Roon alternatives?

[Kippyy]

I've been using Roon for many years with a mac mini as my server, but lately am seeing more posts that there are far better music players available.
I'm not a do-it-yourselfer and am not very tech savvy. As a result I'm quite intimidated by the Taiko threads, where it seems something is changing all the time.
Options I'm aware of are:
-Pay to apply room correction to Roon after using Accurate Sound
-Lumin U2 transport
-Taiko

Any suggestions appreciated.

 

[spearl8]

Aurender is very simple and works great with their software. I really liked my N20. I think the Aurender products are great but the app for Roon I like better for finding music. For Roon I’m using the Sonore optical streamer.

 

[PYP]

I've been using Roon for many years with a mac mini as my server, but lately am seeing more posts that there are far better music players available.
I'm not a do-it-yourselfer and am not very tech savvy. As a result I'm quite intimidated by the Taiko threads, where it seems something is changing all the time.
Options I'm aware of are:
-Pay to apply room correction to Roon after using Accurate Sound
-Lumin U2 transport
-Taiko

Any suggestions appreciated.

I think you would find the Grimm Audio MU1 a large improvement from the mac mini. It is pretty much plug and play. The only thing to try would be the three oversampling options with your MSB to determine the best sound. This is done via a web interface that is very user friendly.

An in-home demo would tell you if it will work for you. A knowledgable dealer could walk you through the initial settings if it looks confusing to you and then it is set it and forget it. The online manual is very clear about the settings, so you may not need help: https://www.grimmaudio.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/Manual-MU1-Software-V1.5.7.pdf

 

[audioblazer]

Try Jplay. I gave up using Roon even though I m a lifetime member . Check out Jplay free trial

 

[mtemur]

Check Audirvana.

 

[Cincy2]

I've tried several including Audirvana and Aurender. I always come back to Roon. The haters say that the sound quality out of Roon is inferior to other apps but I have never found that to be the case. Not in any way my aging ears can identify.

Cincy

 

[JeromeFrancis]

I've tried several including Audirvana and Aurender. I always come back to Roon. The haters say that the sound quality out of Roon is inferior to other apps but I have never found that to be the case. Not in any way my aging ears can identify.

Cincy

The diff in sound quality depends on which Server/Streaming bridge you are using. A standard NUC or Roon Nucleus compared to an Aurender, which has discreet linear PS etc. should sound inferior but if you use a high end Roon endpoint, the SQ is indistinguishable. Even Aurender started to offer Roon ready devices. They would not do that if the SQ would be worse than with their conductor app.

 

[Elberoth]

What is the setup you are running? Nucleus as a Roon core via Ethernet to your MSB DAC ?

 

[Cincy2]

What is the setup you are running? Nucleus as a Roon core via Ethernet to your MSB DAC ?

Currently using my iMac for the Roon core and file storage feeding my MSB Cascade Roon Endpoint DAC. This configuration is temporary until my Pink Faun Ultra arrives in a few weeks.

 

[Hear Here]

If you are not in "brand-snobbery" territory, you could consider BluOS as an alternative to Roon, available on NAD, Bluesound and a few other brands. No extra hardware needed and no subscription. Best hardware using BluOS is NAD's new Master Series M66 streamer / DAC / preamp. If you use subs and require "room correction DSP", it includes outputs for up to 4 subs and all can be tuned by Dirac Live and Dirac Live Bass Control.
I had Roon on a month's free trial but concluded there will little advantage over BluOS apart from Roon's "radio" feature. BluOS includes Radio Paradise, TuneIn and all the main streaming services of course and just about every input and feature you are likely to need. The BluOS app can be used on all 4 platforms and it pretty easy to use.

 

[Elberoth]

Currently using my iMac for the Roon core and file storage feeding my MSB Cascade Roon Endpoint DAC. This configuration is temporary until my Pink Faun Ultra arrives in a few weeks.

My question was towards the OP.

IMO it very much depends on what settup is he running. If he has the core (whatever it is) connected via the Ethernet, then the quality of the server doesn't matter all that much. Yes, you can still hear a difference, esp. when you have a server and your audio system connected to the same power strip (noise pollution from server's PSU, in case of the Nucleus - SMPS), but it will not be great. You can try to improve the sound by moving the core away from your audio rig, getting a quality liner PSU like Farad3 for example, getting a quality switch.

If, on the other hand, he is using the USB to connect to the DAC (be it directly or via ProISL) then there may be a considerable difference.

PS. The latest Pink Faun Ultra server is excellent. I have two friends who went from taiko Extreme to Pink Faun.

 

[ssfas]

I use or have used:
- Linn Kinsky
- Auralic Lightning
- BluOs
- Bubble uPnP (Android uPnP)
- McConnect (iOS uPnP)
- Lumin
- Roon
- Innuos Sense
- Amazon HD
- Audirvana
- HQ Player

For search and playback, my favourite is Sense with Roon a close second.
Sense also has for me the easiest network data connection, but Roon is not exactly difficult.
For zone grouping, Roon is in a class of its own, Amazon HD is OK but works.
I found Audirvana clunky
I found Lumin almost unusable
Amazon HD is great for voice control, with some dodgy results
I used the uPnP options from 2016-17 until my streamer ws upgraded to Roon Ready status. They are functional.
I used BluOs on a Powernode in my office for some years. It really does everything required of a mass market product and was the first to have Amazon HD. I think NAD bought Bluesound mainly to acquire the BluOs software for NAD products.

I now use HQ Player with Roon as the front end because my steamer has HQ Player embedded.

If I was not doing remote DSD upsampling, I would stream natively using Sense.

My set-up is a Mac Mini M1 16gb on my network running Roon Server and HQ Player, data goes to the hifi over fibre optic.

Roon is clearly best, not least because they had about 10 years head start at Meridian and have a huge engineering team. Innuos have developed an incredible software product in very short time and it gets lots of more features frequently without frying your brain with excess information.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

I think NAD bought Bluesound mainly to acquire the BluOs software for NAD products.

AFAIK, the NAD team created Bluesound.

 

[ssfas]

AFAIK, the NAD team created Bluesound.

Not sure, happily corrected. They are now all part of Lenbrook.

So they've now formed a Lenbrook Media Group and who do they put in charge? Mike Jbara, who spent years trying to sell us MQA.

https://essentialinstall.com/news/lenbrook-media-group-formed-to-commercialise-bluos-mqa-and-scl6-across-hi-res-music-supply-chain/

 

[Hear Here]

AFAIK, the NAD team created Bluesound.

There are several other brands that have adopted BluOS, some rivals to NAD / Bluesound.

Partners – BluOS

bluos.io

 

[Kal Rubinson]

There are several other brands that have adopted BluOS, some rivals to NAD / Bluesound.

Partners – BluOS

bluos.io

Perhaps I should have stated the situation more clearly. BlueSound was started as a separate company but has always been part of the Lenbrook group, the parent of NAD and PSB. Lenbrook are also the distributors of Dahli in USA and Canada. Nice to see they are gaining other licensees for BluOS as wider distribution is likely to engender future development.

 

[tony22]

For search and playback, my favourite is Sense

I may be mistaken, but isn't Sense based on the old (but IMO very effective) open source Media Server software originally developed by Slimdevices and subsequently carried on by Logitech?

 

[ssfas]

I may be mistaken, but isn't Sense based on the old (but IMO very effective) open source Media Server software originally developed by Slimdevices and subsequently carried on by Logitech?

Yes. It works brilliantly and runs on fumes.

A guiding principle of Innuos has always been ultra low power consumption to keep internal noise to a minimum.That's why they offer three endpoint modes, off-board as much processing as possible. They managed to get the Zen range running Roon Core from an Intel NC4200 chip, which dates back to about 2005, but it's a very efficient chip. Roon would not certify it because it was below their minimum i3 spec, not that anyone cared, I used it happily for 5 years as a Roon Core before upgrading to the Pulsar and moving the Core to a Mac Mini.

 

[tony22]

Yes. It works brilliantly and runs on fumes.

Again IMO, Slimserver / LMS has been amongst audiophiles probably one of the most under appreciated bits of music software.

 

[Daverich4]

Perhaps I should have stated the situation more clearly. BlueSound was started as a separate company but has always been part of the Lenbrook group, the parent of NAD and PSB. Lenbrook are also the distributors of Dahli in USA and Canada. Nice to see they are gaining other licensees for BluOS as wider distribution is likely to engender future development.

Is that the same Lenbrook that is still flogging the dead horse that’s MQA?