[Daniel Johnston]

"free to use and develop" doesnt mean "free to use as you like". Roon has stated there is a contractual requirement for using the term Roon Ready.

The roon website states (https://kb.roonlabs.com/RAAT etc)

"Enforce high quality user experiences via a certification program. User experience is another core competency for us. We are actively pushing hardware companies to make better user experiences by iterating with them on the product before allowing them to be released. We require parity between RoonReady integrations and other audio protocols offered by the devices, ensuring that Roon support does not become a second class citizen. Another requirement of the certification program is that hardware manufacturers leave devices with us long-term for support and QA."

And this:

"Roon Ready is the highest level of Roon integration available to partners, and means that Roon technology is actually customized for, and embedded into, thei devices.
It's a designation given to audio player hardware products that have both implemented RAAT, and have been certified by Roon Labs for proper implementation."

Note the "and have been certified by Roon Labs"

Not "and might be certified by Roon at some point in the future"

Now this is not the signed contract between a developer and Roon. But I think Roon's position is clear, and has always been clear.

Key words are Roon Ready. There are devices that use RAAT that are neither certified nor Roon Ready but use RAAT legally according to Danny in the Roon labs uncertified thread. So in fact you can use RAAT SDK free of charge. Those aren’t the targeted devices though. Once you advertise and sell a Roon Ready device, you then assure a level of quality. This is the issue for Roon. They want you to use the SDK by what it sounds.

 

[AndrewOld]

Key words are Roon Ready. There are devices that use RAAT that are neither certified nor Roon Ready but use RAAT legally according to Danny in the Roon labs uncertified thread. So in fact you can use RAAT SDK free of charge. Those aren’t the targeted devices though. Once you advertise and sell a Roon Ready device, you then assure a level of quality. This is the issue for Roon. They want you to use the SDK by what it sounds.

But Danny boy from Roon is duplicitous. There have been links on the Roon website for months if not years to Roon partners who claim to have Roon Ready products, but who haven’t completed certification. Why did Roon ever allow these products to work? Why did Roon link to them on the Roon website? To profit, to big Roon up, to make it appear there were more Roon Ready devices than there actually were. Now Roon throw a hissy fit and want to tighten up and in doing so worry more than a few of their customers. Roons bad. Roon should never have allowed the situation to arise.

 

[tret]

I think we can all admit to having, at one time or another, well intentioned plans/actions that resulted in someone being upset or feeling cheated. The fallout may even have come as a shock, having misjudged or completely overlooked the other party's perspective. The best thing we can do at that point is have an open dialog and work to ensure everyone involved feels heard and do our best to address concerns and pivot if necessary.

I feel like Roon came up with a poorly conceived plan, with poor communication and execution. The community was shocked, concerned and even angry and Roon is pivoting to ensure its affected customers have a mitigation plan while (hopefully) working with partners to get uncertified Roon Ready devices certified. I'm satisfied and happy to forgive the mistake so long as a viable plan is in place.

 

[Amberlamps]

But Danny boy from Roon is duplicitous. There have been links on the Roon website for months if not years to Roon partners who claim to have Roon Ready products, but who haven’t completed certification. Why did Roon ever allow these products to work? Why did Roon link to them on the Roon website? To profit, to big Roon up, to make it appear there were more Roon Ready devices than there actually were. Now Roon throw a hissy fit and want to tighten up and in doing so worry more than a few of their customers. Roons bad. Roon should never have allowed the situation to arise.

It's probably because they now have a substantial user base and have grown a set of nuts and, are now thumping their chest whilst saying, non certified is bad mmmmmmmmk.

I am gasoline and matches, I turn everything to ashes

Oh Danny Boy the pipes the pipes are calling.
From glen to glen and down the mountain side.

 

[gryffe]

Assuming the 2Go does eventually achieve Roon Certification, will we actually notice any real difference? Improvements in sound quality, stability, performance?

 

[Doody]

Assuming the 2Go does eventually achieve Roon Certification, will we actually notice any real difference? Improvements in sound quality, stability, performance?

Nobody knows what issues are holding back the unit from certification - except Roon and Chord - and it's their business at the end of the day, not ours. So nobody knows and I wouldn't expect to know (and that's not unreasonable).

Hopefully there's some good firmware updates coming down the pike from Chord - regardless of whether they have to do with any partners' certifications - or their own hard work in general towards perfecting their product.

Doody

 

[gryffe]

Nobody knows what issues are holding back the unit from certification - except Roon and Chord - and it's their business at the end of the day, not ours. So nobody knows and I wouldn't expect to know (and that's not unreasonable).

Hopefully there's some good firmware updates coming down the pike from Chord - regardless of whether they have to do with any partners' certifications - or their own hard work in general towards perfecting their product.

Doody

Cheers for reply
Not sure I agree it's none of our business, we've given Chord £1k, and Roon over £100 in subs so I think we are due some clarification, especially when a product is advertised as something it is not. I'm not asking for a detailed report, just some headline details.
Do I think we'll get anything? Not a cat in hell's chance!

 

[AndrewOld]

Cheers for reply
Not sure I agree it's none of our business, we've given Chord £1k, and Roon over £100 in subs so I think we are due some clarification, especially when a product is advertised as something it is not. I'm not asking for a detailed report, just some headline details.
Do I think we'll get anything? Not a cat in hell's chance!

It is absolutely your business, and you have every right to a clarification. In particular, you have a right to know whether you have been lied to. Either by Roon or Chord on their website when they listed Chord products as Roon Ready when they weren’t. In the UK it is illegal to make false claims.

 

[Doody]

Cheers for reply
Not sure I agree it's none of our business, we've given Chord £1k, and Roon over £100 in subs so I think we are due some clarification, especially when a product is advertised as something it is not. I'm not asking for a detailed report, just some headline details.
Do I think we'll get anything? Not a cat in hell's chance!

Sure, that'd be nice, and that'd surely be appropriate IMO, and if Chord wanted to manage their community properly (they seem to have an intent, but not the will to do so IMHO), then they'd be up-front and open. That said, net-net, all we're "entitled to" as consumers is that the 2go actually is, at some point soon, as it was advertised to us, Roon-certified. How it gets there is between Chord and Roon.

That said, if Chord cannot get 2go over the line with Roon, and Roon cuts us off, Chord has seriously crossed a red line. Frankly they'll need to refund anybody's units who requests such, IMHO. They sold 2go to us as Roon-certified - and it absolutely was not. If I can't use my 2go with Roon I do not need it or want it - I'll find an alternative solution. I'm well outside of any return period on my unit.

I am confident that Chord and Roon can and wlll sort this out.

Doody

 

[stancorrected]

[QUOTE="Doody, post: 15860919, member:
That said, net-net, all we're "entitled to" as consumers.....

Doody
[/QUOTE]

I suspect there's at least a cultural, as well as legal, gap between the EU and the US in terms of consumer protection and expectations. Whatever the merits of the (contractual) dispute between Roon and equipment manufacturers, it should never have involved their mutual customers.

 

[ubs28]

Assuming the 2Go does eventually achieve Roon Certification, will we actually notice any real difference? Improvements in sound quality, stability, performance?

I believe Roon / RAAT has the same pops and cracking problem as their DLNA / UPnP implementation?

So I assume Roon will ensure that this issue is fixed before giving the label “Roon-ready” as one of the things.

But I suppose you can better ask this to support of Chord.

 

[jhoneyball]

Interesting thought -- I have just gone into Roon on my mac desktop, gone to Audio, and then to the 2Go (which is proudly showing its red Uncertified banner)

Click on Device Info. The status window pops open -- it says it is Version 0.9.0

Has Chord forgotten to update the firmware version that it is reporting to Roon?

 

[tret]

Click on Device Info. The status window pops open -- it says it is Version 0.9.0

Has Chord forgotten to update the firmware version that it is reporting to Roon?

Mine is reporting 1.0.0

 

[jhoneyball]

Interesting -- I have emailed chord support with a screenshot.

 

[Torq]

I believe Roon / RAAT has the same pops and cracking problem as their DLNA / UPnP implementation?

Can’t speak for others, but I’ve never had any pops, clicks or crackles using 2Go/Hugo 2 via Roon.

Others modes of playback are a different matter.