Don’t have an extensive local library?
Don’t need Muse DSP?
Don’t have different device types in which Roon gives a common control interface?
Don’t have a need for muti-zone synchronized playback?
Don’t have a need for the rich metadata?
Paying for Roon would be silly if all the above are true, IMO.
Buy lifetime and don’t worry about it after that.
I went lifetime over 2 years ago after 2 annual subscriptions. I was busy upgrading my 20 year old equipment at the time. And Roon basically equaled the cost of a single piece of hifi. So it was worth it to me.
Fast forward to the present. Roon serves 3 streamers from different brands, ARC on my iPhone. And Qobuz, Tidal and my local collection all in one neat package.
The only regret I have is that I didn’t went lifetime earlier. But oh well. Can’t change the past now can I 
.
Simple test – TURN IT OFF Then see if you miss it ,
My 2p is if you were using Roon “properly” and using a fair number of it’s features you will turn it back on in days …
My only worry is if the day comes that Roon dies
As long as the discussion is allowed, I don’t think is the purview of any individual user to question the motivations of any person posting.
Done that, I don’t.
It is entirely ok to question the motive behind some postings here in this thread, as done by @Jim_F.
I happen to completely agree with him.
This is the best way - I have done this a couple of times when I`m looking for areas to do some budget cuts in my monthly spending. I decide to use only Spotify/Tidal for a week and see how it goes.
Everytime im back at Roon before the week is over.
But it seems, from following various threads, that you have gone through a particularly bad patch with Roon of late , so it’s understandable that the “love affair” has faded and the search for alternatives is on.
Personally I haven’t had any significant failures , (maybe excepting the iOS sleeping app syndrome that is now fixed) so I am happy to keep going. Omissions like Box Set handling are starting to irk, Coming Soon will soon be strained since the other 2 of the Harman Improvements have already made it.
I must admit I keep JRiver current “just in case” and for very specific search requirements like Box Sets but for the time being I am still 99% Roon and happy with it . If JRiver decided to support Tidal, I may reconsider. That said using JRiver server in conjunction with the Naim app is a good alternative.
Each to his own.
I’ve never not been able to use it like some, but I just expect it to perform to a standard and to me that standard has dropped a lot since 1.8 and gotten dreadful since 2.0.
Releases are too often and have half baked features that have too many bugs that take too long to fix or just ignored, we also get many regressions and new ones each release. Getting them sorted is a lottery, and some are left to fester until they finally affect more people and then they sit up and take notice.
It feels all testing is now done via EA programme and users it seems. For OpenSource software I expect that for paid premium I do not. It all feels like there are just targets to be met, features to be added now and those need to be met regardless of stability and quality.
Also after 8 months after raising this as a support problem, I get this as the final answer.
I am not the only one that often sees this issue, it never used to happen and is something they have changed, this was the final straw for me. Not as if I am on low spec hardware.
I’m familiar with LMS aka Lyrion Music Server and I was using LMS prior to discovering and using Roon, which was around the time that LMS’s future was rather uncertain. I was also using the Penguin mobile app, as well as the LMS plugins MUSO and moose. All four of these together still did not match what Roon is capable of doing. For example they did not provide the metadata and hyperlinking available with Roon.
If things have changed and improved with Lyrion, please let me know. Thanks!
4 posts were split to a new topic: Lack of transparency as to feature requests
I guess it depends on how one interprets the posts they are reading. Personally, I see others posting their experiences and opinions on why Roon may not be worth it to them, but I don’t see anyone trying to convince everyone else that they should feel the same way about Roon.
If everyone who didn’t like Roon just left and didn’t express their opinions and experiences, we’d just be left with a Roon fan echo chamber. 
PS - while I may not agree with @Jim_F on this, I respect his right to post his opinion on the matter.
On topic, I’m not sure I would find Roon worthwhile if I only used streaming services. Before Roon, I tried streaming but it never really stuck with me. When I signed up for Roon in 2016, it was solely for managing my local library. Some time later, I added Qobuz. Roon’s ability to present my Qobuz favorites and my local collection as one really got me hooked on having streaming with my local collection.
A post was split to a new topic: Qobuz Connect and streaming DACs
I only got back into music in a serious way about 5 years ago. I have used Pandora, Apple Music, Tidal, Qobuz, Sirius XM, Audirvana, and Roon. IMHO, Roon is very worthwhile with just streaming compared to the others.
EDIT: That said, I think Roon can be very complex and is not for the faint of heart.
People are too defensive of the platform. Why would motivation matter? People might disagree, there is an implication of a witch hunt there. This is not a cult, you know… Or at least I hope…
Roon works, I use it, I like it enough to pay for it. But I and everyone else is allowed to say the baby is ugly (yet charming! 
)
Someone else called setting up a Roon environment “not for the faint of heart” - I think that’s what’s at the heart of the divide. Those of us for which it is not really a big deal (TRIVIALLY SIMPLE, in fact! ) tend to be more impartial about it.
Or to more directly address @Jim_F 's question… “What is the objective?” : Doesn’t matter.
And yes, I don’t see Qobuz Connect replacing Roon for me.
If the objective is to vent, then OK. If the objective is to convince people to leave, that’s not cool on a Roon forum. If the objective is to motivate improvements by Roon, then post in the Feature Suggestions category where Roon will see them at least.
I am using Roon less and less as I have Eversolo streamers in my house which can play Apple music in high resolution.
The first year Roon was available I bought a lifetime subscription and have enjoyed it immensely.
Nonetheless, I just ran into Tidal Music’s 10k limit and I can no longer add albums to Roon to play.
I guess I could go to Qobuz but the Apple app is terrible and slow even with an iphone 15 pro. Qobuz Connect would make it more appealing though I highly doubt it will be better than Spotify Connect. There is no Iwatch Qobuz support for the gym.
When Spotify goes lossless ,even with a small monthly price increase , it will suck Tidal and to a lesser extent Qobuz dry.
