So I have an Oppo 205 driving an Audio Research preamp so I’m a 100% analog environment save for the Oppo. Still one of the best Blu-ray players on the planet 6 years removed and full DLNA renderer, I know this device is also Roon capable but how would I hook it into the system?
I could care less about multi-room playback…my only need is to play Qobuz in its high res form, including gapless playback to my main system. Mconnect works off my phone but it is a kludge to say the least and it’s far from gapless. I obviously want to avoid any hardware as I have enough expense there, but how would the room software work with the Oppo. I have a Windows laptop and an Android phone as well. Can someone give me the layman’s answer of what I would do?
Install Roon on your laptop and connect your Oppo to your network with ethernet or WIFI. You can control Roon with your laptop, phone, or tablet or all of them.
Years ago they never got to the bottom of my issues with a Cambridge audio CXN gapless !! I gave up being Roon by then. The only advantage MConnect has is Tidal/Qobuz in the same app as a a DNLA server.
Try @Jim_F suggestion , and work from there , understanding Roon Architecture is key so read that link
Got it going. Took me a while to find the proper driver to send through the network cuz at first I thought I had to set up a USB cable to use the ASIO like with J River.
Now I’m just wondering does it have support for multi-channel if the Room hardware can accept it? Seems to always down mix to two channel…
Thanks Jim. I just watched that video prior to this post but what kind of threw me was the “core” section details…including the Nucleus extra. But in my case, since I have the Roon-capable and hi-end DAC Oppo 205 (and only main listening room) all I need is software on the Windows laptop…similar to J River. I’ll give that a shot with the trial period.
Hello Scott, welcome to the Roon community and forum.
I’ve had my OPPO 205 setup with Roon using 3 zone connections. USB for 2 channel PCM/DSD/MQA, Networked for 2 channel PCM/DSD, and also HDMI for PCM Multi-channel. No DSD over HDMI from Roon.
With USB and Network it’s 2 channel only (no .1 sub channel) but it does use the OPPO internal DACs and 7.1 analog outputs.
With HDMI input, as I recall, the OPPO was simply a preamp/passthrough via HDMI to the AVR/AMP but the HDMI connection did allow for Multi-channel playback.
I love my OPPO 205 for disc playback (4k bluray imax cd sacd) but the 2 channel only no subs interface with Roon was a disappointing for me and my multi-channel system setup.
Please advise if you find something different, and enjoy the music.
Well a little digging answered my Oppo question. Obviously they did this right at the tail end of their existence and they were only able to certify Roon for two channel which is very unfortunate. Add DTS CDs to the list of unplayable formats that you get nasty white noise for:
Due to technical limitations within these Oppo products, the audio interface available to the RAAT firmware is unable to support DSD or multichannel playback.
OPPO is investigating a path forward, but as of now, we don’t know if or when these limitations will be bypassed.
That’s one advantage of J River cuz it can handle all this but it’s not nearly as clean an interface. I have all these MCh files on local SSD drives anyway but I was just curious.
So I started last night with the excellent new Beaches album and it played all night in “radio” mode without a hitch–so it’s main core is working beautifully.
No, that is incorrect. Roon RAAT to Oppo UDP-203/205 plays DTS CD just fine. The format is just DTS codec data encapsulated in 16 bit 44.1 kHz Red Book CD audio. Both CD rip and Roon RAAT signal path have to be bit perfect in order to engage the DTS decoder in the Oppo.
What I found that it CAN’T play to the Oppo Is multi-channel or true DSD… It will do the sacrilegious conversion to PCM. That is an Oppo stipulation they never ironed out before they went belly up.
I have another question. I have a Bluetooth speaker in the back that is custom designed to use a Chromecast audio device (with the 3.5 dongle) that for some dumb reason Google discontinued. I hear different reports on if that is Roon capable vs Roon ready.
Bottom line: If I connect to Chromecast audio to that speaker, will Roon see it as an endpoint on the Core machine to play to?
And while we’re at it, just what is the difference between Roon CAPABLE and Roon READY. Last I heard CCA was the former…
Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
13
Yep. Chromecast is not quite Roon Ready, but it’s darned close. Next best thing to RAAT.
My (great) bluetooth speaker is also made to have a Chromecast audio hooked up to it as you can see by the picture. Now I just have to find one that’s not three times original selling cost
I know a lot of people stocked up on those back in the day… Any fellow Roon’ers here have one that’s willing to part with it for reasonable cost?
