[some dude]

I still don’t totally understand what Roon is or does. I tried to watch a few videos on YouTube to understand it better but I feel like without actually using it hands on I’m not totally understanding the benefits it offers. If If If I’m primarily using an iPhone as a source what would be the advantages of using Roon over just using Apple Music on the highest lossless quality settings? Can Roon even access my Apple Music account because all of my music is on there?

For reference or context if it helps I am mostly using an iPhone into a mojo 2 into a HE1000SE. Sometimes I will use a wa7 tube amp instead of the mojo.

I am considering adding a poly to the mojo which supports Roon I read which is kinda what prompted this question. If I had a poly is there much of an advantage to using roon over just using Apple Music with airplay?

Also I’ve read that roon has preset EQs for different headphones. Is that super good? Like worth the price of Roon alone good? The mojo 2 has a modest 4 band EQ to bump up the bass and pull back the treble a hair built in but I’m sure it’s no where near as good as the Roon EQ.

 

[Monsterzero]

I feel like without actually using it hands on I’m not totally understanding the benefits it offers.

You're correct. One cannot fully grasp everything Roon does until you actually use it. I could type for hours trying to explain Roon and still forget a lot of stuff.

Personally I could not go back to the old way of listening to music after experiencing Roon, and that's coming from someone who resisted Roon and streaming in general for years.

That being said, to get the most out of Roon you need to also subscribe to either Qobuz and/or Tidal, both of which work within the Roon software seamlessly.

Think of it like this; Roon is a

interactive music wiki
music organizer
DSP
world-wide radio
music search engine
playlist creator
music playback
music suggestions based upon what you're currently listening to, based upon

band
genre
members
producers
studio used, etc...

Also I’ve read that roon has preset EQs for different headphones. Is that super good?

The EQ presets are only for Audeze specific headphones. You can create your own EQ settings and yes it's much more powerful and in-depth than what a Mojo can do.

 

[some dude]

You're correct. One cannot fully grasp everything Roon does until you actually use it. I could type for hours trying to explain Roon and still forget a lot of stuff.

Personally I could not go back to the old way of listening to music after experiencing Roon, and that's coming from someone who resisted Roon and streaming in general for years.

That being said, to get the most out of Roon you need to also subscribe to either Qobuz and/or Tidal, both of which work within the Roon software seamlessly.

Think of it like this; Roon is a

interactive music wiki
music organizer
DSP
world-wide radio
music search engine
playlist creator
music playback
music suggestions based upon what you're currently listening to, based upon

band
genre
members
producers
studio used


The EQ presets are only for Audeze specific headphones. You can create your own EQ settings and yes it's much more powerful and in-depth than what a Mojo can do.

Wait so I need a Qubuz subscription and a roon subscription? (Not using tidal I tried it and it sucks). I thought I had read once that it can work with Apple Music but maybe I am wrong about that. Qubuz does sound decent and worth looking into though.

 

[Monsterzero]

Wait so I need a Qubuz subscription and a roon subscription? (Not using tidal I tried it and it sucks). I thought I had read once that it can work with Apple Music but maybe I am wrong about that. Qubuz does sound decent and worth looking into though.

Yeah, so you do not need a Qobuz or Tidal subscription, but it makes a huge difference. For example, If you're reading about the Beatles and you head over to their discography section you will find hundreds of studio, live, singles, compilation albums, but without a subscription to Tidal or Qobuz you will not be able to actually listen to them.
Roon is not a streaming service. If you own a Beatles album and have it locally stored Roon will play it back for you, but only what is locally stored. If you want to hear other Beatles albums in Hi Rez or Redbook that you do not own, that's where you will need Qobuz or Tidal.

As far as it's compatibility with Apple Music, I have no clue. I escaped to Android years ago and havent looked back.

BTW, I added a good Roon video in my above response.

 

[Svperstar]

As of June 2023 does Qobuz or Tidal have a better selection of music?

 

[Monsterzero]

As of June 2023 does Qobuz or Tidal have a better selection of music?

It depends on what genres you're into. I find that Tidal has a better selection of obscure metal bands and trance artists. Qobuz has a better SQ and offers better bitrate versions of albums, where available.

FWIW I subscribe to both Tidal and Qobuz and between the two I can usually find an album or band 90-95% of the time.

 

[Svperstar]

I still don’t totally understand what Roon is or does. I tried to watch a few videos on YouTube to understand it better but I feel like without actually using it hands on I’m not totally understanding the benefits it offers.

I've been reading about Roon forever but never used it till I went to a meetup. I don't own a streamer but multiple people did there.

Basically you got on the wifi at the meet, opened up Roon on your phone, and it showed all the available streamers by name and if they were playing music or not.

Then you just put on the headphones you wanted to listen too at the streamer you wanted, and clicked on it on your phone and searched any music you wanted on your phone. Done. It was very slick.

For listening at home I am still not convinced I need to pay the $600 Roon fee or however much it is, but for meetups and sharing with people it was very nice.

 

[some dude]

I guess if nothing else I’ll at least give the Qubuz free trial a shot to see if it’s ok or not. If I end up liking Qubuz then I guess I’ll consider adding roon maybe…

 

[Monsterzero]

The one-time lifetime Roon subscription is a healthy chunk of change. I pay for it monthly, which in the longrun is stupid on my part as in the 4 years I've had it I've spent more on Roon than the price of the one time offer.

I view Roon+Qobuz+Tidal the same way I view internet, electricity, water and gas. An essential part of modern existence that automatically is deducted from my bank account each month.

I guess if nothing else I’ll at least give the Qubuz free trial a shot to see if it’s ok or not. If I end up liking Qubuz then I guess I’ll consider adding roon maybe…

I'd suggest doing the Qobuz and Roon together at the same time. They work together within the Roon software. You do not need to leave Roon to access Qobuz

 

[KrauserX91]

I started to experiment with Audirvana and Roon past week and I kept Roon. When Roon its combined with Qobuz is quite addictive. The navigation is intuitive, fluid, and all the info you can find in every corner. This week I started to use Roon in combination with HQPlayer and experiment with DSP settings between both. At the moment I am subscribed to Qobuz+Roon and using daily. Using HQP sometimes separately, but the bad thing is the interface is hard and when mixing with Roon, the delay between both is bothering me. I would wish Roon had all the settings HQP has, would be insta lifetime buy.

 

[Monsterzero]

For me, the best part of Roon is exposing me to both old and new music that I was previously unaware of.
When I started with Roon I had approx 45,000 files that were locally stored.
My library is now over 91,000

@goldwerger can probably add some more details about Roon that I'm forgetting.

 

[KrauserX91]

I have seen Roon has also extensions. Is there any interesting extension we should to try?

I found apparenlty a list of the available extensions in GitHub:

https://github.com/search?p=1&q=roon-extensions&type=Repositories

 

[Monsterzero]

I have seen Roon has also extensions. Is there any interesting extension we should to try?

I found apparenlty a list of the available extensions in GitHub:

https://github.com/search?p=1&q=roon-extensions&type=Repositories

I'm old and like to keep it simple. That's way above my security clearance
That being said if you find anything great plz report back.

 

[DeadEars]

I have seen Roon has also extensions. Is there any interesting extension we should to try?

I found apparenlty a list of the available extensions in GitHub:

https://github.com/search?p=1&q=roon-extensions&type=Repositories

The one extension I've found that has become a central part of my listening routine on Roon is one called RooDial which gives you a way to connect a Microsoft DIAL as a Roon player controller. This is a big fat finger-friendly button that sits next to my listening chair. I can tap it to pause playback, rotate to control volume up/down. When my total focus is on listening, especially in the dark, the DIAL button is perfect. It is a big contrast to the usual Roon Ux. Normally, during playback you can be doom scrolling Roon screens. Roon opens the door to a wealth of information: reviews of albums, links to producers, musicians, and back-up players, or if you are a classical lover, to composers and performers. If I am hearing a performance of Bach French Suites, I can instantly call up other performances and queue them for listening or track down other performers, or see recommendations for other works I might like. It's a wonderful way to drill down into the music you love. But for actual "just listening" the RooDial extension is a marvelous thing.

 

[jonmbarlow]

does anybody know of a website (not ebay) that you can order Intel NUC pc's from in the UK with Roon Rock installed?