I have had no problems with Roon, Qobuz or my hardware.
I do not buy files. I have a fairly large CD library, but I do not rip them. I have a nice “from the day” LP collection but no turntable. I have open reel tapes from those times. One came in Dolby B (Surrealistic Pillow).
I signed up for Roon and Qobuz within minutes of my NUC i7 being configured. I had help with some settings by a kind Roon Forum member.
I do not use any of the available settings (DSP etc) for Roon. I just stumble upon music I like and that which Roon feels is related, and I listen, but this is not critical listening, just enjoyable.
I do not have Gear Acquisition Syndrome and am not lusting for equipment. If someone thinks I would enjoy something (which is how I got three pieces of my current equipment), I would buy it.
I may be incorrect, but I suspect few function as I do (or dysfunction as I do), and I would suspect that those who do, are less likely to read forum posts. Then again…
You’re not alone. Although I have some 70.000 ripped tracks and a sizable vinyl collection, I immensely enjoy discovering new music on Roon/Tidal. I believe that simpler is better, and I got me a wonderful sounding NOS DAC and built myself an Elekit TU-8800 SET tube amp, and with this I am done as far as gear goes. I don’t use any DSP processing, my signal path is as simple as it possibly gets. Lossless digital out from the Roon Core to my DAC’s external DAI (Toslink), from there via I2S to the DAC. Analogue out to my amplifier. No high res files, no MQA. I am very happy with this simple setup, music never sounded finer to my tinnitus-plagued ears. This week I expect delivery of Omega Alnico single driver speakers meant for near-field listening, and with this missing piece I’m expecting happiness ever after. Roon for me is perfect as it is; I know my albums mostly well and even if Roon doesn’t recognize all of them, that doesn’t matter to me. I have spent the last two months in relatively strict confinement because of our local Corona restrictions, and being able to listen to so much new music has helped me keep my sanity.
Corona. Heard of that. If someone had a must-have device, I would consider buying it, but I fear my needs are very simple. With regard to Roon/Qobuz. I go from Auralic Aries G2 streamer via USB to Denafrips Terminator DAC. Roon Rock is on M2 inside a NUCi7. I go straight through with no signal processing etc.
Roon and Qobuz do a great job of finding music I want to hear. I have stayed away from Tidal. Qobuz has everything we personally like so do not need another streaming service.
All of this goes to my integrated amp via balanced cables and then to my speakers Golden Ear Triton One.R. I do not know if a different amp would sound better to me. Likely different speakers would sound…er…differently. I do not believe a pure silver USB from the streamer to the DAC or a better i2S from my CD deck to the DAC would be audibly different to me.
Bottomline, Roon can be a great hobby for those with the interest, dedication and available time. For us, we just use it as a “music player”.
I greatly expanded my interest into headphone listening. Listening via speakers is now a rare occurrence. Using headphones has increase my hobby enjoyment.
Years…and years…ago Koss made the ESP-9 electrostatic headphones. I bought a pair but rarely listened to them. They sounded much better than my speakers, but music has often been (and still is) a joint experience. I listen with my wife almost always, and when the kids were young, we listened (and wandered) among rooms as a family.
I suspect that a pair of very excellent headphones would be amazing, but I would be taking them off, backing up that music, handing them to someone in the house and say “listen to that!”