Hmmh … It looks like there are two tribes here. I’m in the “pretty pleased tribe”. For me the positive aspects of Roon that keep me using it are:
-
Search. Allows me to search through a lot of albums in a more natural manner than scanning file folders. The links embedded in the descriptions are a fantastic way of looking at a collection in a non-linear fashion.
-
Sound quality. I think it is pretty good. At least it is definitely good enough for me.
-
Hardware/Software Compatibility. I’m not locked into a small eco-system. Although I do like tinkering with stuff - I prefer listening to music more.
-
Aesthetics of the UI. I like the way Roon looks. I’m not saying that I necessarily like everything in version 1.6 but I think that the Roon team has a good approach.
-
Music discovery. I was using non-Roon sources for my music discovery (primarily Amazon music). This worked fairly well but was very cumbersome. I dropped Amazon and switched to Tidal. Huge improvement. Now the Roon radio continues to improve the experience. When Qobuz gets out of its trial stage in the US, I might add or switch to that for music discovery. Due to the state of streaming (general lack of profits) I think this is a really good idea that Roon maintains a relationship with multiple streamers.
-
The other thing that I should mention is that I have no friends that are “into” music. So I don’t find out about new music unless I search. Roon, Tidal, and the “what are listening to” threads on this forum have been of immense help to me in finding new and new-to-me music.
-
Updates. The frequent updates show the commitment to the product and don’t seem traumatic when they occur. I know some have had severe issues but mine have been painless. Also, my main trauma with software updates revolve around the update not occurring/having a major functional flaw or the update changes/hides/moves stuff in an incredibly confusing fashion. I have not had these types of problems with Roon updates.
What are my negatives in Roon?
-
Updates. I think that Roon should have a way to temporarily roll back or a better way to delay an update. It just makes it easier for the user if they have an issue with a new release.
-
Classical Music. I actually think Roon does okay with this - BUT i have not seen anyone do it well. Classical is just a mess. You generally have the same orchestra and conductor but the albums frequently have multiple composers. Search is your friend in classical or setting up a lot of tags. I’m not sure of solution here . . .
-
Editing your library. Although Roon lets you fix some minor things inside the software, I sometimes use an external editor for some issues. I know Roon wants to stay away from being a program with a full fledged editor but perhaps Roon could team with someone to help with some Roon-centric utilities in a stan-alone editor.
There are also some things I’m pretty neutral about such as cost. I used the trial download and then bought the lifetime subscription. If Roon lasts five years I’ll be happy. Nothing is permanent and that is why I buy rather than stream when possible. So if Roon really is my lifetime solution, that is fantastic. For me, it works better than any music software I have used . . . and I hope I will be able to continue to say that for at least a few years.