[littlej0e]

This guide assumes you have already downloaded and installed Roon Core/Server 2.0 on your source and Roon Endpoint version 2.0 on a Mac or PC.

• Access the settings menu by clicking on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the top left of the Roon app. Configure the following:
  • Disable the default music folder (not the folder where your music is stored. Roon sometimes automatically adds the default system music folder and this is the one we want to disable)
    • Settings > Storage > kebab menu (three vertical dots) > Disable
  • Set Background audio analysis to Off
    • Settings > Library > Background audio analysis > drop down menu > OFF
    • Note: changing this setting is vitally important for SQ, but also a PITA. You'll need to turn this back on after adding new media to your library then turn it off again.
  • Set On-Demand audio analysis to Off
    • Settings > Library > On-Demand audio analysis > drop down menu > OFF
    • Note: changing this setting is vitally important for SQ, but also a PITA. You'll need to turn this back on after adding new media to your library then turn it off again.
  • Disable all audio zones and devices except for the upstream device (DAC/Network Player) you will use to connect to your Roon Core.
    • Settings > Audio > Connected to Core > DAC/Network Player > Enable
    • Note: ASIO drivers for Windows and ASLA for Linux tend to yield the best audio performance. Though I have heard instances of WASAPI performing just as well in Windows with the right software.
  • Audio Device Settings
    • Settings > Audio > Connected to Core > DAC/Network Player > cogwheel menu
      • DSD playback strategy > Native or DSD over PCM (DoP)
      • MQA capabilities > off
      • Volume Control > Fixed
      • Resync Delay > 0ms
        • Note: if you click play and the first second or so of a track is cut off, increase in 50ms increments until it plays. Some DACs need a few milliseconds to sync with the source before initializing playback.
    • Show Advanced > Drop down menu >
      • Set your DAC's max sample rate for PCM
      • Set your DAC's native bits per sample for PCM (bit depth)
      • Set your DAC's max sample rate for DSD
      • Enable MQA decoder > No
      • Use maximum Buffer size > No
      • Power of 2 Hardware Buffer Size > No or 0
  • Disable DSP and remove filters (don't worry, you can always add these back).
    • Home (main music playback bar at the bottom) > Speaker Icon (lower right) > Click the Sine Wave/hairpin looking thingy (this should open the DSP menu)
      • From the DSP menu:
        • Headroom Management > Disabled
        • Sample rate Conversion > Disabled
        • Parametric EQ > Remove Filter (top right)
        • Convolution > Remove Filter
        • Crossfeed > Remove Filter
        • Audeze Presets > Remove Filter
        • Note: it is important to remove these filters, not just disable them.

The rest of the optimizations will be done at the hardware, BIOS and operating system level. That will be covered in the "Building a Custom Digital Source" thread.

You can also use these optimizations as a litmus test of sorts. If you change these settings and can't hear a difference in your rig. Leave this thread and don't give "optimizing" Roon another thought.

Hope this helps!

-lj

 

[joseph69]

Definitely going to try this out of curiosity.
Does Roon need to be re-launched for these changes to take effect?

 

[littlej0e]

Definitely going to try this out of curiosity.
Does Roon need to be re-launched for these changes to take effect?

Nope! No need to relaunch/reboot the Roon Core/server. You will need to stop playback though.

 

[joseph69]

Thank you

 

[joseph69]

Changed all the setting in Roon as described by @littlej0e with the exception of (Convolution > Remove Filter) which I just don't see and I'm running the latest v2.0 via MacBook Pro. Also, in my case the (Power of 2 Hardware Buffer Size > No) is set to 0 instead of having the option "No". Is this correct?

As far as sound difference, too me, these setting sound more analog and add more solidity to the music across the board, but the main difference I hear is that there is less variation between recordings as well as volume inconsistencies from track to track. In other words, all of the recordings I've listened to seem to be maintaining a consistent sound for the better. Hope this makes sense because I would like to continue forward with the optimization.

Just a note: For me to trust what I'm hearing I would need to listen to these settings and get aquatinted with their sound, then go back to the original setting and do the same, then go back to these settings. This is the only way I can confirm for myself what I'm hearing and it has always been this way for me.

PS: Might have noticed I had to add more volume to get to my normal listening level.

 

[littlej0e]

Changed all the setting in Roon as described by @littlej0e with the exception of (Convolution > Remove Filter) which I just don't see and I'm running the latest v2.0 via MacBook Pro. Also, in my case the (Power of 2 Hardware Buffer Size > No) is set to 0 instead of having the option "No". Is this correct?

Yep,"No" or "0" is correct. As for removing the filters, take a look at the attached screenshot. Select your playback device (presumably your DAC/network player, which should be the only device enabled) from the main playback bar at the bottom of the app screen. Click the speaker icon on the lower right, then select the fancy "M"/wave/hairpin looking icon (used to read "DSP," but now seems to be called Muse?!?). Your screen should now mirror the attached screenshot. Select each filter from the list on the left, then select "X REMOVE FILTER" at the upper right. Then follow the rest of the instructions in the guide and you should be good to go.

As far as sound difference, too me, these setting sound more analog and more solidity in the music across the board, but the main difference I hear is that there is less variation between recordings as well as volume inconsistencies from track to track. In other words, all of the recordings I've listened to seem to be maintaining a consistent sound in their recordings for the better. Hope this makes sense because I would like to continue forward with the optimization.

This absolutely makes sense! The settings in this guide are specifically designed to minimize CPU processing/electrical noise and remove digital signal processing, all of which typically lead to better SQ. Any differences you hear are likely to be highly system dependent. There is just too much variation and nuance in people's systems to say exactly what those differences will be (aside from almost universally better clarity derived from less electrical distortion). All of this is to say, I'm very glad these settings seem to be working for you!

Just a note: For me to trust what I'm hearing I would need to listen to these settings and get aquatinted with their sound, then go back to the original setting and do the same, then go back to these settings. This is the only way I can confirm for myself what I'm hearing and it has always been this way for me.

in my opinion, this is the best way. Trust your ears and no one else's. This guide may look complicated on paper, but after you change these settings a couple of times it becomes second nature. It usually takes 2 minutes or less to implement after major updates. The biggest PITA for me is enabling/disabling the library metadata processing after I add new music.

Sadly, Roon makes their money on a world-beating UI and recommendation algorithm - not pure sound quality. So tweaks are often needed to squeeze the most SQ out of Roon possible. I'm going to pit Roon against Foobar again in the very near future to see if anything has changed between them, but I'm less than optimistic. Roon's 2.0 release was definitely an SQ step in the right direction...

Thanks for the feedback and happy listening!

 

[joseph69]

Thank you for the image as well as the explanation of what the purpose of changing these setting are related to for improving SQ. I'll change this setting tonight and continue my process of switching back and forth and keep everyone posted on any further findings.

 

[Wes S]

This guide assumes you have already downloaded and installed Roon Core/Server 2.0 on your source and Roon Endpoint version 2.0 on a Mac or PC.

• Access the settings menu by clicking on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the top left of the Roon app. Configure the following:
  • Disable the default music folder (not the folder where your music is stored. Roon sometimes automatically adds the default system music folder and this is the one we want to disable)
    • Settings > Storage > kebab menu (three vertical dots) > Disable
  • Set Background audio analysis to Off
    • Settings > Library > Background audio analysis > drop down menu > OFF
    • Note: changing this setting is vitally important for SQ, but also a PITA. You'll need to turn this back on after adding new media to your library then turn it off again.
  • Set On-Demand audio analysis to Off
    • Settings > Library > On-Demand audio analysis > drop down menu > OFF
    • Note: changing this setting is vitally important for SQ, but also a PITA. You'll need to turn this back on after adding new media to your library then turn it off again.
  • Disable all audio zones and devices except for the upstream device (DAC/Network Player) you will use to connect to your Roon Core.
    • Settings > Audio > Connected to Core > DAC/Network Player > Enable
    • Note: ASIO drivers for Windows and ASLA for Linux tend to yield the best audio performance. Though I have heard instances of WASAPI performing just as well in Windows with the right software.
  • Audio Device Settings
    • Settings > Audio > Connected to Core > DAC/Network Player > cogwheel menu
      • DSD playback strategy > Native or DSD over PCM (DoP)
      • MQA capabilities > off
      • Volume Control > Fixed
      • Resync Delay > 0ms
        • Note: if you click play and the first second or so of a track is cut off, increase in 50ms increments until it plays. Some DACs need a few milliseconds to sync with the source before initializing playback.
    • Show Advanced > Drop down menu >
      • Set your DAC's max sample rate for PCM
      • Set your DAC's native bits per sample for PCM (bit depth)
      • Set your DAC's max sample rate for DSD
      • Enable MQA decoder > No
      • Use maximum Buffer size > No
      • Power of 2 Hardware Buffer Size > No or 0
  • Disable DSP and remove filters (don't worry, you can always add these back).
    • Home (main music playback bar at the bottom) > Speaker Icon (lower right) > Click the Sine Wave/hairpin looking thingy (this should open the DSP menu)
      • From the DSP menu:
        • Headroom Management > Disabled
        • Sample rate Conversion > Disabled
        • Parametric EQ > Remove Filter (top right)
        • Convolution > Remove Filter
        • Crossfeed > Remove Filter
        • Audeze Presets > Remove Filter
        • Note: it is important to remove these filters, not just disable them.

The rest of the optimizations will be done at the hardware, BIOS and operating system level. That will be covered in the "Building a Custom Digital Source" thread.

You can also use these optimizations as a litmus test of sorts. If you change these settings and can't hear a difference in your rig. Leave this thread and don't give "optimizing" Roon another thought.

Hope this helps!

-lj

I have been a lurker and just wanted to pop in and say thanks for this! I just changed all the settings, and it definitely sounds better and more analog/organic. I also feel like I can hear further/deeper into the recordings now.

 

[joseph69]

@littlej0e
I've removed the Convolution filter successfully along with the others you've mentioned leaving me with no filter settings, correct?

Also, should the 'Parallelize Delta-Sigma modulator' be set YES?
I'm asking because I see is only for multiple CPU cores which is irrelevant in my case.

Thank you very much,
Joseph

 

[littlej0e]

@littlej0e
I've removed the Convolution filter successfully along with the others you've mentioned leaving me with no filter settings, correct?

100% correct! Digital signal processing should now be completely disabled.

These filters must be removed to prevent Roon from processing data through the DSP engine (and therefore consuming CPU resources and generating noise). Roon added a DSP bypass setting in version 2.0, but I still see slightly higher CPU utilization unless the filters are completely removed. More investigation is needed.

Also, should the 'Parallelize Delta-Sigma modulator' be set YES?
I'm asking because I see is only for multiple CPU cores which is irrelevant in my case.

No need to configure these settings as the upstream "Sample rate conversion" setting should already be disabled.

That said. please don't let me deter you from enabling DSP and playing around with it. Many people enjoy it.

Thank you very much,

You are quite welcome, sir! Hope you enjoy!

 

[littlej0e]

I have been a lurker and just wanted to pop in and say thanks for this! I just changed all the settings, and it definitely sounds better and more analog/organic. I also feel like I can hear further/deeper into the recordings now.

Cheers!

 

[joseph69]

Thank you very much, @littlej0e I appreciate your input, time & effort in trying to optimize Roon for us all to enjoy further!

 

[Currawong]

This guide assumes you have already downloaded and installed Roon Core/Server 2.0 on your source and Roon Endpoint version 2.0 on a Mac or PC.

• Access the settings menu by clicking on the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) on the top left of the Roon app. Configure the following:
  • Disable the default music folder (not the folder where your music is stored. Roon sometimes automatically adds the default system music folder and this is the one we want to disable)
    • Settings > Storage > kebab menu (three vertical dots) > Disable
  • Set Background audio analysis to Off
    • Settings > Library > Background audio analysis > drop down menu > OFF
    • Note: changing this setting is vitally important for SQ, but also a PITA. You'll need to turn this back on after adding new media to your library then turn it off again.
  • Set On-Demand audio analysis to Off
    • Settings > Library > On-Demand audio analysis > drop down menu > OFF
    • Note: changing this setting is vitally important for SQ, but also a PITA. You'll need to turn this back on after adding new media to your library then turn it off again.
  • Disable all audio zones and devices except for the upstream device (DAC/Network Player) you will use to connect to your Roon Core.
    • Settings > Audio > Connected to Core > DAC/Network Player > Enable
    • Note: ASIO drivers for Windows and ASLA for Linux tend to yield the best audio performance. Though I have heard instances of WASAPI performing just as well in Windows with the right software.
  • Audio Device Settings
    • Settings > Audio > Connected to Core > DAC/Network Player > cogwheel menu
      • DSD playback strategy > Native or DSD over PCM (DoP)
      • MQA capabilities > off
      • Volume Control > Fixed
      • Resync Delay > 0ms
        • Note: if you click play and the first second or so of a track is cut off, increase in 50ms increments until it plays. Some DACs need a few milliseconds to sync with the source before initializing playback.
    • Show Advanced > Drop down menu >
      • Set your DAC's max sample rate for PCM
      • Set your DAC's native bits per sample for PCM (bit depth)
      • Set your DAC's max sample rate for DSD
      • Enable MQA decoder > No
      • Use maximum Buffer size > No
      • Power of 2 Hardware Buffer Size > No or 0
  • Disable DSP and remove filters (don't worry, you can always add these back).
    • Home (main music playback bar at the bottom) > Speaker Icon (lower right) > Click the Sine Wave/hairpin looking thingy (this should open the DSP menu)
      • From the DSP menu:
        • Headroom Management > Disabled
        • Sample rate Conversion > Disabled
        • Parametric EQ > Remove Filter (top right)
        • Convolution > Remove Filter
        • Crossfeed > Remove Filter
        • Audeze Presets > Remove Filter
        • Note: it is important to remove these filters, not just disable them.

The rest of the optimizations will be done at the hardware, BIOS and operating system level. That will be covered in the "Building a Custom Digital Source" thread.

You can also use these optimizations as a litmus test of sorts. If you change these settings and can't hear a difference in your rig. Leave this thread and don't give "optimizing" Roon another thought.

Hope this helps!

-lj

Are you using a DAC directly connected to the computer where your Roon library resides? The only thing I've done differently is I never shut off background analysis, but I use a streamer or Raspberry Pi (with DietPi) as a network endpoint.

 

[littlej0e]

Are you using a DAC directly connected to the computer where your Roon library resides?

Correct. My streamer is directly connected to the DAC via USB. I'm working on a post to help folks build custom streamers that will go into much, much greater detail.

The only thing I've done differently is I never shut off background analysis, but I use a streamer or Raspberry Pi (with DietPi) as a network endpoint.

Definitely try disabling the background analysis and see if you hear any improvement. In my experience, this singular tweak tends to yield the biggest gains in direct connect systems. But I haven't tried it on networked source configurations, so YMMV.

As a rule, I tend not to recommend split Roon processing/delivery configurations like yours because most people's home networks are either configured poorly or they lack practical knowledge as to how to control the variables in between. That said, I still think split streamer solutions like yours have among the highest performance ceilings of any digital source configuration, especially with Roon. But it shifts complexity and introduces a whole host of different problems in between processing and playback devices such as broadcast isolation, switch noise, latency, galvanically isolated Ethernet versus fiber, etc., etc. There are plenty of tricks like using media converters (Ethernet-to-fiber, USB-to-fiber, etc.), but I've never liked what these do to the sound.

To be clear, almost every ultra high performance streamer uses the exact same design philosophy you are using. They just implement it in a different way by using separate processors, PCIE cards, etc. that use the motherboard as the intermediary transmission medium instead of a network. I think software and network process isolation could be of particular use to you. What underlying operating system are you running on your Roon processing node, Windows or Linux?

 

[littlej0e]

Are you using a DAC directly connected to the computer where your Roon library resides? The only thing I've done differently is I never shut off background analysis, but I use a streamer or Raspberry Pi (with DietPi) as a network endpoint.

Also forgot to mention that I've always enjoyed your grounded and analytical approach to reviews. Much appreciated!