Roon

[codyjenkins]

Main Room:

NAS: holds all of my FLACs Roon backups.
Oppo 203: Roon endpoint (software built in) connected to receiver via HDMI & analog outs (Can use either, I prefer analog)

Bedroom:

Asus Laptop: Roon endpoint. Roon Control app is installed here. Connected via HDMI to TV, TV digital output to receiver.

NAS, Oppo and Asus hardwired to the same router

Microsoft Surface Pro (Latest edition, 8 GB ram, SSD): Roon core is installed here. Wi-Fi access to network. Core is where Roon catalogs your library (can only be installed on one computer). Control function is part of the core software. Roon recommends minimum 4GB ram with a SSD. Originally had the core installed on the ASUS laptop which has 4GB ram and HDD and it ran slow.

LG V30: Roon Control app installed here. Wi-Fi access to network.

I can control/switch all zones from the Surface, laptop or phone. The ability to combine my locally stored FLACs and streaming (Tidal) libraries into one interface is the killer feature for me, with sound quality and MQA a close second. I was a long time user of Zune/XBox Music/Groove Music, and was dumbfounded that this was not possible with Spotify or Tidal on its own. Found it very simple to set up. Messed around with JRiver, but always got frustrated during setup. When I purchased the Oppo a few days after they announced they were closing up shop, I qualified for a 60 day free trial. Not sure the offer is still available, but here is the code:  0PP0-M1NA-MLB4 and the link.

[klinemj]

Thanks DYohn wilburthegoose sahmen and jdmusante for the info. Very helpful. I now understand how it actually works* and do see some minor benefits over what I have...not enough to say "heck yeah, I''m doing it". But, enough to see that it would be worth a try. Maybe, as Wilbur said, "when I get a snow day"

If I were to use it to replace my Sonos units, I could sell 5 Sonos units but would have to replace those with Roon endpoints and an amp. And, I'd have to make sure my daughter and wife didn't revolt from the loss of Sonos (and each use it heavily!).

* Note: One curiosity...before I started asking you guys "how it worked", I went to Roon's site and clicked on a link that should have explained it (their site, "more" then "How Roon Works". It took me to a page that wasn't helpful at all. AFter one of you started explaining, I went back to the same link and tried it again - and more helpful info got displayed. It's still not totally clear from their site, but far more clear than what first came up and the combo of what they do have + what you guys added made it clear! Odd.

Mark

[wilburthegoose]

One thing that's not often mentioned - you can also play music through your iPhone/iPad. Nice for casual listening.

[klinemj]

Jul 10, 2018 13:31:36 GMT -5 wilburthegoose said:

One thing that's not often mentioned - you can also play music through your iPhone/iPad. Nice for casual listening.

I presume you mean as long as you are in your home, correct? I can do that also (well, not with iPad as I don't have one, but with my MS Surface). I could through my phone, but I just don't around the house. I just use Sonos or my Office PC (with Airmotiv 3b speakers) for that (the PC also has Tidal and jRiver). I do sometimes play music via my phone (via Tidal) and stream it to my car's stereo (blutooth) when I am driving.

Mark

[DYohn]

Jul 10, 2018 13:12:59 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Thanks DYohn wilburthegoose sahmen and jdmusante for the info. Very helpful. I now understand how it actually works* and do see some minor benefits over what I have...not enough to say "heck yeah, I''m doing it". But, enough to see that it would be worth a try. Maybe, as Wilbur said, "when I get a snow day"

If I were to use it to replace my Sonos units, I could sell 5 Sonos units but would have to replace those with Roon endpoints and an amp. And, I'd have to make sure my daughter and wife didn't revolt from the loss of Sonos (and each use it heavily!).

* Note: One curiosity...before I started asking you guys "how it worked", I went to Roon's site and clicked on a link that should have explained it (their site, "more" then "How Roon Works". It took me to a page that wasn't helpful at all. AFter one of you started explaining, I went back to the same link and tried it again - and more helpful info got displayed. It's still not totally clear from their site, but far more clear than what first came up and the combo of what they do have + what you guys added made it clear! Odd.

Mark

I may be wrong but I think Roon can use Sonos devices as playback endpoints. Let me check...

Also, Roon's website is a mess in my opinion and they do not have any clear information there. They really need to hire a writer and stop relying on marketing people for their web content.

[DYohn]

Yes, Sonos is fully supported in Roon, so you would not have to sell or replace anything unless you wanted to.

kb.roonlabs.com/Sonos

[klinemj]

Jul 10, 2018 15:49:39 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Yes, Sonos is fully supported in Roon, so you would not have to sell or replace anything unless you wanted to.

kb.roonlabs.com/Sonos

If I went whole hog on Roon, I'd ditch the Sonos as it appears Roon does everything Sonos does except provide the equipment. And, with 5 Sonos units I can sell for over $1500 total, I'd have $ to spare to buy a few cheap amps (like a few A-150's or older used Emotiva amps) + some cheap Roon endpoints to feed them. I might come out at break even or even a bit ahead.

I wonder what the cheapest BluRay is that also can be a Roon endpoint? Hmmm...

Mark

[DYohn]

Cheapest? Good question. Your Oppo is compatible.

[codyjenkins]

Jul 10, 2018 14:38:44 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jul 10, 2018 13:31:36 GMT -5 wilburthegoose said:

One thing that's not often mentioned - you can also play music through your iPhone/iPad. Nice for casual listening.

I presume you mean as long as you are in your home, correct? I can do that also (well, not with iPad as I don't have one, but with my MS Surface). I could through my phone, but I just don't around the house. I just use Sonos or my Office PC (with Airmotiv 3b speakers) for that (the PC also has Tidal and jRiver). I do sometimes play music via my phone (via Tidal) and stream it to my car's stereo (blutooth) when I am driving.

Mark

They are working on some kind of mobile solution.  No details.  No timeline but it is one of the most requested features on their forum.

[codyjenkins]

Jul 10, 2018 16:35:44 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Cheapest? Good question. Your Oppo is compatible.

Not sure the 105 is an endpoint.

Oppo Roon Ready Network Players

[sahmen]

For those seeking multiple differently priced Roon ready components (network players/wireless speakers/soundbars etc) of different sizes to use in multiple rooms, Bluesound offers many options (about 11 of them) that could be attractive for variety and versatility of applications they offer:

roonlabs.com/partners/bluesound.html

[DYohn]

Jul 10, 2018 17:43:50 GMT -5 codyjenkins said:

Jul 10, 2018 16:35:44 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Cheapest? Good question. Your Oppo is compatible.

Not sure the 105 is an endpoint.

Oppo Roon Ready Network Players

Thanks I didn't know which were.

[klinemj]

Jul 10, 2018 18:18:11 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Jul 10, 2018 17:43:50 GMT -5 codyjenkins said:

Not sure the 105 is an endpoint.

Oppo Roon Ready Network Players

Thanks I didn't know which were.

Very good to know...looks like my Oppo 105 is not an option. Clearly, higher end Oppo's (which are not really available now) are, and things like an r-Pi or Chromecast are. But, with an r-Pi, I would have to output to something which can take its outputs...ditto for Chromecast. I'll look for options after I test out Roon.

Mark

[codyjenkins]

Jul 10, 2018 19:21:29 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jul 10, 2018 18:18:11 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Thanks I didn't know which were.

Very good to know...looks like my Oppo 105 is not an option. Clearly, higher end Oppo's (which are not really available now) are, and things like an r-Pi or Chromecast are. But, with an r-Pi, I would have to output to something which can take its outputs...ditto for Chromecast. I'll look for options after I test out Roon.

Mark

A compatible stand alone DAC is another option.

[wilburthegoose]

Don’t forget the XMC-1. Feed a USB cable from a PC, and you have audio bliss.

[jdmusante]

klinemj Avatar
Jul 10, 2018 7:11:14 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Thanks for the response. You are right that, on the surface, the Sonos gear is pricey, but when I factor in that it includes all equipment except the speakers to play music - it's a pretty reasonably priced way to get music in multiple places with the ability for each location to be playing different music (or the same music at different volumes in each location) without needing to have any gear other than the Sonos unit and speakers. And, the PC's I use in my critical listening area were cheap...1 was $125 and the other was ~$200.

I thought long and hard about going the Sonos route. Ease of use for my wife was a big deal so I understand that when it comes to your family. I may still do it. I keep saying I'm going to wire my house for sound and then I keep moving for my job. Just sold my house and now I'm renting. I'm not sure that I'll buy in LA. This town is awesome but not at $800k and up for a modest home. Sonos could work for me in other rooms as it is Roon endpoint until i figure out where I want to live for more than 3 years 

And, you are right that a lot we do is complicated. This is one thing about Roon that's been a barrier for me. When I have read about it, I see that there are cores, servers, and remotes...and I've never heard anyone explain how it all actually works. Even Roon's "How it works" doesn't tell me that. And, I'd really like to know that. When people tell me to "just try it", but I don't understand what hardware is needed and how it's used - I feel like it'd take me 14 days of the free trial period to figure out the hardware/software! Could you explain how it works in simple English for me?

I'll go back to what I said in the previous post. It. Just. Works. It will not take you two weeks to figure it out.

So, I see you have the "Roon Core" on a Mac Mini. How do you control that? With a keyboard connected to the mini or using some type of remote (such as an app on your phone or on a laptop of some type or ideally either)? And, from what I hear, if I understand it right - once you have the "core" on 1 computer, you can choose to have music go to other places...if I understand correctly, those are "endpoints" (and as one user here mentioned, those can be things like an Oppo BluRay, a Chromecast device, etc.). Is that all correct? And, can you have different music playing in the different locations and independently set volumes in each locations using whatever remote is being used to control the software?

I can control it through the actual Mac Mini, via a wireless keyboard and mouse, via the app on my phone/iPad, or my my MacBook. Mostly its the phone or MacBook. if you have multiple endpoints, you can have different music playing at each endpoint. Or you can create a group and play the same thing everywhere. The new Oppos, Chromecast are indeed endpoints. There are different setting where you can adjust volume and those you can't. I just use the remote app on my XMC-1 to control volume.

Looks like you have received a whole bunch of info today. I hope some of it helps you make a decision.

Jason

[jdmusante]

Jul 10, 2018 19:21:29 GMT -5 klinemj said:

Jul 10, 2018 18:18:11 GMT -5 DYohn said:

Thanks I didn't know which were.

Very good to know...looks like my Oppo 105 is not an option. Clearly, higher end Oppo's (which are not really available now) are, and things like an r-Pi or Chromecast are. But, with an r-Pi, I would have to output to something which can take its outputs...ditto for Chromecast. I'll look for options after I test out Roon.

Mark

Only the 203 and 205 are Roon endpoints. Its not the higher end ones (as they have been mostly the same price for the last 5 years) its the newer ones.

[wilburthegoose]

Again - a $25 Chromecast Audio is a good, valid endpoint.

[DYohn]

I just purchased an Elac Discovery which I am using as an endpoint only in my existing setup, but it is actually a server with a lifetime license to Roon Essentials built in, so for someone getting started it would be a one stop solution. Server and endpoint in one, just add media...

[klinemj]

Jul 11, 2018 7:59:17 GMT -5 wilburthegoose said:

Again - a $25 Chromecast Audio is a good, valid endpoint.

True - but if I sell a Sonos to replace it w/Roon, I'd need the Chromecast + something it plugs into that can make sound and send it to a pair of speakers (and I'd need 5 of such toys...). That was the context in which I was referring to a "cheap endpoint".

Mark