I am interested in subscribing to Roon. However, I need to understand compatabilty and usability matters. Specifically, will I fully benefit as a potential Roon subscriber if my speakers are NOT Roon ready? I am a Tidal Hi-Fi plus subscriber and use a Windows 11 OS wit i7 Processor etc. My speakers are: Q Acoustics M20 HD (obtaining up to -24 Bit / 192), although, these are NOT Roon ready. I will also be using the QA QB12 Sub (connecting to the above speakers and to my PC). So, with my set up, and my speakers NOT being Roon ready, would I fully benefit from a Roon subscription, if so, how? If not, please confirm. Thank you.
Roon Server Platform
Windows
Roon Server Specifications
HP Envy Sysetm (37’’ Curved), Core i7 Processor, 16GB RAM, Windows 11 OS (64). Devices connected; Seagate External HDD (5TB), iFi Zen DAC V2 (for Sony XM5 Headphones) and Logitech Craft Keyboard and Logitech MX3 S Mouse. That is pretty much it.
Connected Audio Devices
Audio Devices, QA M20 HD speakers, QA QB12 Sub, iFi Zen DAC V2 (for headphones) and Seagate HDD (USB connection).
Home Network Details
My Roon set up (if I subscribe), will be Wi-Fi Network (BT).
If you can place the active speaker close enough to your Roon Server, you will almost certainly be able to connect it using USB directly from the Roon Server. Similarly, if you using a Windows or Mac machine with a SPDIF over TOSLINK output then you should be able to connect to the passive speaker using that.
If you can’t connect the speaker to the Roon Server itself, you will need a device running as a Roon bridge in some fashion.
That might be another computer (a Raspberry Pi running RoPieee will be good enough) connected to the speakers using USB.
Or it could be something like a Wiim Pro (plus) connected either with optical or with an analog connection (The Wiim’s do not support a USB connection to a DAC).
If absolutely necessary you could even use a phone as the Roon bridge connecting to the speakers over bluetooth - but that is probably the last option to consider.
Not being familiar with the Q Acoustics M20, I’m not sure how you would connect a subwoofer.