I see no indication this device is Roon Ready. It’s not listed on their website, and more importantly, it’s not listed on Roon’s list of partners.
It does show as having AirPlay, which Roon can play to as an endpoint, but this is not the same as Roon Ready.
Do you have a link I have missed that indicates otherwise?
I read it somewhere, cannot remember now but I did recently find this write-up which also mentions it:
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I suspect that article is wrong. Perhaps the author isn’t clear on what constitutes Roon Ready? Roon themselves have stated before if a device isn’t listed as Roon Ready on their list of partners ( What does Roon work with? ), then it is not.
There have been issues with some manufacturers claiming Roon Ready while still in the process of being certified by Roon. Some time ago Roon cracked down on this by not allowing devices still in process of certification showing up/functioning as Roon Ready when connected to Roon.
There were past complaints from customers who bought so called Roon Ready devices only to find it not the case, hence why Roon cracked down on this and directed customers to check their Partners page to see if a particular device was in fact certified as Roon Ready (not to be confused with Roon Tested, btw).
I don’t know what the exact situation is with the Tidal device, but it is best to assume if it isn’t listed as Roon Ready on Roon’s Partner page, then it is not Roon Ready.
This seems to be not a “publication” (not that those were necessarily believable either) but a reseller of very pricey gear and snake-oil (Shunyata?!) components. It is highly doubtful that anything they wrote there has any basis in reality.
This rant about ROON sound quality penalty is just nonsense. The only thing you can be certain about when you read this kind of nonsense is that the person writing it either has an agenda or just don´t know what he (or she) are talking about.
Been saying a long time that roon isn’t the best sounding player. Often native apps are better. Apps with storage on the endpoint sound better. They naysayers just haven’t heard it. Doesn’t mean it’s not true. Just do some A/B testing if you can, you’ll see/hear.
Not sure why the Roon fanboys and girls go so hard against this. We should always be asking Roon for better quality sound. Always, always. There are many steamers/sources/solutions with better sound than roon. And roon sounds better or worse depending on your hardware. Ergo there is improvement to be had and roon should be pushing for it.
Go on then, show us a list in SQ order. Which native apps are better on which systems and which endpoint storage apps are better? Just wondering if there is any consensus amongst other Roon users who experience what you have heard.
Maybe. Or maybe all the differences disappear once youve controlled for all the other variables…
Ok so (in no order but yes to being better SQ than roon or a vanilla roon config): Auralic native app, native files in a Chord 2go (though this is a horrendous user experience), the innuos feature with a local SSD cache, innuos with local files on ssd vs nas in another room, roon to HQ player, using squeezebox as the endpoint software (though marginal if at all at times), audirvana over roon any day on the same computer, 98% of all CD players, and the fact that turning on pretty much any muse item in roon drops the SQ.
That enough? I’m sure there’s loads more. 100s. And i’m not saying all SQ lift is in the domain of Roon and software but for a very long time they were staunch on separating files from the endpoint but now their TOTL in house machine has internal SSD storage as the first option for file storage (at least in the list in the ad material). An approach i applaud based on experience. So clearly there are better ways that what they’ve preached int he past.
Can we all agree at least that we’re not at the end of the road in terms of SQ from digital sources? And therefore keep a casual, but constant, eye on ways to improve it?
Roon is top dog in terms of being fun to use. But it’s not the last word in SQ. Until a roon nucleus can equal a $1000 CD player then there is work to do!
On plenty of the configs in my list you can use the local file/app option but also use it as a roon endpoint. And when you do, there is an SQ difference (in my examples roon being the lesser in SQ). If all hardware was the same and then you control for remaining variables you’d be needing to change the code in one to mimic funtion in the other. And at this point your just proving my point that the code in other apps produces better SQ than Roon. Audirvana is an easy example. Same laptop, load both software and try for yourself.
No worries. I’ve just had a look at your shop site…
see above👆
Please don’t dismiss a reasoned post with that. I don’t sell 75% of the brands mentioned, more if you count the software. Actually one I do sell I forgot to list - Grimm. Amazing upsampling vs roon. Please add that to the list.
As I opened with a few posts above. Any talk of roon needing to look into their SQ and people here get so defensive.
As a retailer I’m heavily invested in Roon doing well. I hate the individual apps for their poor UX. I have a huge library of meta data in roon. I don’t want to have to migrate that again. I want Roon to remain the main hub app. Our duty is to praise the good, rally against the bad and prod on the stuff in between.
Well. Bit-perfect digital audio can´t be “better” than bit-perfect. DSP functions can be of different quality, but despite that a “player” can´t better. Since you do not present any proof that ROON is in fact not bit-perfect, you are just spreading FUD.
I’ve never said roon isn’t bit perfect. I’m sure it is. I’m sure they all are. And yet sonic differences remain.
The only conclusion to be drawn here is that you don´t know how digital audio works.
In the A/B testing make sure that the levels are volume matched so that voltages reaching the preamp are identical and that the testing is blind. Changes in volume affect perceived sound quality.
It’s generally pretty rational here; but if you insist on using phrases such as ‘naysayers’ and ‘fanboy’, you’re going to get some pushback. Nevertheless, it was a cheap shot, and I apologise.
This other thing, the Contros, is in transit to me. No comparisons yet.
I have my flame suit on.
same computer, same streamer running ropieee xl, same dac, no upsampling
roon server to streamer/ropieee with raat
lms server to streamer/ropieee with squeezelite
both bitperfect both sound different with squeeze better to my ears.
I know you will say level matching but just turn down the chosen one below the other and listen for 10 minutes. If they are bit perfect why do they sound different?
Because of this I do my exploring in roon and serious listening in squeeze.
The OP has a valid observation.
Flame 
