I am investigating a possible upgrade to a Roon Ready AV receiver, and found this article:
Here the Onkyo TX-RZ30 is described as “Roon Ready”, but elsewhere only the more powerful and expensive TX-RX70 is “Roon Ready” and the RZ30 is merely “Roon Tested”. Is the article above mistaken, or is “Roon Ready” a status that can be present for a model one day and gone another? The TX-RX70 is really more powerful than I need, so the RZ30 is appealing.
Thanks for any illumination.
This is the official partner page if your device isn’t here it’s not certified
@Christian_Jensen1, looking at Roon’s Partner page for Onkyo, Title of Page, it does not appear the TX-RZ30 is either Roon Tested or Roon Ready.
The English specification sheet lists AirPlay as well as Chromecast support, so it should be able to be listed at least as Roon Tested at some point.
I understand that if it’s not listed now, it isn’t supported, but could it be that a model used to be listed but isn’t any longer? I.e. could the article describing th RZ30 as Roon Ready have been correct at one time? Just wondering if models go into and out of support.
@Christian_Jensen1, not sure how to answer you. Roon has been made aware of this question but they typically do not monitor the Audio Gear Talk category. You also may want to check with Onkyo and ask if they have submitted this model for Roon Ready certification.
Unlikely, I suspect the author did not validate his information sources, it’s not the first time device reviewers have got Roon Certification status wrong.
The Onkyo specification sheet only lists the TX-RZ30 as Roon Tested (that will be using Airplay), however, even that is not listed on Roon’s site.
I would recommend reaching out directly to Onkyo for clarification, in the meantime I’ve reached out to Roon for comment on this topic.
thanks for the heads up - directed internally!
Thanks. As a person new to Roon, I can attest that the certification statuses require a little study to understand. I was mainly interested in whether a model could be Roon Ready one month and then not-ready sometime later, but that appears not to be the case.
The TX-RX70 looks very nice, but is more capacious than a I really need, and the RZ30 seemed like a better fit. Not ready to buy quite yet anyway…
Thanks everyone for the replies.
Hot off the press, Roon have confirmed that the TX-RZ30 is Roon Tested, but it is not and never has been Roon Ready.
Thanks for the update. I would prefer Roon Ready, but this model is a better match to my needs and physical AV shelving space.
Hey @Christian_Jensen1, welcome to Roon, and Roon Community! It’s great to have you with us.
I’m happy to help with a couple of your questions and hopefully clarify things a bit.
I can’t think of a time when this ever happened, and if it did, it would be a huge anomaly. Once Roon Ready certification is obtained for a device, they’re good to go and ready to enjoy worry-free. I have a couple of older devices in my home that are Roon Ready but have been superseded by newer models, and they all still work great.
Roon Ready devices are the highest level of certification and offer the greatest degree of integration with Roon. They have embedded Roon technology, offer a range of benefits, and use our custom in-house RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) streaming protocol, which is explicitly designed for Roon. It’s a collaborative partnership between Roon and the manufacturer that guarantees a superlative experience.
Roon Tested devices also offer a reliable and enjoyable experience. They just don’t use our RAAT network streaming method — instead, they use a wired connection like USB or alternative streaming methods such as Chromecast, AirPlay, Sonos, etc.
The Onkyo TX-RZ30 is an example of that. It offers both AirPlay and Chromecast, plus wired connectivity options. But, it doesn’t have Roon tech integrated inside the device.
This helpful video features Enno Vandermeer, one of Roon’s founders, discussing the differences between Roon Ready & Roon Tested.
Another thing you can consider if the Onkyo TX-RZ30 is the best fit for your needs is simply connecting a Roon Ready Bridge device to it. That device would establish a connection between your Roon Server and the Onkyo. The Roon Ready Bridge is visible to Roon and passes the audio stream through that device and on to the Onkyo receiver. It’s not exactly as seamless as having a Roon Ready device, but it’s a viable alternative.
This method is a very popular workaround among Roon customers who are looking for a way to make their existing systems Roon Ready. So much so that I’m currently writing a new How to Roon blog article on this very subject. It’s one most frequently asked questions we get from customers.
A couple of popular devices for doing this are the WiiM Pro Plus, and WiiM Ultra, any of the various Bluesound Node devices — or if you’re a DIY enthusiast, installing Roon Bridge on a compatible device you build yourself. You’ll find loads of threads with details on that here in Community.
Just something to think about if your heart is set on the Onkyo TX-RZ30
Thanks for that confirmation. Good to hear.
Very interesting. Thanks. Will hold out for something that is Roon Ready based on this info among others.
“This can get a bit confusing.” – Enno V above. (I agree! 
)
@Christian_Jensen1, happy to help! Hope you find something that works for you. 
It is very easy to put a bridge to connect roon to your avr. The wiims and or bluesounds that jamie mentioned are great and inexpensive places to start.
Thanks for that tip, but my AVR is getting old enough that it is missing features that I find myself wanting, so, I think I will upgrade.
The Onkyos I’ve been looking at are expensive and really too big for my space, both in terms of sheer size, power, etc., especially re: number of channels.
I have happily used Denons in the past, and am now leaning toward the Roon Ready Denon AVR-S670H, which in terms of price, size, channels, etc., is more appropriate for me. HEOS and most other mod cons are present.
I have the Onkyo rz50. Currently available for $999. It works perfectly with Roon. It also has enough current to drive my LRS+ speakers if that is of any use to you. The internal dac is fine but I am currently using my nucleus one to a Schiit modi multibit dac via usb and the dac into the streamer analogue input on the Onkyo. Very satisfactory.
In case you’re looking for any kind of roon ready AVR keep in mind that the AVR’s roon/RAAT integration doesn’t necessarily support multichannel and/or DSD. In many cases roon ready AVRs would only support PCM stereo via roon/RAAT, unfortunately.
Yes, seems tough to find a perfect solution. I notice that the AVR-S670H supports DSD, which I don’t require, but appreciate the support for this new-to-me format.
Same with PCM multichannel. Mostly not implemented with AVR’s roon/RAAT integrations.
But if you’re not interested in multichannel (PCM or DSD) or DSD (also stereo), you’ll very likely find some nice roon ready AVR .
Any Roon Ready AVRs you recommend that definitely support multichannel and/or DSD?
