Roon

This Roon system is really an amazing service. I installed the core on my Windows 10 HTPC since it has an SSD for the index and metadata. They don’t suggest installing on a NAS which was my first thought since I have a Synology unit because the interface will be sluggish on a regular spinning disk. It found my NAS which is where I have my music files saved after I typed in the path and credentials. It indexed my entire music library in a few minutes and pulled metadata from the file names and stored image artwork. Really amazing. It found and properly configured my USB DAC to 24 bit 192 kHz. It offers wasapi output for bit perfect playback. It will also decode tidal MQA which means I don’t need a MQA capable DAC saving me hundreds. The user interface is easy to understand and pulls details for more well known artists sometimes for each album like a couple of paragraphs describing the album. As a bonus I can also stream my local radio stations and one of my favorite EDM stations SomaFM. This is really an amazing technology and I can now sit on my balcony and control my music without having to be in front of the HTPC with my keyboard and mouse. Now I can just use my iPad to control playback from anyplace. Only integration I would like to see added is Sirius XM as I listen to a lot of their Symphony Hall channel. Would highly suggest Roon if you’re into HiFi or currently use Foobar.

What Roon delivers on in terms of a listening experience is beyond amazing. I can stream music to all the systems in my house. In my theater room, I stream it to an Oppo UDP-205. I stream to my kitchen and patio on a NAD C 388. In my bedroom on an Onkyo receiver connected to a Chromecast Audio. Because the core is a Synology Diskstation, the Roon Remote acts just like a remote. You don’t have to stay in range of the device like you would with Bluetooth. You can transfer audio from one room to another without a hitch. You can join zones of Roon Ready devices so you have the same audio playing throughout the house which is great for parties. It all plays in the highest possible quality available, including MQA. It integrates files you have on your hard drive seamlessly with streaming services such as TIDAL and qobuz. It has transformed my listening experience in profound ways. Why four stars? There are times the service glitches. Not enough to be too annoying but it happens. And the user interface is not the best UX. With any other product, these hiccups would be enough for me to give it three or two stars, but WOW! What Roon does best is really good quality listening all over my house. In that one area, the one that counts the most, Roon hits a grand slam.

Since the first time Roon was available, I fell in love with it’s interface. I like the way it reports on the DACs, streamers status. Now with the interface updates with a better playback experience, use of more Roon ready devices, addition of iPhones and iPads interfaces plus to crown their updates; Chromecast and MQA compatibility. It’s been a truck load of enjoyable added features. The software has been extensively enhanced and it just gets better with age. Just a warning if your Core is at the latest, make sure you load the latest release to your other devices. The Audio settings will crash your app otherwise. To be honest, with all of the plethora of software programs available out there, specially the ones related to Audio, this one is worth every penny, you won’t be disappointed. I would suggest you build your Core on Intel NUC using fast memory, PCIe M.2 drive for holding Roon Core and attached USB 3 drives for music storage, with simple Windows desktop operating system (Win 10 home or Professional) and you’ll be running trouble free with future proofing your storage. For me it has made Roon rock solid. If you’re like me with a sizable music library, this is one of the best ways to tame it.