Control4 setup with Roon

[Scott_Newnam]

Can someone clarify a couple of question on Roon with C4. First, it appears that using the Roon interface in C4, that you can only play to Roon enabled devices. So is it correct that if you have a regular C4 matrix switch with audio inputs only from an ea controller, that there is no way to play Roon through the matrix switch? Second, the way the zones work, is it true that roon can be the only C4 source to a Roon zone/room since the audio end points can only connect to one. In other words, if I had a Sonos playbar set as an endpoint for Roon, I could not also play iHeartRadio, Napster, etc. to that same endpoint (so the zones become Roon only). @SteveSilberman @support

[noris]

Hi @Scott_Newnam,

Thanks for your questions here, let me address them below:

is it correct that if you have a regular C4 matrix switch with audio inputs only from an ea controller, that there is no way to play Roon through the matrix switch?

The Roon module in Control4 Composer will only expose endpoints that are compatible with the Roon application.

We are currently working on some improvements with routing audio through audio matrices such as the Triad AV switch and the Control4 module. We are still in the development process for this functionality. Do note though that this kind of Audio routing would have to be done through Composer and not through Roon itself.

if I had a Sonos playbar set as an endpoint for Roon, I could not also play iHeartRadio, Napster, etc. to that same endpoint (so the zones become Roon only)

Using Roon with Sonos will work similarly to other streaming services on the device. When you stream to a Sonos zone using Roon, it will switch to its “Roon” input. If you use the Sonos app to start playback from a different service such as iHeartRadio/Napster/Spotify, the device will simply stop playback in Roon and switch to whatever service was requested.

– Noris

[Scott_Newnam]

Thanks Noris. Just to be clear on the second question. What I am trying to confirm is that once you set a device as a Roon Zone/Room, then from Control4 you can only play Roon to it. In other words, you could not use the Control4 interface to stream Napster, iHeart Radio, and other services to it since it is locked to just Roon via Control4. This is how the drivers appears to work, but I just want to confirm. Thanks.

[noris]

Hi @Scott_Newnam,

Apologies for the slight delay in getting back to you here.

From my understanding, it should be possible to use both the Roon module and other modules (such as Sonos) in the same room by connecting the AUDIO_SELECTION & AUDIO_VOLUME to their respective endpoints.

For example, you can have the Roon Zone’s AUDIO_SELECTION connected to Audio End-Point 1 and the Sonos module’s AUDIO_SELECTION connected to Audio End-Point 2.

Similarly, the Roon Zone’s AUDIO_VOLUME can be connected to Audio Volume 1 and the Sonos module’s AUDIO_VOLUME can be connected to Audio Volume 2.

For further specifics, you may want to check in with Control4 or Sonos directly, but my understanding is that a setup like the one I mentioned above should work for Roon + another module in the same room.

Just in case you need some more info regarding the module, our Control4 module documentation can be found here: Roon Control4 User Guide.

Thanks,
Noris