I did a test comparing the Naim and Roon apps a few months ago when there was much debate about which sounded better when streaming Qobuz tracks. I have repeated it today using Qobuz Connect and Roon with the same methodology.
Streamer/Amp: Naim Uniti Nova
Audio Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2
DAW: Studio One 7 Pro
Headphones: beyerdynamic DT 900 PRO X studio headphones
Track: The The, Cognitive Dissident
Bit rate/depth for playback and recording: 96/24
Method:
- Record the track from Roon and Qobus on separate audio tracks in S1 Pro.
- Compare waveforms, which as can be seen from the image below, are identical.
- A/B the audio by simultaneously playing both tracks, switching back and forth from one to the other. You cannot tell that it is being switched, it sounds like a continuous stream.
N.B. Unlike my previous test, I did not have to normalise the waveforms, the levels are the same.
I don’t doubt other peoples’ experiences which are different to these findings, they could be attributed to variances in the implementation of Roon and Qobuz Connect on different hardware, but on my system, there is clearly no advantage in either, so for me it’s down to UI preference.
My previous test comparing the Naim and Roon apps: So Long Roon - #59 by Nick_Cassidy