Every now and then I look around to see if there is an alternative to roon. I’ve tried all kinds of streaming services, streamers and apps. Most recently I was going to go a week with Tidal only, thinking I could save a few bucks and streamline.
The experiment lasted two days. First I tried using the Tidal desktop app. That works OK, but there’s no way to control it from my tablet/phone. Well, there is a way, using a rudimentary mouse/keyboard app, but that is not optimal. Then I tried using chromecast, the only other option since my setup doesn’t have Tidal Connect. It sounds OK, but I have no idea what is happening in the black box signal path and that causes anxiety even though I probably can’t hear the difference.
But after two days I started missing the seamless integration between server, client and remote. I missed RAAT and being able to see exactly what was being served and how it was being processed. I mostly missed the metadata, endless discovery, artist/genre connections, focus, bookmarks, etc. And the roon daily mixes, which are better than Tidal’s.
Roon is clearly the most sophisticated music playback software available, and I’ve tried them all. Yes, it’s expensive. Being retired, I’m always looking for ways to save a few bucks per month. But I have to keep reminding myself that I can afford it (at least for now), and not much else I spend money on provides such enjoyment on a daily basis. (Senior/AARP discount anyone?)
I’ve ended up getting lifetime last year, before the current price increase.
The price equals pretty much the cost of a single piece of equipment. About what I’ve paid for my new Octavio AMP. Pricey yes, but worth it for me.
I’m not retired. And work full time. But being single I have to pay for everything myself. Still coughing up the 699 Euro was well worth it for me, since Roon is like a nice piece of pie with a cherry on top.
The streaming apps don’t even come close to what Roon offers.
6 Likes
Jim_F
(Remember - It's easier to Keep a Customer than to get a New One)
3
Buy Roon lifetime and there will be no more savings to be had. PS: I’ve been retired over 19 years. “A bad day of retirement is better than a good day of work.” And, I had a pretty plush corporate job for 34 years.
The addictive nature of Roon and the severe withdrawal symptoms that ensue when people attempt to kick the habit needs to be brought to the attention of our legislatures.
This addiction seems to have taken hold amongst a certain vulnerable demographic of the population.
What is even crueller to observe is the rage and frustration that happens amongst the addicted when Roon is not working, even for the shortest period of time.
I am 75 years old and a confirmed ROON addict: I do think they should offer a discount for a lifetime subscription….
I bought a lifetime sub to Consumer Reports magazine some 50 years ago: that continues to be a great deal. But I wish I had bought gold 50 years ago….
After 4 years with lifetime sub I break even next month. Haven’t felt the need to check other offerings. Roon offers everything we need to have music in every room in the house and all around our property.
Granted, I had to buy a 100’ Ethernet cable to reach inside the metal shop building and 200’ cable for the greenhouse but that’s a small price to pay to have music there when you want it.
$1,000 invested in gold 50 years ago is now worth $16,092. That’s an annualized return of 5.71%. S&P annualized return over same period is almost double at 10.63%. I’m happy that I invested in the S&P index funds.
p.s. 7.5 years into my lifetime membership. Another good investment.
I purchased Roon when it first became available as a one time charge. Once I understood what I was getting it became a easy decision. I did not want to make monthly payments. I must say that I am more than happy with my purchase.
How about me and similar like me. I am living in very poor country and I am retired (64), but in love with music and ROON. I have problems to pay lifetime at once but I somehow manage to pay yearly subscription. I ask roon to think about discount for people who are paying yearly subscription for some years. They say it is not option ???
The reason Roon is so enjoyable is that they charge for the service. The typical .com model is to either harvest your data and/or sell adds leading to a less satisfying experience. There are few pieces of software I enjoy and find most “apps” frustrating. I find the ux design stellar and worth the investment. I also hate paying for things monthly and bought a lifetime subscription a few years ago. Having been in the software field for my entire career, it does cost money to create and support it. It is the cost of a few video games a year and well worth it.
Hello everyone,
Im 61, yet to retire. Cant afford to. Lol.
Life Roon Memberships. The decision was easy because ive been streaming since 2003 with squeezebox.
Initially, ran Roon on Synology server and moved on to Nucleus and then to NUC intel i7 11th gen.
Had Nucleus for 5 years until it started rebooting itself and i couldn’t resolve the problem. So i moved on to NUC - which is great and fantastic at a fraction of Nucleus cost.
The bottom line is, Roon is great. When it falls/fails, now and then, please lets help it to make it better. Nothing compares.
I’m 7 years into a lifetime subscription and I have never regretted that decision. It was the best on the market 7 years ago and I have yet to see anything that even comes close to the integration or interface today. Some of the upgrades over the years have been a little bumpy, but that’s to be expected with improvement and innovation. I’m very happy with what I considered to be an investment and I’m also very grateful to everyone that helps fund the development of this app Here’s a huge “Thank you” to everyone helping to keep this going with your monthly, yearly and lifetime subscriptions!
I bought lifetime subscription the day after the 30 day trial ended Nov 2018.
This November w/o the subscription I would’ve paid $720.00 total
Subscription cost me $499.00.
Although I’m happy to have saved $220+ so far, the company still needs funds to survive and thrive. So those currently paying the yearly rental, you’re helping the company more that lifetime members.
I may one day buy one of Roon’s product’s from their website, but god are they high for most of it, lol.
I’m Jealous! I turn 48 this Sept - my target is by 58 - 60 I want to retire! Will have to slow down on the audiophile hobby but will have more time to do other cool hobbies like gardening fishing and hiking outdoors.
