ROON server as endpoint

Roon Software Discussion
1

Hi,

This is my first post on the board. Please forgive me if this question was asked before. I’m wondering if ROON server can be used as end point. I want to do the following:

  1. Install ROON server core on a headless MacMini outside of my music room and control it with the iPad app
  2. Use ROON server as endpoint running on another headless computer (win2012 server -> JPlay ASIO -> DAC)
2

In your system only 1 Roon installation is the actual server the rest are remotes. Remotes can control their own end points or the server’s endpoint. they cannot control each other’s endpoints. That functionality will come eventually in a package known as Roonspeakers.

  1. So if you install a headless PC in the music Room with RoonServer server you can control that headless PC with an Ipad
  2. There should only be 1 RoonServer installation in a networked enviroment as there will be issues.
  3. You can install Roon on a PC remove the monitor then remote control that pc from an Ipad and play music served to computer 2 from the Roon Core.
3

Here’s is what I did:

  1. Istalled ROON server (Core) on a headless MacMini
  2. Installed ROON remote on a windows machine in my music room and selected my ROON server as my music library

With this setup my iPad app can see the server but cannot see the remote ROON running in my music room. Basically, my idea is to separate ROON library management process from the playback machine. To have both machines headless and control the playback with an iPad app.

Thanks for your help.

4

Remotes can only control and see a server not other remotes. This will change when Roonspeakers is released.

5

Ok, thanks for the clarification. Any ideas when the roonspeakers are going to be available?

6

Other than they are working in it. There has been no release date hinted.

7

My guess is that it is likely to be the next major feature released. It will open up so many more possibilities for users and complete a large part of the vision for the product. Getting it into a secure state for the Windows and Mac environments is not a simple exercise. The number of devices and drivers to be supported is large and they can have idiosyncratic behaviours.

8

To be honest, I’m not so happy with the sound quality. This is why I’m trying to find a better way of running ROON software including the separation of the music server from the playback. While ROON is the music lover’s paradise it’s still quite behind from the audiophile’s point of view. I want to love ROON but unfortunately I can’t. It’s just an ordinary software when it comes to the music reproduction. Who needs all those features when you don’t like the sound of ROON.

9

It would probably help if we knew what you were comparing it to that you do like. Have to say that my Roon output sounds fantastic.

10

So far the best sound I heard in my system was from BH Infinity Blade -> JPlay ASIO in a 2 PC setup. But even Audirvana+ or JPlayStreamer in a 2 PC setup sounded much better in my system. ROON is on par with JRiver which I don’t like, the sound is quite flat and there is no an airy 3D effect that I can hear from BH. It’s just a sound and not the music that hear from ROON so far.

It’s funny but I heard the Meridian system on TAVES last year. I was expecting to be wowed but I wasn’t. I heard much more modestly priced systems that delivered a better musical result. I think that the roon team is making a mistake by shifting their focus from what most of us consider an audiophile sound to a better user experience. And while the latter is very important, the SQ is of a greater importance imho.

11

Do you have Roon set up so that it’s bitperfect to your DAC?

12

Roon itself should be entirely transparent as far as SQ goes. It should be totally up to the SQ of the DACs etc that Roon is either connected to or sending the music files to across a network.

FWIW I don’t think there is a single version of what most “audiophiles” think SQ should be.

1 Like
13

I’m afraid we are going to differ on this as I feel all these software’s that make the music sound “better” are to me adding something to the signal to make it sound more “analogue” or more “3D”. I prefer my bits as bits and if you don’t like the sound they make then buy a - record deck - tape drive - or cassette deck if you want an “analogue” sound.

I do have a very very good record deck and it does sound very nice, but I very rarely listen to it now - can’t think why not.

2 Likes
14

Theoretically bits are bits but the reality is that all bit perfect players sound differently and it’s not because that some are adding or removing anything from the bits. It’s a complicated topic and I don’t want to open this discussion here. When I mentioned an airy 3D sound I referred to the level of transparency, detail and realism that I heard from other bit perfect players, but unfortunately none of those players can deliver the same user experience as ROON does.
Like I stated above I do want my ROON to sound better (subjectively of course) and I’m looking at ways of optimizing it. Let’s see what the next major release delivers.

Thanks to everyone who participates in the discussion.

15

If you have a DSD DAC, try Geoffrey Armstrong’s excellent tip for upsampling Roon content (including Tidal) to DSD.

See Geoffrey Armstrong’s Tip.

This is great, while we wait for HQPlayer to be integrated, and it’s what I do when I run Roon (upsample to DSD128). It sounds awesome.