DS. Very simple to use and informative.

Seems quite a few comments here from people using Roon with a single endpoint?

That does surprise me - IMO one of the key propositions is consolidated control of lots, from lots of different ecosystems. For instance I have Roon running the show here for 5x Bluesounds, 4x Sonos, 2x RoPieees and occasional Airplay, and it's great to just have one app to control, transfer music between ecosystems, and even group between ecosystems (except for Sonos). Opens options too, for instance can just dump a B&W Formation speaker in, or any number of other Roon ready devices, and just plug & play.
 
I too have been waiting to hear your thoughts on Roon @Ed Selley - You first dropped hints a few weeks ago on the podcast and I wasn't sure if you would be a supporter (or not).

I took the plunge myself just 2-3 weeks ago - I can confirm that current exchange rates put this at around £380 for a lifetime membership. I host mine on a Synology NAS and use it stream to all manner of devices (Schiit Jotunheim via PC or via a Ropieee over USB, MacBook, iPhone etc). I love the interface, seamless integration of local and streamed files (Tidal) and found the EQ for my Senn HD600 headphones fun.

The cost was something I had to consider for a little while. I understand concerns over the long-term prospects of the company (not them specifically, but any company) and whether you will reach the break-even point of a 5th year of service. I also know that much cheaper software such as JRiver exists (and I've probably spent $200 on licences for that over the years) but ultimately the quality and convenience of Roon won out.

I'd urge anyone with a passing interest in this type of offering to give the free trial a shot. I initially took this and cancelled on day 13 as I wasn't quite ready to commit. There were no issues with this approach at all (although it didn't yield a discount code to tempt me back in unfortunately). I simply purchased a licence and my trial instance was activated and running again within 2 minutes.
 
For some reason it didn't sign me up to the trial but just charged me for lifetime membership straight away. I contacted them to cancel it and they refunded me today, but it was a bit strange as I double checked the process when I was signing up. I'll discuss this with them more.

Edit: clearly less haste more speed, the trial is opted via the Annual membership, not Lifetime membership which signs up straightaway. :facepalm:
 
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Hi
Firstly i apologise for my lack of knowledge on this subject but I currently have a Naim Nova I am using Tidal Hi fi and currently the few cds I have ripped are on an 256g sd card in the back of the Nova. Is it worth using Roon just so I can get the high quality tracks off Tidal.

Mike
 
£500 big rip off, I am happy with just using the Free Cambridge Connect app to access my music collection, works easily no problems
 
I got Roon a month or so ago and it transformed my music listening experience. I have a Naim Qb so in my office, an Uniti Atom in the living room and my wife has a Sonos in her office. The Roon brings them all together and even found my denon AV amp, though I don't tend to use that for music.

The interface works a lot better than the Naim one and the Sonos one too. I love the 'Discover' and Roon Radio features digging stuff out from Qobuz and my ripped music. Found lotsl of new music that way. Easily worth the yearly subscription for me.

As a Linux user I put it on an Intel nuc which uses very little power so no concerns about leaving it on.
 
Hi
Firstly i apologise for my lack of knowledge on this subject but I currently have a Naim Nova I am using Tidal Hi fi and currently the few cds I have ripped are on an 256g sd card in the back of the Nova. Is it worth using Roon just so I can get the high quality tracks off Tidal.

Mike

I have 528 Albums of which 342 are MP3 320kbps and all sound good through my Bluesound products and Hi-Fi. Suppose it depends on how critical you are but for me it's also about convenience and multi room capabilities. Tend to play the lower bitrate through my Pulse 2 and sound bar in the front room and Lossless on headphones and Hi-Fi. The only way to find out I suppose is give it a try.

Have not ripped my CD collection as life is to short, Easier to purchase an MP3 version for what little they cost and uses less hard drive space.
 
I’m intrigued by roon but don’t know much about it. Does have to be run from a PC or Mac? I don’t want to have to boot up a computer or leave one on. Ideally want to operate from iPad or iPhone.
 
Best go to the Roon Labs website and community site as there is a wealth of information there. Basically the Core ( The heart of the software ) can go on any pc, Mac, NAS drives if it is has compatible hardware and drivers. iPads, Galaxy tabs and any smart phone IOS/Android can be used as a controller.
 
£500 big rip off, I am happy with just using the Free Cambridge Connect app to access my music collection, works easily no problems

Woudlnt describe it as a rip-off - its the consensus pick as best music experience amongst audiophiles, and some of those who get seriously in to their music. And the feedback from them is almost universally positive.

I dont think they see it as a rip off.

You may not need or want all that integration and music presentation etc - but thats a different thing to being a rip off.
 
'Possible' is not the same as 'reliably present from the outset with no faffing about.' You're paying for someone to have done the legwork for you and to have done it to an exceptional standard.

There's an interesting addendum to this in that as someone exclusively self employed, I know exactly what my time is worth to me. I recently had to test six pieces of music playback software for a magazine. The time faffing about with plugins was equivalent to two years of Roon subs. Make of that what you will.

Fundamentally the lifetime subscription is the flaw in this business model I would think. As a business it really limits income in years to come.

As with all software that is connected with the internet it is essential for security updates at the very minimum and I am not sure where this would come from if in years to come the money disappears due to the lifetime subs.
 
Fundamentally the lifetime subscription is the flaw in this business model I would think. As a business it really limits income in years to come.

As with all software that is connected with the internet it is essential for security updates at the very minimum and I am not sure where this would come from if in years to come the money disappears due to the lifetime subs.

Wouldnt describe that as a fundamental flaw. After all, people can subscribe for one year at a time, while other will opt for the lump sum up front. So it's not as if there will be no recurring revenue from a single customer.

Is it a bit front loaded? Yeah sure, but the risk of irresponsible spending, control or unwise investment seems much the same as for any company.

I'd say the bigger risk is customers investing in expensive Roon ready hardware, for the smoothest Roon experience etc, and the company disappearing down the road.
 
I'd say the bigger risk is customers investing in expensive Roon ready hardware, for the smoothest Roon experience etc, and the company disappearing down the road.

If anything I think this more solidifies their long term future even more
 
If anything I think this more solidifies their long term future even more

In one sense, definitely.

My broader point was that if an accident befell them and they disappeared, customers would be left with Roon ready hardware / server, still usable, but perhaps not as intended when originally bought.
 
In one sense, definitely.

My broader point was that if an accident befell them and they disappeared, customers would be left with Roon ready hardware / server, still usable, but perhaps not as intended when originally bought.

But it also leaves someone else to come in and use the tech themselves. Roon are at a point where they wouldn’t disappear. Someone would take over the business and pick up where they left off. Roon is well known through all HiFi circles now and aside from streaming represents the biggest leap in tech for years.
 
But it also leaves someone else to come in and use the tech themselves. Roon are at a point where they wouldn’t disappear. Someone would take over the business and pick up where they left off. Roon is well known through all HiFi circles now and aside from streaming represents the biggest leap in tech for years.

Agreed, I'm not worried especially about them, nor do I think their charging model is a flaw or challenge for them. They are niche, and as such should be thought about in that context.

But yes, for some of the enthusiast community, they've established a great reputation, and have quite a few hardware partners now.
 

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