There are many users that have Roon running in Docker, I suspect the setup and instructions are good. Have you opened a support case?
Very poor instructions. For the music library and backup, you can try the method we use to add server folders in Windows \\192.168ā¦.\Music once you get into the Roon app. The backup option on the sign in screen just went in circles, fully restored, and then the app would never connect to the server. Finally got this to work after uninstalling docker and redoing everything, manually entering the server folder paths in the Roon App. Now the sound quality sounds like utter trash - exaggerated treble, little mid-range, nasty. When playing music CPU utilization used to be around 10%, now its 30%. All year, the Roon iPhone app was a buggy mess, lived with it, and the new updates every 2 weeks with constant nagging to update. Now they purposefully destroyed QNAP for all users without as much as an email notice to force us to buy Nucleus. Not happening. What alternatives exist to this expensive mountain of wasted time and money?
Restarted the QNAP for the first time after the āfixā. Everything still works. The native Roon Server app remains stopped. Docker launched in the background and the Roon app connects and remembers the library server path, username and password. Now the sound quality is absolute āloudness buttonā headache inducing trash. Years, tens of thousands of dollars, building around Roon and the PS Audio Directstream DAC wasted. But I will not buy the Nucleus from these people. Has any QNAP users found a good alternative to Roon?
I havenāt tried it myself yet, still running old package on Synology. Plan to move to docker soon as the old package wonāt be maintained.
The communication from Roon on this was questionable, but there was emails sent out that the new version would not be compatible with QNAP going forward.
If you want to still be on QNAP I suggest opening a support case and get your issues sorted. As mentioned, many users are up and running without any issues on QNAP using docker.
there should be no changes on sound, if there are then something in your system is not setup correctly.
Also AAC/iTunes file work with the docker app. Didnāt have to go through the whole ffmpeg ordeal that Roon put us through years ago. Excited for the next disaster!
@Shawn_Khan1, this is a discussion topic. Please open a Support request. Thank you.
Regarding docker generator and the installation process itself, I agree, instructions are very detailed. Roonlabs staff is doing a great job in support category, Kudos to everyone of them!
Having helped a bunch of users with their individual setups, after I had had some more weeks to try things myself, I see certain room for improvement when it comes to documentation of NAS-specific aspects of the docker installation, as well as troubleshooting. Simple things like figuring out the correct share path for music files, pose more of an obstacles to less tech-savvy users than anticipated. And among QNAP and legacy Synology owners there seem to be quite a few.
On my QNAP I donāt hear any difference in sound quality after passage to containerā¦ streamer connected through the network though.
g
Thanks, this gave me hope! After restarting and giving it a night, the CPU utilization when playing has returned to normal. The aggressive sound persists, absolutely headache inducing. Listened to 3 songs, and still have a headache an hour later. With the PS Audio Directstream DAC the sound is more forward, leading edges sharper, and the REL S/812 is being pushed at the lowest frequencies its capable of (it doesnāt have a ELF (Extreme Low Frequency) trim control like JL Audio. Horrible waste of my time and money. Thereās another software called AudirvÄna Origin that Iām hoping works on QNAP, and provides good sound. I have no idea if it can play AAC files or if Iām going to have to go through all the hassle I had with Roon a few years back - but anything to get off Roon at this point.
There is no rational reason for the same software using the same hardware affecting what you hear. A Docker container is not a virtual machine, which virtualises hardware, but an isolated application with the necessary dependencies that uses the hostās Linux kernel just like native apps do.
Something else is at play, so you may want to investigate.
Shawn, I understand the frustration, especially if the old QNAP package was working well for you and the migration felt more complicated than expected.
But I would be very careful before attributing a change in sound quality to Docker itself.
Roon Server running in Docker is still Roon Server. Docker is not a virtual machine in the traditional sense and it should not be āprocessingā or ācolouringā the audio. If the same music files are sent to the same endpoint/DAC with the same Roon settings, and the Signal Path is still lossless, there should be no intrinsic reason for the sound to become brighter, harsher, or more aggressive simply because the server is now running inside a container.
In my own case, on a QNAP TS-453Be, moving Roon Server to Docker has actually improved responsiveness compared with the old native QNAP package. Search is faster, the app feels snappier, and playback is stable. I have not noticed any degradation in sound quality.
So before giving up on Roon, I would check a few basic things:
Is the Signal Path still lossless?
Are DSP, Volume Leveling and Headroom Management exactly as before?
Are you playing to the same audio zone/endpoint as before?
Is the DAC connected in the same way?
If you are using USB directly from the QNAP, was USB audio support enabled correctly in the container configuration?
Has Roon perhaps created a new zone with default settings after the migration?
Iām not dismissing what you hear. Iām only suggesting that, if the sound has changed after the migration, the most likely explanation is a configuration difference somewhere in the chain, not Docker itself.
Roon in Docker on QNAP can work very well. It may need a little more setup than the old package, but once configured properly it is a solid solution.