Very happy with Roon. I started with iTunes but when I upgraded my music system the compressed music didn’t live up to my expectations. After re-ripping my cd’s to ALAC and FLAC, I switched to Roon/Quobuz and never looked back. The technical problems have easily been researched on the Roon Community. My favorite threads in the community are what others are listening to. Many Roon members have excellent taste in music. I’d buy a lifetime membership but I may not live long enough. Year to year is fine.
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Count me in on the appreciative remarks. Roon does what it says on the tin. It simplifies what is a complex process to deliver high res music around the house to a variety of set ups. Yes, there can be issues but I have learnt that merely switching off the NUC for 30 seconds or so and turning it back on solves most issues. Also, a credit to Qobuz which is an excellent streaming service.
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I am looking for a very good quality streamer and I have in mind the ones you have (how lucky!).
IN principle I opted for the Lumin U1 but I have not heard the Sonore Signature Rendu SE.
Could you comment on the differences between them? Which is the best? It would be a great help.
Thank you.
Hmmmm. That’s a tough one @dBA_SOLUCIONS_ELECTR …
Quantitatively, there are some things I like about each.
The Lumin U1 is built like a tank and screams high end quality. I really like the separate LPS. Lumin provides an excellent app and incredibly frequent updates are free and can be downloaded and installed via the app. The app can provide a fall-back listening capability if by some chance Roon has issues. Their support is absolutely top shelf. Peter Lie aka @wklie is super active on Roon’s forums, and is incredibly responsive and helpful. The U1 does not have an optical network i/f so if you care about galvanic isolation of the network (and this is a contentious issue for many…) you’d have to add a converter separately (I have done this). Since they have put an optical connector on their newer X1, I’d bet future iterations of the U1 will likely have it…
The Sonore Signature Rendu SE is also very well built and looks very good, but does not have the same design style as the U1 and has an integrated LPS vs a separate box. Sonore does not have an app, only a web interface and all updates have to be purchased and mailed to you via microsd card. Given this updates are way less frequent and you have to take some responsibility to keep up to speed with the updates that are available. You also don’t have the fall back ability to use an app if Roon has problems. I do really like the optical network i/f on the Sonore for galvanic isolation, and that was an excellent recent upgrade to the Sig Rendu SE design and they offered a upgrade program for previous purchasers of the SE which was good. Sonore also provides very good support though not quite at the level of Lumin in my opinion. Sonore does have a huge advantage on price as it is a fair bit cheaper than the U1.
From a qualitative aspect, I need to caveat that I have not done a A/B test of Sonore vs Lumin – these devices are in different rooms with different setups so I can’t give anything definitive other than to say my impression is the soundstage of the Lumin just seems a bit bigger and more well defined than the Sonore. YMMV. Having said that, they are both at the top of the game for streamers and IMHO I think it would be impossible not to be happy with either. If it were me and $s wasn’t an issue I think the U1 would win slightly on sound but also on design, the app, support and frequent updates and enhancements. Conversely, if you want to save some money, buy the Sonore and be happy.
Good luck with your decision!
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I’m also very happy… I have ROON for little over a month now… I had yearly subscription, in the second week I knew I need it forever, converted to lifetime…
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Thank you very much for your detailed reply.
Just over two years and I am so happy with Roon. Roon brought me back to the music. I would get so frustrated looking for music, have CD’s scattered throughout the listening environment like I’d been on a three day music bender. Roon helped me find, catalog, and enjoy the music. Beyond organization and easy intuitive interface, the built in digital signal processing is an incredible benefit. The integration with Qobuz is seamless. Roon is rock solid, just turn on my NUC and no tinkering it is just there. Thank you Roon for your efforts and the OP for giving us an opportunity to say thank you.
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Yup, I’m astonished I can say I’m satisfied with a piece of software! But Roon is a tiny, tiny cost of my overall system yet provides huge pleasure. Yaas, always good to argue about feature lists, but great to hear from those who are getting as much enjoyment out of it as I am 
H
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Not quite true…only major updates every 2 or 3 years…all other updates are downloaded for free…just had a new free one a few weeks ago…and yes they sent a free card for SE owners.
Nice to see positive experience that mirrors mine. Lifetime member and Roon continues to meet my needs and expectations.
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I’m a new lifer. Have been into music playback 35 years. I hesitated about the lifetime subscription as I feel it is expensive after last year’s 40% price hike. I was going to go with a yearly subscription, but did so for years with cable TV, and wasn’t happy about the expense. Hopefully Roon will continue, and my referring new users will be my financial method of supporting Roon down the road.
Previously was a regular Audirvana for playback user, which I feel is a great-sounding playback software, and I still use it. In my view, Roon helps with music organization, music distribution in the home, and artist info / discovering new artists. I’m a fan of the magazine layout and the convenience of learning about artists while listening to them, all from one location, vs scouring the internet on my own. With gear manufacturers working closely with Roon, this is also an added benefit.
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There is one other factor I would add on your question of lumin vs sonore. Today I began testing a brand new feature just added to my lumin devices via a firmware update called Leedh volume control. There is a whole active topic in the Roon forums on this here: LUMIN Music - Leedh Processing
Leedh volume control is in theory bringing lossless volume control to digital devices and Lumin is one of the first ones to implement it. It’s getting really good reviews and many think its superior to typical preamp analog controls – even very high end ones. Of course YMMV.
But utilizing this feature allows you to turn on “Device Volume Control” in Roon and have it control Leedh in Lumin. By doing you can if you choose have your DAC output go directly to an amp and eliminate the need for a preamp thereby simplifying the audio chain and (of course again YMMV) improving sound quality.
In one of my setups I was going from my U1 to Dave/Blu and using Dave’s preamp for volume control. Since Dave wasn’t roon ready, Roon could not control the volume which made me have to use another handheld remote for volume control. With Leedh in my U1 I am able to put the Dave in DAC Mode, thereby bypassing the preamp controls in Dave and going directly to my amp and utilize volume control in Roon. Although I’m still testing, my first impression it is a slight improvement in sound quality and I really like having the volume control in Roon.
I note this for you as this is another + in the column for the U1 vs Sonore but whether it’s useful for you will depend on your setup and your qualitative judgement of sound quality …
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Hi Craig, you are kind enough to update your comments. Thank you.
I have ruled out Sonore since there is no direct distribution in my country.
So the clearest option is still Lumin, otherwise it will be Innuos.
I have read the post that you have posted and I don’t know if it’s because of the language but I can’t find that they ensure that roon can control Leedh. But if you certify it, it will be so. If you turn down the volume from Roon, is it reflected in the Lumin app?
Regards,
Great post & agree fully as a very new user. Been using Roon for less than a month & it still wows me how good & intuitive it is.
The customer service is beyond exemplary. This morning I requested a Live Radio station to be added. 2 hours later, DONE!
What an amazing product & organisation. All have a virtual beer on me.
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FWIW, @BrianW is responsible for Live Radio. He isn’t a Roon employee. Rather like a force of nature.
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Hey @grossmsj,
A tribute to his sterling efforts below;
@BrianW - Because he’s the hero Roon deserves, the one we need right now. So we’ll send him Live Radio requests, because he can take it, because he’s the hero. He’s an internet radio guardian, the earful protector, The Musical Knight.
- Jim Gordan(ish)
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I had to look the reference up. Very nice but no more please (don’t forget I’m a moderator and can delete stuff…)
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Yes, when using Roon, Lumin still uses Leedh Processing Volume (if enabled) to play the music from Roon over network RAAT.
Yes, the volume changed in Roon is reflected in Lumin app too.
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Correct me if I’m wrong. I think the Dave DAC mode applies -3dB digital volume, and I believe Dave preamp mode set to 0dB should bypass the Dave digital volume completely. 0dB is a better setting in theory for your setup. If I’m right, there may be further improvement this way.