I have BluOS--NAD 368+BluOS MDC--why do I need Roon?

Audio Gear Talk BluOS: NAD & Bluesound
1

Both Roon and BluOS will integrate with my local music file server. Both will pull in internet streams, but BluOs Controller actually offers better integration with sources other than Tidal. So, what is Roon’s value prop? Why should I let my free trial extend into the paid period?

If it matters, I currently have the 368+BluOs module. I may add another speaker, maybe two or three more speakers, in the coming months–another room in the house, the garage, the basement, the patio. Does this impact the answer to the original question?

2

A couple of things. Do you like using Roon? I presume you do otherwise you wouldn’t be asking the question. Secondly is the BluOs environment enough for you? If and when you fancy an upgrade wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look beyond BluOs without abandoning your means of control and library? In the meantime you still have BluOs for those moments you do the things that Roon cannot.

3

I can’t answer for what’s important to you. However. For me, coming from BlueOS, the main features I use all the time are the metadata cross-linking for easily discovering new music, seamless integration of local/streamed content, Convolution for room correction, Upsampling and Crossfeed for headphone listening. Alongside that, there’s the hardware integration across manufacturers (in my case BS, RPis and an Airplay device) - the RPis give great value endpoints. And this forum has been a great resource.

I think it’s @AndersVinberg who has eloquently talked about the value proposition from the metadata elsewhere on this forum - may be worth searching for.

Clearly, though, it boils down to what’s important to you.

Edit: I also use the Radio, though this sometimes throws out some very surprising musical detours!

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If, after the trial period, you haven’t found a value proposition in roon for your personal use, you probably don’t need roon right now. It’s a (very) nice to have, not a must have. If another solution ticks all your boxes, by all means, go for it.

5

For me it boils down to:

  1. Facts

  • Roon allows multiple brands of hardware. So you could add a non-bluesound device in room 2 or 3 and it would still play “cross-platform” with your bluesound devices. You can go with higher priced/quality devices or cheaper solutions (like a repurposed phone hooked up to speakers).

  • In short, you have a choice that you would not have if you stayed exclusively in the Bluesound/Sonos/Airplay proprietary streaming environments

  • Roon integrates your tidal library with your CD rips. So to the end user how you own the right to play the music is not relevant… it’s a single integrated library - to me this is the BIGGEST value. (I started to collect Vinyl, so being able to find those albums on Tidal and “own” them in my single digital library is a great value)

  • Roon organizes the library to allow you to discover similar artists, collaborators, etc

  • Roon pulls in more metadata (album reviews, lyrics, etc)

  1. Subjective

  • The OS/GUI is way easier to use and navigate… forward, back, easy intuitive menus

  • This borders on “factual” but Roon allows you to learn more about music and “browse” through tidal in a way that BluOS/Tidal itself does not… this leads to discovery of new music, which you then add to your library… your library grows.

  • The BluOS is not intuitively laid out. I find it hard to navigate… it is getting better, but still not there IMO.

  1. Future

  • I hope for library portability to multiple locations/houses/on the go via a cloud. I don’t expect BluOS to ever get there… it’s tethered to your house/hardware. Have you ever tried even taking a Bluesound speaker on vacation and linking it to the local WiFi? What a pain!

  • I hope for integration with additional streaming services, so that if something new comes along… that the streaming items in our library will remain intact and just be rerouted to a different streaming service we are then a subscriber to

  • Roon has confirmed plans for both of the above, but we aren’t there yet

  1. Reasons NOT to get Roon if you have Bluesound:

  • Cost

  • Reliability… I find BluOS connects to my music faster. Sometimes Roon is closed on my computer, or the computer is asleep, or Roon can’t find my BluOS devices, etc…

  • Redundancy… I mean as you say, BluOS is functional

  • Airplay 2… might allow you to connect to multiple brands of hardware for a multi-room experience as well. Certainly Bluesound and a dozen or so others were on their logo splash… so if you are an Apple person, you might find that “cross functionality” that I described from Roon through Airplay as well. We’ll see

6

Just to add: when you said “I plan to add another speaker… does this impact the decision”.

Yes it does if you want to consider speakers that are non Bluesound. Like an old amp, with a pair of trusty speakers that you already own and an Android or IOS phone as your Roon “Endpoint”… is a lot cheaper than rushing out for another Node 2 or even a Pulse Flex speaker. (and would probably sound better than the latter)

If you are the type with extra gear lying around, you might find you can save enough money on rooms 2, 3, to easily justify a lifetime subscription.

7

Thanks, all of you. These are good answers, and give me a number of things to look into during the trial. This is going to be fun.

I appreciate the tone of responses, as well. I knew the question could’ve drawn flames, but instead I see reasoned, sensible replies. Cheers!

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