Does Roon need to up their game now a Core or server etc. is no longer needed in the streaming circuit? An honest question, as I bought a lifetime subscription early, but am finding myself using Roon less and less now Qobuz is giving me more than enough metadata and I’d say sounds better via connect using my dcs network bridge!?!
May I suggest we keep “sounds better” out of this. It’ll derail the thread very quickly.
On topic, Qobuz Connect and all that the native app offers is superb.
I’d say Qobuz is better than what’s on offer from Tidal in terms of experience.
However, not everyone’s equipment will support all the connect services, so services like Roon are needed. Then again, Roon’s device support is limited to Roon Ready/Tested, Squeezelite, AirPlay and Sonos Streaming. Others offer greater support.
Not all are equal.
Nope, no I’m using Roon just as much if not more so. I like Roon it works really well and does everything I want it to.
Hi Glen, How does Qobuz handle your home cd library? I’m assuming not very well… That is a feature of Roon which seamlessly integrates well with Tidal and Qobuz. I currently use Qobuz, Tidal and my CD library and Roon is the one and only app I use as the interface for all of those music sources. If I didn’t I’d be using 3 separate apps and would need to be familiar with how each app does things. Something I don’t have time for or want to do. I like yourself have a lifetime subscription too. 
Roon Connect works very well.
How does qobuz connect help me with local files and DSP stuff ? Completely useless
I use Tidal when in the car / travelling whenever ARC lets me down (which remains more often than I would like) but always prefer the ROON interface and interaction with my local library and for general music exploration when at home.
Roon server can do a lot more than streaming, right? If you don’t use the extra features (e.g. Muse, multi-room, metadata integration), then indeed you don’t really need a server.
I only ever use Qobuz through Roon. Nothing Qobuz or Tidal does will affect how much I use Roon. Roon is the de facto OS of my music system.
If streaming services were my only source, I probably wouldn’t bother with Roon.
No, not at all.
Qobuz & Tidal can’t stream local music and lack many of the other functions I use (tags, smart playlists and focus is essential for me)
The UI is way better and Roon makes me feel like I’m browsing my music collection (in a sense I am because I have ripped my cds) vs when I’m on Tidal/Qobuz I feel I’m just browsing an online library, not my own.
Not one of my 6 RAAT enabled endpoints support Qobuz Connect (and only a couple support Tidal Connect but I no longer have a Tidal subscription) so, for me, Roon is still the only way to go.
Besides, neither Qobuz Connect nor Tidal Connect do anything for my local library.
With the recent update of Qobuz´ native app, I interestingly came to the opposite conclusion: While it used to be very simple and straightforward, I don´t find it intuitive anymore. Kind of overloaded, I don´t find what I am searching for, get lost. Similar impression to what happened with Tidal some 5+ yrs ago.
So I am increasingly on the go using Roon ARC instead of the native app. At home always roon anyways. While I do notice that Qobuz is offering more metadata, I find the browsing logic of roon vastly superior. Particularly when searching discographies of specific musicians, compositions lists and alike.
That said, if connect or casting features would be the main aim of the software, I might be tempted to switch to Qobuz. It really works well, same with Spotify and Tidal.
Truer words have never been written 
Glen, if you’re listening in a single room and are content using dCS’s Mosaic (and Qobuz’s native app when needed), then I can understand why you find yourself using Roon less and less. Your current setup seems clean and straightforward.
The main reasons I prefer a Roon server setup comes down to a few things that Spotify/Tidal/Qobuz/Apple direct connect protocols just can’t do under the hood:
- Cross platform library management
- I have local files that Roon stitches seamlessly together with streaming providers’ catalog so it feels like one giant personal library. I like the unified artist discographies, relational credit linking across collections, and local metadata editing.
- Heavy lifting DSP
- Roon (and the server it runs on) is a computational engine and I use it for parametric EQ, room correction, headphone specific tuning, and recording specific tweaking. Per zone EQ is unique and useful because the music played in the garage sounds different from what’s heard from outdoor speakers in the backyard. Having a single control plane to manage them is awesome.
- Synchronized whole home audio
- I have several listening zones at home with different brands of speakers. Roon is the only solution I’ve found for controlling music playback that stays in sync without noticeable delays as people move from room to room. Used to have the first world problem of family members complaining that music was echoing from the kitchen, dining room, or living room. Now people hear a song in the kitchen, step outside to the BBQ grill, and the music follows them without missing a beat.
- DIY Flexibility
- Although Roon sells its own hardware, I like their focus on software and that they provide a DIY environment to build upon. The extensions (MusicD Remote ), 3rd party hardware integration (Roon Pilot), willingness to allow customers to tinker with Roon APIs (Roon Internal API), custom builds (DIY Hybrid Core and streamer), and so on makes Roon a true platform that continues to evolve without Roon branded lock-in.
At the end of the day, if the dCS Network Bridge and Qobuz Connect gives you everything you need for how you listen to music, that’s a solid win for your setup. But for those of us wanting fine grained and integrated control of local files, tweaking DSP, or running multi-room setups, having Roon server processing in the background is a distinctive and valuable solution.
Well stated.
One of my streamers supports Q Connect, but the others don’t. I tried it for a couple of weeks and went back to Roon. But I want Qobuz and Tidal to survive and prosper, so I’m pleased to see that they are continuing to improve their products to widen their user bases. Rising tide, and all that.
Roon is wonderful and I use it daily. I revert to Qobuz connect only if an album hasn’t shown up on Roon. But I like the way Roon keeps track and offers recommendations.
I’m new to it all - I already had Apple Music and used it in the car. I just bought an Eversolo T-10 and am trialing Roon, Tidal & Qobuz subscriptions.
I’m still getting to grips with everything but I just can’t get Roon ARC to connect.
My Base in a MacBook Pro M1 and a Sky router.
It says I can’t connect but all advice is tech jargon and I’m stumped. Maybe just use Apple play and Tidal in the car…
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This is what I do, Tidal app via CarPlay offers all that I need in the car. At home though it’s Roon.
For my Roon Ready devices & Ropieee, I still use Roon almost exclusively to keep the same experience, to se the still more meta data, & can access my own files.