Hi, I have two Roon Ready streamers and to my ears both sound better using Tidal Connect over Roon. Of course Roon has lots of other advantages but I would have thought sound would also be one? Thanks!
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Are you looking for a definitive answer on whether Roon is better than tidal connect?
Or, are you postulating that it is better, and as such why is that the case?
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I’m discussing if others have a different view or if they agree with me why that might be and if not why might I be thinking that? I’m simply stating what my ears are telling me and my confusion on the matter
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The first thing to check (preferably with measuring equipment) is that both pathways are set to play back at exactly the same volume - differing volumes can play tricks on your ears.
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Thanks Geoff. I don’t have measuring equipment but as close as my ears can tell. So I am inferring that in your system Roon sounds better, that’s really all I’m after. If most users agree that is the case I will then put more effort in trying to find out why I’m an outlier.
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Another silly thing to check is that you are streaming exactly the same thing! Often these albums have different versions in TIDAL. Also, they’ve been changing a lot in the last couple of weeks with their MQA removal process.
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Thanks Joel, that is tricky with Tidal for sure.
I hope that I didn’t come across as anything other than inquiring, it was not clear what you were asking. In my experience it is really difficult to discern what makes the difference after one has decided that the “difference” is in play (if that makes sense).
If I attend a friends house and hear a new piece of music I have to be very careful not to hear the “difference” when I am back home and listening on my system. This can also trip me up if I am playing music in the car and then play it in the house, sometimes the mood evaporates as the “atmosphere”/sound quality is different.
On the whole I find Roon to be very capable in reproducing the sound quality that I think that I want to hear, but that is caveated by the proviso that I can only experience using my ears and CNS.
My advice is enjoy your music and use whatever system/equipment that sounds best to you.
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I’ve heard quite a few times that the Tidal Connect App sounds better than Roon, so I ran a test, playing this song: We Are so Beautiful (Afrit Remix) by Naomi on TIDAL
My biggest issue is volume matching, that’s hard to do, how do others get it balanced.
I played the song 4 times, once each Roon then Tidal, and kept swapping, I think the Tidal was slightly suppressed sounding, but if I turned it up louder, it picked up. So if there is a difference I really think it’s volume matching, but I definitely loved it via Roon, I think I’ll keep Roon 
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It’s more or less impossible to get it completely right without measuring equipment. The human ear can hear volume differences down to about 0.2 dB, but below 1dB they don’t consciously register as volume differences but instead are perceived as just quality differences.
This is why useful comparisons of quality require careful (measured) volume matching.
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The question of “Tidal Connect vs Roon sound quality” places too much emphasis on Tidal Connect and Roon. Neither exists in a vacuum. The hardware arrangements can have a profound influence over how each sounds. Therefore, the question should be rephrased to include the precise hardware schemes used in the comparison.
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Not to me mate.
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For instance, I can say that on my iFi Zen Stream with a Farad Super 3 power supply, and with Roon running on a standard M1 Mac Mini connected via a long ethernet cable to a nothing special router, that my impression was that Tidal Connect did sound a tad better than Tidal played through Roon.
That doesn’t mean that Tidal inherently sounds better via Tidal Connect than via Roon, but only that in my specific setup above, I preferred that sound of Tidal Connect by a smidge.
A higher end streamer might make the opposite true. Or make both sound equally good. It takes specific experimentation.
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Tidal Connect sounds better to me but it is also initially louder on starting playback.
Im not testing this blind so I believe my assumption is incorrect about sound quality due to the loudness upon first playback.
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The sound of Tidal connect for the most part was fine for me, but I always had inconsistent functionality. The whole “we don’t do MQA anymore except for when we secretly do” thing is what made me finally quit using them altogether.
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I can’t think of any technical reason that they would sound different. Are you using any of the Roon MUSE DSP functions? That’s the only thing I can think of that would cause your DAC to receive a different bitstream between the two sources.
I don’t know if I can tell a difference (Qobuz>Roon).
…but the young reviewer at the iiWi YouTube Channel who reviewed my Volumio Rivo Roon-Ready Streamer said that the streamer sounded its best when streaming Qobuz via Roon thru the unit.
He is a meticulous listener, an engineer and has my respect when discussing nuances in sound quality. He did not explain why that might be so? 
as Alan Ward suggests, have you really deeply checked that all your Roon processing is disabled ?
And have you checked & compared your Roon signal “pathway” against that used in your Tidal connect setup ?… same interface ? same bitrate -depth? same source ? (& even same mix/ mastering source ??)
So many possible variables to check….
Not without knowing more about your system.
As someone else mentioned volume may be whats happening. Story time… I was at an audio show and listening to a “cable demo” where they A/B cables. There was a slight pause as they swapped. The “preferred” cable always played about 1.5-2db louder. How do I know? Anyone wearing a smart watch can just look. I did prefer the “preferred” cable at that demo but… I also prefer whatever is louder. Here’s a hint… it wasn’t the cable making it louder. 
Anyway, very difficult to make it true comparison where all things are the exact same without some measurement equipment or at least letting us know everything in the path for both sources. Good luck. Listen to what sounds better or just turn Roon up a little.
Personally… I find Roon to be more transparent. If my gear isn’t performing correctly its painful in Roon. Less so across Airplay or other sources.
I know I’m coming late to this party but I also find the SQ using Tidal Connect to be better than Roon. though accept it’s more evident on some tracks and one has to adjust for volume differences. No idea why.
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