Why can't Roon ARC stream my Tidal library?

Roon Software Discussion ARC
1

I have a new Android phone and would like to listen to hi-res audio on Tidal ARC through my bluetooth Sony XM5 earbuds - when I’m not at home and when my PC is off.

I do not have any music stored locally, everything I listen to these days is streamed.

Songs played with Roon Arc using the ‘oratory 1990 Harman Target’ sound so much better in my earbuds than when played with the Tidal app but I cannot leave my PC on all the time for Roon Server and I do not want to purchase a Nucleus just to stream Tidal to my phone with the benefits of Roon when I’m not at home.

I downloaded an Android app called USB Audio Player PRO which lets me stream Tidal songs when I am not at home and lets me use a Parametric EQ/ Headphone EQ but I would prefer to use Tidal ARC as I love the Headphone profile and sound of Tidal.

Q1. If a £6.99 app can stream Tidal songs and provide an EQ, why can’t I stream via Tidal ARC (with my PC off)? Is it because the desktop app does the heavy lifting with track/artist data?

Q2. Why can’t I use Roon Arc as a ‘music player’ on my phone to stream Tidal but with all the benefits of Roon?

  • I know about Licensing but if UAPP can stream Tidal, why can’t Roon ARC?

Thank you

2

You should understand that Roon is not like a simple player app - it has a client/server architecture, where ARC is a client that needs to be connected to a Roon Server.

Perhaps reading this will make things clearer:

Roon Architecture

1 Like
3

Thanks Geoff. I have owned Roon since 2014, I think, so I’m aware of what it is but I still don’t understand why it doesn’t have a player with the ‘Roon sound’ and ‘Opra profiles’ for streaming when you’re on the road.

4

I think that you are asking why isn’t an aeroplane like an automobile - they are both transport devices but architected very differently.

While Tidal will stream to an ARC device directly, the stream must be set up and managed by the Roon Server - it’s just a fact of life and the contract between Roon Labs and Tidal.

1 Like
5

Got it, thank you.