Can you set Roon to playback in mono

I’m deaf in one ear, so prefer mono playback. Can I set Roon to play in mono?

1 Like

Hi Ian,

Not in Roon currently. A Crossfeed function, intended primarily for headphones, is on the roadmap but it is unlikely to extend all the way to Mono.

Let’s drop a flag for @brian to see if any of the stuff he’s got under wraps on his bench might extend to Mono.

You might find it easier to convert to Mono after the DAC, using a Stereo to Mono Converter.

With my Meridian processer. G61R in this case, Mono is an option along with Stereo, super stereo, Trifield, Ambisonics.
Chris

I’ve never considered the accessibility benefits of mono playback. Thanks, @Ian_Tencor.

There will be a way to accomplish this in Roon 1.3.

2 Likes

Hi Brian

Thank you. I may be deaf in one ear but love great music!

I use a Mac/Roon/Tidal, Chord Mojo DAC and Mr Speakers headphones.

I would like to be able to listen to Roon output in mono.

Do you have any idea when 1.3 will be released?

Best wishes

Ian

Hi Ian,

Although Brian probably has a better idea than anyone else, the reality is that not even the devs know when 1.3 will be released. That is because the testing program for major releases is iterative. If something isn’t working properly in the new version it is fixed or redesigned and then tested again. This ensures that so far as possible, users get fully functional, polished software.

Roon publish bugfix releases and their frequency drops off before a major release is published. That has occurred so we know that 1.3 is impending, but there is no artificial public deadline.

I am using hifiberry w/ roon and I would like to output mono since I only have one speaker in the zone connected, is this possible?

1 Like

Hi Jason,

I moved your post here.

Cheers, Greg

Hello!

1.3 is here, and I see the mono function was not included in the update. Although the crossfeed does help out a bit, it doesn’t really do the trick with more or less all Blue Note Records albums from the fifties and sixties where hard panned stereo is just painful to listen to on headphones over a longer period of time…even with crossfeed activated.

I’m using Lynx AES16 -> Schiit Yggdrasil -> Schiit Mjolnir2 and Sennheisers HD800.
Sonarworks “mono monitoring” function is a fabulous feature that has really changed the way I listen to my jazz collection.

A similar feature in Roon would really be helpful.

1 Like

The positive note, we are in 1.3, but not at the last build yet.
So I am confident @brian will build it in before the last build is send out :slight_smile:

1 Like

We didn’t make a mono button, but we did include a matrix mixer in the Procedural EQ using the “Mix” feature. It’s totally possible to mix both channels down to mono if you want:

Set it up like this:

Left, Left, -3
Right, Right, -3
Left, Right, -3
Right, Left, -3

Pay attention to Headroom Management. If you’re clipping, either make more headroom, or make those -3’s a little bit more negative. You shouldn’t have to go below -6, but it’s nicer to attenuate less when possible.

7 Likes

Ah! I’ll check it out immediately and report back.
Thanks for quick and great advice, appreciate the effort.[quote=“brian, post:11, topic:17507, full:true”]
We didn’t make a mono button, but we did include a matrix mixer in the Procedural EQ using the “Mix” feature. It’s totally possible to mix both channels down to mono if you want:

Set it up like this:

Left, Left, -3
Right, Right, -3
Left, Right, -3
Right, Left, -3

Pay attention to Headroom Management. If you’re clipping, either make more headroom, or make those -3’s a little bit more negative. You shouldn’t have to go below -6, but it’s nicer to attenuate less when possible.
[/quote]

Just a quick test done and it seems to work well!
I’ll do proper testing tomorrow.
Now if there was only a way to toggle this setting on/off. For any other album than hard panned stereo recordings this “mono” mix down sounds awful…

I don’t think there’s an easy toggle, but you can change DSP Presets – saving a bit of handiwork while switching.

1 Like

Hi

How do you do this if you listen with headphones?

Many thanks

Ian

Headphones may be over eyes. Four posts up.

On Meridian Mono is a preset you can use.

I’m considering running a single studio monitor in my kitchen, rather than a pair of cheaper ones. Would your experience of the mono output here incline you to think that the mono would sound bad on some / many albums?

I’m under the impression that not much music these days is panned to a great degree, and so much of it would fall under the “For any other album than hard panned stereo recordings this “mono” mix down sounds awful…” caveat?

1 Like

Good question, I wouldn’t know sorry.
I’d say that the majority of what I’m listening to (jazz from the fifties and sixties) falls under this category.
What I can say is that the mono mixdown sounds awful on more modern albums.

At the moment I’m evaluating Waves NX (Virtual mix room) to bring the perceived positioning of stereo monitors closer together, but not all the way to mono, on my headphones. By doing so I feel I’m saving my ears from a lot of fatigue caused by hard panned stereo. It works MUCH better than any crossfeed I’ve ever heard. Some recordings fall flat and die from a mono mixdown and this has proven to be a very good solution for me, AND it doesn’t require me to change setting for more modern recordings. Money well spent!

But it doesn’t work with Roon. I’m using a wrapper to get the NX plugin to work with jRiver. I’d love to see a similar function in Roon some day…

Not sure if this was at all helpful.

Sounds like I should get a pair of speakers then :slight_smile: