All, I surrender! My inbox is stuffed with replies to my query. I am a life time subscriber so hold no malice to ROON.
Not a big fan with customer support handed off to web fora but, hey, these are different times. The passion expressed to me on this issue is exactly why a customer may wish to have contact with an informed customer support group rather than fanboys on a web forum as the discussion can quickly devolve into negatives.
I know that my time with Computer Audiophile has completely energized my understanding of that subject but you must acknowledge the dynamics of these type of sites.
A few very active guys start to assume ownershipâŚmy first query, some time ago, had some guy advising me to use the search function more effectivelyâŚof course with the smiley of redemption thingeeâŚlike I need or want that
Forum works tremendously, support also works.
End of this issue,
Best,
Warren
Warren, itâs entirely possible that this miraculous product just isnât for you.
Buying something doesnât give each customer the right to determine what they get.
Roon is quite clearly, a wonder. It does something the most valuable public company in the world hasnât figured out how to do. It has not just a fabulous UI, but better sound. And the pace of revisions is terrific.
This tiny company manages to provide all of this for less than the cost of a dozen records.
Iâd much rather have the team keep their promise and make ever better versions of the software than drop everything to answer one personâs question.
If Roon had made a different promise, the promise of, âwe answer the phone on the first ring and give world-class supportâ then youâd be spot on. Most of the consumer-facing companies that make that promise stumble very badly as they grow, because that sort of support is getting harder to deliver.
Thanks, Roon team, for making magic.
Warren
The old school way had benefits but fast software releases would not be one of them if Roon had to spend more on support and less on development. We all win and one day, if you stick with this product, you will become a fan boy! (I hope)
Cheers
Tom
It so happens that I responded today in a different product forum to someone that didnât like the idea of âforumâ support. The relevant part of that post is below.
âRegarding forum support vs official support: Over the years I have lots of experience with official support channels from Apple, Microsoft, Dell Computer, cable TV companies, etc. Without a doubt, the official support was almost always useless rubbish (people who essentially know nothing reading from a script). In comparison, the help I can get from random, unofficial users just by googling my problem has helped me get specific, useful solutions. And the help I can get from dedicated product forums where there are experienced users is *alwaysâ useful."
I do understand what they are saying completely. Roon is Very expensive compared to any other library software. I think it is amazing in some ways, no doubt. But it does often feel like some kind of open source free project in the way it is presented, and of course it certainly isnât. They undoubtedly have tried to create a helpful, 'audiophile â culture on this forum, which does work and people are very friendly, but it also handily saves them a lot of money employing extra people to answer questions. Like many other aspects of the âaudiophileâ culture, it can appear to be exploitative as many people that are into their sound will spend thousands on hi-fi equipment, so everything associated with it is overpriced, and sometimes even mis-sold. I will probably be subscribing shortly, as I can afford it and It does form a bridge on my PC that is otherwise painful to set up with regards to bit depth and output to a DAC ⌠but lets not kid ourselves here ⌠it isnât a community ⌠itâs an LLC tech company based in New York, the CEO is Enno Vandermeer, who, with his partner/s, sold Sooloos to Meridian, became Executive Vice President of Meridian and has now done a deal to splinter away again with Roon. My point is ⌠they are astute business men and iâm sure there will already be a plan in place for maximum profit. Social enterprise it is not folks.
But nice job and great software here on a positive note 
[customary smiley face to negate any bad feeling instantly]
Roon is not expensive, nor is it like any other music library management/ playback software out there. It is, however, more expensive than lesser products, something I donât think the Roon team need defend or be apologetic about.
Compared to other hi-end products out there with proprietary hardware/software Roon is very reasonably priced.
It is extremely adaptable and youâre not locked into using a closed system like some of the other servers out there.
Agreed, this was a key factor in my decision to purchase Roon - if like Sooloos it had a proprietary/closed hardware ecosystem I wouldnât have considered it.
This is certainly true. And for our (the users) sake, I hope there is not only a plan for maximum profit but that such plan is realized and the company makes substantial profit for its shareholders and employees. For Roon, the company, this is serious business and not a hobby. Without profits there will be no Roon.
Keep in mind that most traditional help-desks employ novices to answer the phone & respond to online chat or email. These people are mostly trained to filter requests and strive to only kick the serious problems up to higher paid development staff. It can be extremely frustrating. If youâve spent any time on the phone with your cable company, you know exactly what I mean.
I find Roonâs approach to be not only highly effective, but far more helpful, engaging and responsive.
With that said, Iâve also seen other forum-based approaches fail for many reasons⌠lack of true skilled involvement by trained staff and overly negative interactions by users that can quickly sink a forum. That, amazingly, does not seem to occur here.
Thanks everyone. At this point, I think we are
