Fixed vs device volume

Use Device Controls causes Roon to pass volume commands on to your device via the device’s driver. Exactly what happens next varies from device to device. If your device advertises a high-quality volume control over USB, it’s likely that this is the setting that you want.

Fixed Volume disables volume control from within Roon, sending a fixed-level output signal to the audio device. Use this setting if you plan to control volume elsewhere–for instance, on your pre-amplifier or AV receiver.

https://kb.roonlabs.com/Audio_Setup_Basics