Can the ROON software play through Cat 5 cable?
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You need an audio endpoint which cat 5 cable serves. Meridian MS200 works great here.
What about Nad D 7050?
Could that work?
The networked endpoints currently supported by Roon are AirPlay and Meridian devices.
We are working on supporting more, and on developing a protocol that can be integrated by hardware manufacturers for high-res streaming. PS Audio is one of the companies we are working with.
You can use the NAD D 7050 over AirPlay. AirPlay natively runs at CD quality (16/44.1), so higher-resolution content will be resampled in Roon (not the best for quality) before sending data over the network. If you mostly have CD-quality content or lossy (MP3/AAC) files, then this is a non-issue.
Is it any difference in quality for 16/44.1 using airplay?
I am using NAD D 7050 as an airplay device but also hooked up via its optical input connected to a MacMini running Roon. Works well.
There should’t be any quality concern for 16/44.1 over AirPlay.
(An exception: AppleTV takes a 16/44.1 AirPlay stream from Roon/iTunes/iPod/etc, and then resamples it to internally before putting it out on the HDMI or optical jacks.)
Hi @brian
Is there a difference in terms of
- The underlying technology
- Sound quality
between Airplay (Apple Airport express) and Meridian (MS 200) devices?
Thanks
Hollis
Yes. There are significant differences.
AirPlay is limited to CD-quality (44.1khz/16bit) audio. All other formats must be converted to fit this mold, which results in a significant quality hit for all High-Res content.
AirPlay also requires that the sender of the audio stream owns the stream clock. This is a subtle concept, but it means that your PC’s system clock is being used as an audio clock source instead of the crystal next to the DAC. So if your PC’s clock runs a little bit fast or slow, the device must conform to those timing characteristics. This can introduce further compromises in quality.
For example, if your computer’s clock is 0.1% fast, your computer is decoding a 44100hz audio file, and sending 44144 samples/sec to the audio device. The audio device, which presumably has an accurate 44100hz clock, will either have to drop the extra samples, resample 44144hz -> 44100hz audio internally, or (best case) bend its clock to match the 44144hz input stream.
Clocks that can be “bent” like that are expensive, and not very common in consumer grade hardware. The other techniques come with a tangible quality compromise.
In Meridian’s technology, the crystal in the device owns the audios stream clock completely. This is a lot more complex from an implementation standpoint than a system like AirPlay, but it’s the best choice for quality. Meridian devices support sample rates up to 96k/24bit, as well. This is a much higher quality solution in just about every way.
Our upcoming RoonSpeakers tech is more evolved than the Meridian stuff, and maintains all of the characteristics that make Meridian’s streaming technology a high-quality option.
Awesome. Thanks for your answer.
Looks like a Meridian MS200 + a Wyred Remedy Reclocker (my dac can’t do optical) should do the trick.
Until Roon speakers are fully out anyway. 
Brian,
I am an owner of the PS Audio Perfectwave DAC with bridge and I just discovered Roon. As a vinyl lover, the bridge and the PS Audio DAC are the tools that even allow me to be happy with digital. Roon on the other hand is the first software I have ever seen to control a music collection that I ever was impressed by… It’s simply outstanding, and it is a perfect companion to the excellent PS Audio DAC. (Makes JRiver look like a brown paper bag filled with dog poop)
All this gushing aside, please Please PLEASE make the partnership between Roon & PS Audio network streaming to the bridge work, and soon! There are a lot of PS Audio owners out there, and I think getting this to work is the right thing to do!
Thank you & Good Luck!
- Mark Tomaras
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Mark,
I couldn’t possibly agree more. I’ve owned PS Audio equipment for the better part of a decade now. The latest DSD DAC is wonderful, with the new Bridge 2 added to the mix it’s truly a great rig. I used to use JRiver with great frustration. The software was buggy and seemed to lack maturity. ROON is amazing! And PS Audio + ROON is a match made in heaven. If they can get these two to work together I’ll be a customer for life. And I’m relatively certain others will feel much the same.
Thanks
Scott
Hello,
I just signed the petition “Bring together Roon & PS Audio Bridge II” and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name.
Our goal is to reach 100 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here:
Thanks!
Mark
This is the letter on the petition that is addressed to PS Audio’s Paul McGowan and Roon’s Brian Luczkiewicz
Many of us own PS Audio PerfectWave DAC products. The PS Audio Network Bridge allows the PerfectWave DAC to operate at its fullest potential, and that potential is a force to be reckoned with! For many of you, I am preaching to the choir. This DAC & network enabled Bridge is one of the best available on the market.
Roon is simply the most impressive music management software that I have ever seen, and I think I have seen them all! It is beautifully designed so the experience of listening to music is enhanced while using it, rather than countless other programs that are a tedious distraction. Roon is not overcomplicated, yet it allows us to correctly configure the precise controls that a proper hi-fi DAC such as the PS Audio PerfectWave DAC requires.
For those of you who are Roon users, I urge you to check out the PS Audio PerfectWave DAC. For the PS Audio owners, you MUST download the trial to Roon right away! It will change your life!
This petition is to show support to the good people at Roon & PS Audio. They are already working together to try to figure out how to integrate Roon & the PS Audio Bridge, so this petition is to help them give the project some steam and get it done! Please sign this and forward it to any Roon or PS Audio user that you feel is appropriate. The more support we demonstrate may just push this past the tipping point!
This is happening no matter how many people sign the petition 
PS Audio are enthusiastic Roon have been since the beginning. It’s my understanding that PS Audio is working on integrating the RoonReady SDK into their products.
We have a DirectStream DAC/Bridge here and ready to go for testing/certification as soon as they surface with a firmware update for us to test, and we are standing by in case they need help or support.
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Brian, that is music to my ears! I am excited (obviously) to see it come to fruition. I hope the petition gets a ton of signatures to show you how important the effort is!
thanks,
Mark
Very good news !
I’m sure RoonLabs will also help Bryston, Auralic and others brands to deal with RAAT and provides the best possible User Experience and Sound Quality from their devices (SQ, display, buttons …).