2019 Roon Thread - is it worth it?

[batmansbest]

I think roon is pretty useless without HQPlayer....the sound quality is just not up to par...but that's just me, others may disagree.

 

[JohnnyOps]

I'll simply note that Roon lifetime is going up in the new year, so if you want to get it at $699 US, you have < 3 weeks to do so. I think it's going up to $899. Annual/monthly price is also going up. Lots of arguments there about whether it's worth it, and throwing a fit over the now-required internet connection to play local music etc etc, but if like me you make it a core part of music discovery & distribution (and more so now that ARC mobile solution is out), then you might kick yourself in a couple years if you don't get a lifetime when it's still sort of within reach. I paid $699 2 years ago and have never regretted it. Everyone's in a different slot and has a different set of needs, but thought I'd mention.

 

[batmansbest]

How the world is looking right now, the last thing that I want right now is an internet internet always on player.
I at the very least would like to have music and my local library available during world war 3 and the Great reset.

 

[JohnnyOps]

How the world is looking right now, the last thing that I want right now is an internet internet always on player.
I at the very least would like to have music and my local library available during world war 3 and the Great reset.

Fair. Everyone's preferences are their preferences. If worse comes to worse, I have my old plexamp subscription and I have a couple plexamp SD cards waiting to replace my RopieeeXL'en. That's my "no internet backup plan". But honestly, if the great reset happens and somehow I'm chillin' listening to Abdullah Ibrahim and Adrianne Lesker, then I'm doing better than I thought I'd be.

 

[batmansbest]

Fair. Everyone's preferences are their preferences. If worse comes to worse, I have my old plexamp subscription and I have a couple plexamp SD cards waiting to replace my RopieeeXL'en. That's my "no internet backup plan". But honestly, if the great reset happens and somehow I'm chillin' listening to Abdullah Ibrahim and Adrianne Lesker, then I'm doing better than I thought I'd be.

I would like to be listening to Chopin before the bright white flash becomes all consuming
I can try to figure out electricity...but internet is out of my control.

 

[JohnnyOps]

I would like to be listening to Chopin before the bright white flash becomes all consuming
I can try to figure out electricity...but internet is out of my control.

crap got deep. That's like some next-level desert island disc stuff you got goin' on

I was just suggesting one might consider a lifetime license, not asking you to come up with a probabalistic simulation for likelihood it'll pay off based on exogenous geopolitical factors.

But, now I'm gonna put on African Sketchbook at high volume, watch the sun set, and see if I can get PUTTY working so I can ssh into my router and set up site-to-site OpenVPN so I can make one of my Roon cores go away. Not my usual Monday.

 

[batmansbest]

crap got deep. That's like some next-level desert island disc stuff you got goin' on

I was just suggesting one might consider a lifetime license, not asking you to come up with a probabalistic simulation for likelihood it'll pay off based on exogenous geopolitical factors.

But, now I'm gonna put on African Sketchbook at high volume, watch the sun set, and see if I can get PUTTY working so I can ssh into my router and set up site-to-site OpenVPN so I can make one of my Roon cores go away. Not my usual Monday.

Sorry, I had just read an article about how the Pentagon just authorized drone strikes on Russian soil.
It got me thinking about building a deep bunker
And my music is coming as well, as usual.

 

[Derivative]

Apologies if this has already been answered - is Roon worth it if all I do is stream Qobuz / Spotify? I don't have a local library.

 

[goldwerger]

Apologies if this has already been answered - is Roon worth it if all I do is stream Qobuz / Spotify? I don't have a local library.

yes!! for any of the following alone, let alont combined:
(1) excellent user interface that is a joy to use
(2) the ultimate music discovery tool - with endless on any album, track, artist, etc. all clickable and linking; and with the best algorithm to know your test and stream more music for you to find
(3) endless way to organize your music (playlists, tagging, etc), search, sort, etc
(4) flexible architecture to stream to any roon-ready device in your home (wired or wireless)
(5) rich DSP controls if you wish (parametric EQ and other)

I think Roon enhances the music listening experience more than any single hardware component that I have. I recommend it

 

[JohnnyOps]

Note that Spotify does not, and almost certainly never will, work with Roon. You will have only Qobuz.

That said, it depends on what you value. There are many components to the value proposition. Among them are:

1. Curation & discovery - find more music more easily that you would like to listen to
2. Context - easily find information about artists, albums, compositions to read, combined with curated high quality photography
3. DSP - it’s not utterly best in class, but for many audiophiles it more than suffices. If it turns out you want more, it integrates very nicely with hqplayer; things like Audeze presets and
4. Multi-room: it’s not Sonos, but it is close
5. Community: lots of add-on products like Ropieee, Apple TV displays, Chromecast, etc. much tinkering if you’re into that sort of thing, much of this is more 2-channel oriented but it’s great

That said, while I love it and alleys welcome more folks, the Roon forums are full of disappointed users with unsolved issues and complaints. Think that’s true of all software, but caveat emptor.

Good luck! Lifetime price is going up 12/31 to a level I think is crazy.

 

[goldwerger]

Qobuz

(and Tidal; or both

 

[goldwerger]

Qobuz

(and Tidal; or both)

Roon forums are full of disappointed users

and many, many, avid fans

 

[Derivative]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, appreciate it.
Good to note it can be valuable even if I'm only streaming. Qobuz is my main source so all good.
I'll need to dig further into it then.

 

[tesarpa]

yes!! for any of the following alone, let alont combined:
(1) excellent user interface that is a joy to use
(2) the ultimate music discovery tool - with endless on any album, track, artist, etc. all clickable and linking; and with the best algorithm to know your test and stream more music for you to find
(3) endless way to organize your music (playlists, tagging, etc), search, sort, etc
(4) flexible architecture to stream to any roon-ready device in your home (wired or wireless)
(5) rich DSP controls if you wish (parametric EQ and other)

I think Roon enhances the music listening experience more than any single hardware component that I have. I recommend it

Let me add that Roon is invaluable for audiophile who want to play/test/compare his devices and it's sound performance. It allows me to quickly switch between inputs/outputs with different configurations.

My favorite DSP setting = speaker distance / delay, as both my speaker setups are non-centric and I sit closer to one channel. This makes wonders in stereo imaging.

 

[Zbell]

Roon is incredible. Building a relatively cheap Roon core to network your home is a game-changer. It provides the best sound quality possible, some of the best music discovery and learning features available, lets you easily combine your subscription music services with your locally owned music files, and lets you create multiple music zones in your home, all connected to the same music library on your network via ethernet or wifi. Throw in great DSP functionality, DIY-friendly architecture requirements, and easy UI. Can it occasionally be a bit buggy or require digging through their forums for support? Yes, but that has not ruined the experience for me.

I bought a lifetime subscription 5 years ago thinking maybe I'll get screwed over.... since then they've improved their product regularly with new features (Roon Arc) and new partners (hello cheap Fiio daps). I have not regretted purchasing lifetime one bit, although I have to admit at $900 the value proposition is getting narrower.