Roon newbie here. I am on the fence about purchasing Roon lifetime as I want to ensure my devices will work since there is no refund. I’ve read some posts on here and there are some horror stories.
I recently purchased KEF LS50W and the LSX is also in my future. I know the LS50W and LSX are compatible so I have minimal concerns with those two options.
I also have the Klipsch Stadium that I couldn’t let go of so it’s in my garage for work out motivation. The Stadium has Bluetooth, AirPlay, RCA, optical, and USB inputs. I assume I could purchase a Roon Ready streamer which should allow the Stadium to be used as an endpoint. I read the Bluesound Node 2i is a good option to achieve this. Are my assumptions correct and would the Bluesound be a good Buy?
My setup would be Roon Nucleus Core, KEF LS50 would be hardwired, Stadium could use AirPlay, I believe, or the streamer.
I’ve read the posts on the “horror stories” as you phrased it and I feel for those having issues but I don’t understand it. I have not had any significant issues in the year I’ve had Roon. I can only attribute that to luck that I had a robust Network in place before finding Roon. I assume it also helps that I live in an old neighborhood with large lots. Our closest neighbor is probably 100 yards away, so no interference.
Roon works so well for me it is easy to recommend without reservation. I have a Nuc/Rock (DYI nucleus), with HDMI to my receiver, Ethernet and USB to a Roon Ready OPPO DAC, Ethernet to a PC/DAC in the bedroom and Ethernet to a Roon Ready speaker system in the Kitchen. But I started out all wireless and Roon worked enough that I went lifetime subscription direct from the trial.
Yes, if you pay $119.88 for an annual subscription, you can switch to lifetime within 30 days and get $119.88 credit applied against the $699.99 lifetime subscription. If you wait more than 30 days, you don’t get the credit.
You have no way of knowing how the industry will go, what new devices and paradigms will appear, what streaming services there will and there won’t be. Amazon could come up with something better than Roon tomorrow. Tidal and Qobuz could collapse. A yearly sub limits your exposure, and gives you a tiny bit of strength in pushing Roon for new features. Roon costs a good bit less than a cup of coffee a week. It’s worth that.
I think the Klipsch Stadium needs a DAC, right?
If it didn’t need a DAC, the RPi would be my second suggestion, after trying Airplay. But there are DAC HATs that would work fine with the RPi (maybe that’s what @xxx meant).
Bluesound generally plays well with Roon. We have an old Bluesound Pulse and it’s great as a Roon Ready wireless endpoint. But there are threads about problems with the Node 2i. If you can return it you’re covered.
Frankly, I think the choice between lifetime and annual is more determined by personality than any rationale.
It’s a gamble, but my personal risk model favors an annual subscription rather than lifetime. It would take about six years to break even on the $700 investment. It seems perfectly reasonable to think a competitor would offer a superior product by then. Imagine, something with all that Roon offers - but with a modern, intuitive UI, remote access capability, and more streaming integrations. I think it could happen before late 2026. But who knows.
only $699
I am lifelong user. I think I was very hasty when I brought Roon.
at first I was satisfied Roon in some aspect but time passed there are so many errors and bugs
but only $699 all you have to throw in the trash.
In your life that is a just small experience and your system also will be growing.
Just one my recomendation is that Do Not buy the Roon nucleus core if you use not Roon due to so many reason, Roon core also will be useless and there are so many other good options for Roon core.
To the OP, I would break the decision into two decisions. First, should you subscribe to Roon at all? You have 15 or 30 days to decide that. If yes, then subscribe for one year at $119.88 and give yourself more time to decide about lifetime. You have 30 more days if you want a $119.88 credit. Otherwise, you can convert to lifetime at any time in the future for $699.99, as long as lifetime is still available.
One other point, I don’t know, but I suspect there will be price increases for the annual subscription in the future. The $699.99, 5.8 year break-even could be reduced.
Wifi is solid in the garage. I’m looking to squeeze the best sound I can out of every endpoint. Would a RPi accomplish this? I have an extra B in a drawer somewhere.
All my endpoints are RPis.
Endpoint #1 is into an iFi Pro DAC.
Endpoint #2 is into a Topping D90 DAC.
Endpoint #3 is into an iFi DAC2 into some Klipsch powered speakers.
If what you plan on doing is listening to music via local catalog and streaming, you shouldn’t have any issues. Network needs to be strong. Roon Core needs to be hard wired. Yes it will work with wifi, but performance will suffer and that is not the fault of the program, but the network. You need to ensure your equipment meets the minimum specification. If you plan on using a lot of DSP, you will need extra computing horsepower. The lifetime subscription is a risk with around a six year payoff. I think Roon will still be here, but again it’s a risk. Consider it the price of a cheap DAC, or other component that depreciates. Note that Roon doesn’t really want to incur additional lifetime subscriptions, hence the price increase. At some point the lifetime subscription will be terminated. There are several threads in the forum on that.
It will if you can fit in the necessary D to A conversion. A stripped down RPi doesn’t have DAC capabilities. You can tack them on to a RPi (via HATs) to make it a streamer.
