Why not: Tidal is a separate company as well
MQA and Tidal are separate
So, MQA/Tidal/Roon/Sooloos integration would be necessary to keep current Meridian customers happy
In recent comments, Meridian has implied they will go forward with the current Sooloos 2.x code base, improving and adding new functionality (see: http://www.meridianunplugged.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=234574#Post234574).
While Sooloos and Roon will probably gain an easier coextistence, I think the idea of further integration is highly unlikely, at least in the near future.
Would be a pity.
What’s your interpretation of this:
“Moreover, we are enabling the Sooloos music library to be ‘watched’ allowing you to try alternative music control apps, such as the forthcoming Roon software, but to keep all of your superior, bespoke metadata”
Coexistence, really: Roon being able to ‘read’ from Sooloos stores (including the metadata that’s missing when reading an SMB share in its current form). Roon has also proposed an endpoint release mechanism for easier switching between Sooloos and Roon. That’s all for now, I guess.
On the other hand – since running Roon, I have sold my Sooloos Core device (MC200). While I love my DSP speakers and MS600 source, the overall Roon experience beats Sooloos hands down, as long as you’re willing to run a dedicated Roon core PC/Mac and can live without a tablet remote for a few weeks (iOS) or hours (Android).
Using your MC200 for example as the store and endpoint and running the Roon sw as the core or Server as Roon call it.
Russ
My interpetation is as follows;
Meridian has said farewell to some of it’s Sooloos staff to form a spin-off what now is Roon Labs. As they can perform better as a company that stands on it’s own.
When their product becomes better than the “old Sooloos” experience, Meridian can only do one thing; implement Roon as a second core option next to Sooloos so the customer can choose, or replace it.
I think Meridian will listen to it’s customers, they’ll have to.
I sincerely doubt that. Meridian will continue to offer and end-to-end solution for its customers, even if they are opening up their infrastructure slightly by enabling Core and Store functionality on QNAP. Current hardware like MC200 and most lower end Intel-based QNAPs will not be able to cope well with the higher system demands of Roon.
What Meridian will do is make it easier for Sooloos customers to run Roon in parallel with their Sooloos infrastructure: having the files reside in one place only (Sooloos Store) will be a big benefit. Roon will however still need a Core of its own: currently on a PC or Mac, and in future releases probably also in headless configurations on Linux / NAS devices.
Maybe you’re right about that. Let’s see what’s going to happen in the near future. I may hope what John Buchanan says won’t take months or years, but weeks instead.
But Roon doesn’t run on all the current Sooloos hardware, the choice is run the full Meridian Sooloos system which Meridian have said they will continue to support and ‘develop’ or disable your current core or replace your core device and run Roon on a pc of the required specification, I own a lot of Meridian equipment including Sooloos and have moved to Roon, the equipment I have chosen to retire are an MD600 and a Control 10, the MD600 is still usable as a store if required or indeed quite saleable, the Control 10 less so, ALL the endpoints function perfectly. I see waiting for Meridian to integrate Roon into current/future Sooloos hardware as an alternative core as a misplaced expectation, however Roon is already fully integrated with the Meridian endpoints even allowing you to put them into standby.
If you have a pc or mac you can spare for a while why not try it?
Russ
I might do this, but I’m afraid I can’t do anything with it right now. Sure I can install Roon but at the moment I’m tied with my Olive 4HD. Great sound but Olive forgot to update and upgrade their userinterface. I mean on their older players. 2 months ago I bought the Olive One with new interface but this was a big dissapointment for me. I sold the One.
Right now I’m saving money (and at the same time, waiting how Roon is develloping) to replace my current device. I was hoping Roon came out with a complete package; for PC, Mac as well as control via iPad/tablet/mobile. But this may still take a while I think. My hopes are on Meridian to be very flexible (even more) regarding third party software like Roon, and to give Meridian customers the choice of using Sooloos or Roon. They seem similar but then again…they aren’t. Some will find Sooloos is their thing, others have played with Roon and are hooked on it.
Yesterday I installed Roon on my MacMini as a core. I exported the content of my MC200 to Roon and to my surprise I play Roon via my MC200 without any problem (so without defining the MC200 as just an endpoint and or switching of the MC200 as a core)
It sounds really great! Even better than before !?
The User Interface of Roon via OSX is fantastic, Tidal integration works seamless.
Can’t wait to replace the Meridian/Sooloos app on my iPad by Roon…
@Niek_Kuizenga – glad you got it working, but it will stop working… as soon as the Sooloos core realizes it lost the audio endpoint, it’s going to steal it back.
Hi Danny,
So far, so good.
Under which circumstances will the Sooloos core steal it back?
Unsure… I don’t have access to the latest Sooloos code anymore, but I am surprised it hasn’t already stolen it back. Looks like a bug in Sooloos.