Is there any sound quality improvement with the new Roon 1.8? What are the improvements, if any?

Roon Software Discussion
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The Roon 1.8 will be release soon, is there any works done to improve the sound quality, if there are anything still to be improved.
I have besides Roon also other software as Audirvana, Jriver MC27, JPlay and HQplayer, but for my taste of sound, I still using only Roon, altough all other software release their improvement update.I wonder if it is time for Roon to do improvements too.

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It should be clarified - by how many percent will the sound quality be improved?

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Based on the existing facts, it will exactly 13.7%. In the frequency range 20 - 100 Hz, there will be no treble anymore, giving a more solid fundament to the music.

Sorry. Could not resist. :rofl:

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No idea, with today sound quality of Roon, I am satisfy. But other softwares company did update and indeed sound quality are improve, especially on Audirvana and MC27. Thats why I asked Roon team, if there is still space for improvement in SQ as others did.

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I think the Roon team announced that it will be “more-bit-perfecter”.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist either!

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I think they stopped jitter going through Ethernet.
(Tongue firmly in cheek).

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SQ improvement will require retuning your Ethernet port bias to 1.8 and a week of break in! (sorry, I couldn’t help myself)

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I buy pre broken in ethernet cables from data centres when they upgrade. Sure it’s only cat6 but it’s had several PB of data run through already and really sounds great.

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The pre-release publicity makes no claim of improved sound quality and the reviews by audio writers who have had Beta access that I have read do not mention any improvement.

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As others say they did.

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Wonder how much you could make out of actually selling those… Add a bunch of fancy connectors, bill 'em as “the world’s most directional Ethernet cables” or something. And braid’em to do a range of speaker cables as well.

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I’ve used Roon with Squeeze emulation enabled into a Squeeze bridge software with large output memory buffers configured. It’s still bit perfect but it sounds better. The is a layer of grungy haze removed in the upper most treble region.

It’s quite clear and easy to compare with multiple zones sending to the same DAC via Ethernet. No, it’s not night and day. I still enjoy the music either way but if I’m listening to the system, I enjoy the sound more via Squeezebox emulation. The downside is Roon gets all wacky from time to time with large buffers and requires all the software in between to be restarted.

On the other hand I don’t hear any substantive differences with various Ethernet cables, nor ‘audiophile’ switches.

There are improvements to be had but I don’t think it will ever be a focus or spoken about officially.

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Grungy haze, eh? You’ve got to stop playing those covers of Nirvana songs.

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Sounds more like a Jimi Hendrix outtake. No doubt soon to be released by those barrel-scrapers at the Hendrix Estate.

In any case, those listening to different ethernet cables are wasting their time, because from Roon 1.8 onwards, only cryogenically treated cables will show any improvement. ‘Highly resolving system’ owners only, of course.

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  • Pinches nose and jumps head first into rabbit hole.

If this were the case surely it would be the simplest thing to capture the audio output and compare A/B and have proof of a difference. And everyone with any sense would be marketing their haze free products.

I find it very odd that in all the history of digital recording no one has been able to provide such proof. The only evidence given is subject/opinion of a perceived difference. Rather like the wine buffs preferring the plonk they were told was ÂŁ100/bottle.

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I find soaking myself in brandy from the inside out is the surest and most repeatable way of improving sound quality. Cheaper than most cables too.

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I once stayed in a hotel in Brighton (explains a lot I suppose) were they genuinely had a bath of champagne on the room service menu. Was some number of Balthazar bottles, struggle, or perhaps don’t want to imagine the type of person who would have ordered it.

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Haven’t we had “perfect sound forever” since the 80’s?

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Well, since Audionirvana sound at least 0,5% maybe even as high as 0,6% better compared to Roon there is massive room for a tremendous performance upgrade. Roon should be at least 0,05% better than any competition else it is not worth it’s money. I would be happy to pay an additional $1000,- on my lifetime subscription for a 1% improvement in sound quality. It’s the most important thing in life to me. I don’t want to waste my precious time listening to anything inferior.

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I think the reason you don’t see answers to this question is that it’s hard to know even how to parse the question, let alone respond. Not trying to be mean or snarky, I just don’t know what SQ improvements across all symptoms would entail. Not not not trying to get folks to explain to me why bits aren’t just bits (cf, a gazillion other threads), just don’t know what would constitute a good path to go down. If we knew what “defects vs another also bitperfect stream” there were, maybe we’d have something to pursue. But I’ll admit that just because I don’t believe in ghosts doesn’t mean there are no ghosts.

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