Interesting?
Or not?
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Conclusion: What we can conclude is that there really is no difference within the digital domain. Whether you use ROON, JRiver, Foobar, WMP or any other package, they are bit perfect. If you are going to process, of course there are differences. Some do it better than others. The question is whether processing is desirable at all.
And yet, even on this forum there are gents discussing sound differences introduced by the motherboard and processor used on the media server…
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Interesting, but it won’t make a bit (pun intended) of difference.
People believe what they want/need to believe, in spite of any congressional hearings.
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Straightforward article with a predictable conclusion. Regarding discussions on the forums. It’s possible people are hearing real differences but drawing erroneous conclusions as to the cause. Establishing good test conditions with few variables isn’t easy.
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Thanks @AceRimmer, I like reading such comparisons and find the selection of programs successful. It gets our think tank in the head moving again.
There is so much out there in the player world and each of these versions has its strengths and weaknesses, temporary problems in the operating system environment, .Net development environment, graphics drivers and more. Some are easy to use, others need time, diligence and patience.
Some programs are fancy, others are very feature-rich, some are very easy to use, recently selected programs offer additional images and texts and allow streaming in addition to the local library. Roon scores the most points in many dimensions.
No program is ahead in the race everywhere, it’s no different with sound. We only ever see it with our own eyes, ears and tools.
Since I view my limitations in this regard not only through my own glasses and hi-fi components, but also through the shortcomings of my ears, I may personally come to different sensations and recommendations than a billion people.
The belief to see the sky or to hear the divine has created world religions.
In the audiophile field, there are indeed some tinkerers,
who believe they can do better than others and yet we get to audiophile or musical heaven so differently in device and software.
Let everyone swear allegiance to his brand or switch if he thinks he hears or sees something that has never come into view or to the ear.
But one general tendency should not be overlooked, the technical solutions differ and Roon has managed with many hardware manufacturers to pull many people from iTunes, Windows Mediaplayer, Amarok, Foobar2000, JRiver, Plex, LMS & Co here. In the process, the mostly free version was deselected or supplemented in exchange for purchase or rental. A contingency plan is also not a bad idea. Especially when Roon is temporarily times not Ready.
As a physical collector with a big heart for vinyl you have always done it that way and I read here a lot of exactly these other software solutions that others use as a digital substitute temporarily or simultaneously when the Internet does not want as the user. Some also prefer to wire networks only in their own house and do not believe in the always stable network through the whole digital world.
Very rarely the change consideration is only the sound, but who can persuade himself with religious zeal, Audirvana has the better sound, should try it like Jim himself and then again with friends here his music enjoy. Even a break of several months with a provider is no problem, the music just has to play and always finds its way to the beloved crown. Breaks also stabilize the mood and sharpen the mind. The heart always flies to the beloved solution to the euphony of life.
There are billions of people out there who use music services even for free. In most cases, one’s intangible collection is only on Spotify, Apple Music or Amazon.
It’s better for the artists and for the collector if there are several smaller specialty stores like Qobuz, Tidal or Bandcamp. Even the store on the artist side and direct marketing has already been created. The further you get into this music world, the more willingly money flows into good technology and good sound.
There is no substitute for the diverse concerts with regional references and sounds. Artists, customers and also Roon should not make themselves dependent on the very big ones and must consider this independence even in the service chain.
The wish box remains filled to the brim and yet every feature brings experiences that a new line of code, another service provider in the service chain, a special customer system and much more significantly increase support requests. I admire the team and volunteers who face the problems here in improved team formation and yet always have to advertise sufficient patience. The excuse that things don’t always happen quite quickly is never missing!
If we are honest, we recognize in ourselves how difficult it is to run more successfully into the finish line with a lot of patience. Our eyes, ears and other senses do not always play harmonies and equanimity, but Roon Ready we want to stay if it does not create unsolvable problems. Here Roon is always looking for reinforcements and has such good connections in the audiophile world that it remains possible to work for really good sound worldwide, independent of manufacturers.
Then experts may test what they can hear, see and understand.
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