[iDesign]

I have a lifetime subscription to Roon. I have just just received an email from them, describing the new features of the upcoming Roon 1.8 update available next week for beta testing. One of the new features is:
Improved buffering and caching for streaming content
"We’ve made changes to Roon’s buffering and caching infrastructure when playing streaming content. The new implementation is designed to use a lighter touch when interacting with your network and internet connection, making streaming less intensive for your Roon Core."

This backups my believe that the sound quality issues that some have experienced with Roon is due to additional CPU usage of the Roon Core causing more RF noise, both mains and airborne. Roon after all is bit perfect so RF noise and jitter are the main things affecting sound quality. As Chord dacs are immune to jitter. RF noise is the issue.

This has never been a problem in my system as my Dave and Blu2 are separated by about 4 metres using the Opto DX, my Intel NUC and Hypos Ferrum power supply are a further metre away. I also have separate power supply lines for the analogue components (Dave and the power amps) and Digital components (Blu2 and the Intel NUC).

Roon 1.8 (build 880) appears to have made a significant improvement in reducing USB dropouts with macOS 12.1. It was a serious issue with Roon up until now.

 

[alxw0w]

Improved buffering and caching for streaming content
"We’ve made changes to Roon’s buffering and caching infrastructure when playing streaming content. The new implementation is designed to use a lighter touch when interacting with your network and internet connection, making streaming less intensive for your Roon Core."

@Triode User can you test it a compare with LMS when it's finally out ?
I really don't want to renew my monthly subscription.
Maybe it's a step in a good direction from roon devs.

 

[Triode User]

@Triode User can you test it a compare with LMS when it's finally out ?
I really don't want to renew my monthly subscription.
Maybe it's a step in a good direction from roon devs.

Sure, It is time that I fired up my Roon Lifetime Subscription for its annual try out . . . .

 

[adrianm]

Sure, It is time that I fired up my Roon Lifetime Subscription for its annual try out . . . .

Well it came out last night

 

[NYanakiev]

Sure, It is time that I fired up my Roon Lifetime Subscription for its annual try out . . . .

I have a lifetime subscription- while owning a LMS compatible server.
Used Roon for a year before deciding to go lifetime- not looked back since.

Using my DAVE+Mscaler with the Sonore Optical Rendu&Optical Module Deluxe has been just fantastic.

 

[Triode User]

I have a lifetime subscription- while owning a LMS compatible server.
Used Roon for a year before deciding to go lifetime- not looked back since.

Using my DAVE+Mscaler with the Sonore Optical Rendu&Optical Module Deluxe has been just fantastic.

Nick, I will try the latest version but with all prior ones I have found myself listening and just becoming slightly irritated because I could hear that my system was not at its best. Previously I have then quitted Roon and reverted to LMS + Squeezelite (I of course was using Squeezelite as the player with Roon). Wish me luck!!

 

[NYanakiev]

Fair enough! I suppose I am not as much into a/b-ing anything, from cables to sources to interfaces.
I just go for whatever I subjectively feel gives me the best combination of sound quality, ergonomics/convenience and looks.

 

[Triode User]

Fair enough! I suppose I am not as much into a/b-ing anything, from cables to sources to interfaces.
I just go for whatever I subjectively feel gives me the best combination of sound quality, ergonomics/convenience and looks.

I don’t need to do any a/b testing with Roon, it has been perfectly obvious without doing that, or at least with previous versions of Roon.

 

[adrianm]

As an update to my experiments with HQplayer, i haven't been able to find settings that are better than..no HQplayer. I thought it might be the USB noise, but i much prefer solo Dave via the same route. That Rob fellow seems to know what he's doing

 

[Triode User]

As an update to my experiments with HQplayer, i haven't been able to find settings that are better than..no HQplayer. I thought it might be the USB noise, but i much prefer solo Dave via the same route. That Rob fellow seems to know what he's doing

Have you tried HQP just as a player, in other words with no upsampling and no noise shaping? It might be interesting to compare that to whatever is your normal server app and player app.

However, I have not found anything to beat LMS (Squeeze) server and Squeezlite Player into either Mscaler or straight into solo Dave.

 

[adrianm]

I remember your anti-streamer position from back in the day

Now we just have to win you over to the benefits of linear power supplies

Well i believe in the theoretical benefits since i absolutely loved all my Isotek filters. I'd rank them higher than the M-scaler for improvement. Will set up a dedicated circuit in the new place and see how much they still help. I'd sooner try the triple Farad solution than the DC4 since the pricing is kind of ridiculous, and i am very skeptical regarding the difference there would be between them to warrant the price delta.

 

[adrianm]

Have you tried HQP just as a player, in other words with no upsampling and no noise shaping? It might be interesting to compare that to whatever is your normal server app and player app.

However, I have not found anything to beat LMS (Squeeze) server and Squeezlite Player into either Mscaler or straight into solo Dave.

As a player it's completely useless to me unfortunately. Since Qobuz is region locked , i had to use a vpn to create an account. HQplayer is the only player that blocks access due to it being region locked. It behaves as it just uses the browser app to stream. Using a vpn again just to test it is too much hassle since the interface is..terrible.
I'm most likely sticking with Roon for better or worse. The user experience is just unmatched. is there any HQplayer setting you would recommend before i cancel the trial? Maybe I'm doing something wrong but everything sounds...artificial. Sync-L with LNS 15 is impressive from a separation perspective but completely destroys any timbre. It's like going from color to black and white. Sync-M with LNS 15 sounds close to the M-scaler, but still worse by a fair degree (as it should for the price).
Hopefully PGGB would sound better. I know you were sharing some files at one point. Got any spares?

 

[MvRBE10]

Well i believe in the theoretical benefits since i absolutely loved all my Isotek filters. I'd rank them higher than the M-scaler for improvement. Will set up a dedicated circuit in the new place and see how much they still help. I'd sooner try the triple Farad solution than the DC4 since the pricing is kind of ridiculous, and i am very skeptical regarding the difference there would be between them to warrant the price delta.

1,5weeks now on the farads and its amazing, final print design is on its way, some tweaks in the connecting leads to the board department. But it gets better each day it runs. In a few days i will recap my listning notes and post them.

Ps the price of the sole lps incl the negative is already on his website.

 

[Triode User]

1,5weeks now on the farads and its amazing, final print design is on its way, some tweaks in the connecting leads to the board department. But it gets better each day it runs. In a few days i will recap my listning notes and post them.

Ps the price of the sole lps incl the negative is already on his website.

Is that board in the Dave needed? Why not just connect the three supples direct to the Dave? Adding extra circuits in the dc supply at first sight seems counter productive to performance

 

[MvRBE10]

No its not, the print adds no degredation, the three lps differ in startup between 1 and the negative is the longest 8sec. The pcb prevents lps swappes and passes all voltages if present and if one droppes all shut down. Its a 11.5k piece of dac we want to keep in one piece. Alot of people dont want the lps upgrade because off that risk and price. We hope to tackle both. And there is No degredation with this system.