Should I get a Roon Bridge with Coax / AES EBU?

Support
1

Hi all,

This is more a question for those who are using Mac and can hear the difference between Roon and other programs such as Audirvana and/or Pure Music.

I am using a late 2012 Mac mini with i7 2.3ghz processor and 8gb of ram, with

  • Roon Server for streaming to other room via airport express
  • Roon Core for listening to my main setup
  • Audirvana for listen to my main setup

Both applications are set to use bit perfect, exclusive mode, integer mode, and capped to 96khz (since my Dac does not accept higher than that)

From my Mac mini, I use USB cable to musical fidelity V link which connects to the Dac by coax (my Dac only accepts coax and aes ebu)

Now, unfortunately(?) i can hear the difference between when I’m listening using Roon and Audirvana.

My question is, would I get better sound by getting a roon bridge device with coax/aes ebu out then connect it to my Dac or will it sound the same?

I read on this forum one reason for the difference in sound is because of the way each program processes to get to the bit perfect part.

My thinking is that it will sound the same as connecting it directly since the process is happening at the Roon Server.

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

2

What DAC are you using? How old is it?

Do you have much content over 24/96? Does your DAC handle DSD?

I ask because, whilst a RoonBridge might be a good solution (it would remove the Mac Mini from the audio chain which may or may not be a good thing) the alternative is to add a good DAC with USB or network connectivity.

3

Hi, thanks for your reply.

It’s Audio Note’s 2.1x Signature. It does not go beyond 96khz and can’t do DSD either which is ok as I don’t have any DSD files. However, I have quite a number of tracks higher than 24/96khz.

At this point in time, I don’t think I’m ready to part with the dac as it complements the rest of my set.

i really want to get more understanding whether by getting a Roon bridge will give me better sound than straight from the mini.

4

It may be worth trying a HQ player trial. A lot of people who like the sound of Audirvana are very positive about the sound of Roon played through HQ player

SJB

5

Hi John,

Thank you for the suggestion. I’ve heard a lot about hqplayer in this forum. I think it’s time for me to try it out as well.