Roon Ready

[Green G]

Roon streams bit perfect files to Roon Ready endpoints, as such I have not encountered any “signal distortion”. I only had to pay $499 for my Roon lifetime subscription which I have been using since 2018 — so seven years or so has made it a bargain. I hope to be using for the next 7 and beyond.

Here is a Roon benefit you may be overlooking — and what I think is one of its greatest strengths — seamless on the fly bit rate and format conversion. Want to play a 384K FLAC on a device which only supports up to 192K? No problem. Want to play a DSD file on a device which only does PCM? Check. Roon is amazing. Also one click on the signal path icon tells you what’s happening at the moment. Sure it’s best to have no conversions, but it’s amazing that you can play any file or stream anywhere with Roon. My best Roon Ready endpoint is my dCS Bartok DAC with headphone amp.

I am really happy for you and @thyname for getting in early and enjoying the service. Thank you for your feedback.

I’d offer two counterpoints though:
If you take a DSD file and listen to it on a non DSD-DAC device, by definition it has to convert it to PCM prior to an analog conversion. For example, IF my GT was Roon Ready, it wouldn’t necessarily have a DSD ready DAC built in to go from DSD to Analog. Therefore there has to be a conversion and degradation of the signal. Now, whether the human ear can hear the difference, is a separate issue. Many battles have been fought over what a human ear can or cannot hear and I would stash this away in the “do cables matter” file cabinet that is always ablaze

Secondly, talking about Roon in the context of driving with SSP in a car. Does it really matter that you’re listening to a DSD file over Roon ARC while driving on a highway?

@thyname, we are citizens of the same league. I have high end setups in three different rooms in my house and thinking about a fourth wanting to make my dream of having electrostats come true.

 

[californiaboy935]

@borski saying he needs to “read up” on something puts this out of my realm of understanding… I like Tidal sound quality… and Grado headphones are as far as I go. Apple Music all the way for my day to day listening.

Interesting! Will read up on it.

I suppose I’m feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole…

 

[Green G]

@borski saying he needs to “read up” on something puts this out of my realm of understanding… I like Tidal sound quality… and Grado headphones are as far as I go. Apple Music all the way for my day to day listening.


I suppose I’m feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole…

View attachment 27257

I had to stop at one point because it’s an endless well of financial drain, diminishing returns in the asymptomatic curve with increasing odds of a divorce.
Furthermore, at 55, my hearing only takes me to 15khz and so theoretically, anything sampled above 16 or 24/30, is lost on me by the virtue of my cochlear gradual demise.

 

[thyname]

For example, IF my GT was Roon Ready, it wouldn’t necessarily have a DSD ready DAC built in to go from DSD to Analog. Therefore there has to be a conversion and degradation of the signal

If you only do DSD, wouldn’t it be only logical to buy a natively DSD capable DAC? Please don’t tell me there is no such thing.

Secondly, talking about Roon in the context of driving with SSP in a car. Does it really matter that you’re listening to a DSD file over Roon ARC while driving on a highway?

I agree with you. Listening to the music in the car is not exactly audiophile thing to do

we are citizens of the same league. I have highi end setups in three different rooms in my house and thinking about a fourth wanting to make my dream of having

Never tried this in four rooms, but I did try in two, I always went back to my best “room” to listen to. Why would I waste my time listening to the second best, inferior, room. Life is too short. Maybe because I still have to work for a living, and time is precious?

 

[AZLucidGuy]

I am really happy for you and @thyname for getting in early and enjoying the service. Thank you for your feedback.

I’d offer two counterpoints though:
If you take a DSD file and listen to it on a non DSD-DAC device, by definition it has to convert it to PCM prior to an analog conversion. For example, IF my GT was Roon Ready, it wouldn’t necessarily have a DSD ready DAC built in to go from DSD to Analog. Therefore there has to be a conversion and degradation of the signal. Now, whether the human ear can hear the difference, is a separate issue. Many battles have been fought over what a human ear can or cannot hear and I would stash this away in the “do cables matter” file cabinet that is always ablaze

Secondly, talking about Roon in the context of driving with SSP in a car. Does it really matter that you’re listening to a DSD file over Roon ARC while driving on a highway?

@thyname, we are citizens of the same league. I have high end setups in three different rooms in my house and thinking about a fourth wanting to make my dream of having electrostats come true.

No it does not matter on the highway if you are listening to DSD natively or after PCM conversation and bit rate/depth adjustment to play on Roon ARC. But the fact that I can play a native DSD file without issues in low or medium fidelity setting like a car is what makes Roon great.

In addition to my dCS Bartok which uses their proprietary RingDAC I have a Topping D90 III discrete which decodes DSD natively at 1-bit up to 768K rates. The dCS DAC is the most sophisticated and you can configure their mapper to either native DSD or PCM and compare. dCS are probably the best DACs on earth. Their top model the Varese costs more than a Lucid Air Sapphire.

The dCS Varèse Music System Will Set You Back Over $300,000: Preview

When cost is no object, the ultimate in digital music playback has arrived from dCS, but you will need to bring your own amps and speakers.

www.ecoustics.com

D90 III Discrete - TOPPING AUDIO

www.toppingaudio.com

 

[boydracing]

@borski saying he needs to “read up” on something puts this out of my realm of understanding… I like Tidal sound quality… and Grado headphones are as far as I go. Apple Music all the way for my day to day listening.


I suppose I’m feeling a bit like Alice, tumbling down the rabbit hole…

View attachment 27257

I tend to mix between my favorites in the theatre between Tidal and QOBUZ. I tried both in the car and settled on just Tidal. I have recently given up on QOBUZ in the theatre as well. The car experience for me is Tidal. I still have Roon on my spare iMac - just not licensed.

feeling like Alice(?) - eject! eject!

 

[californiaboy935]

I tend to mix between my favorites in the theatre between Tidal and QOBUZ. I tried both in the car and settled on just Tidal. I have recently given up on QOBUZ in the theatre as well. The car experience for me is Tidal. I still have Roon on my spare iMac - just not licensed.

feeling like Alice(?) - eject! eject!

Getting sucked in…. She’s so heavy..

GPWS: To Low Terrain… Pull Up!