PART 1 – WHAT IS ROON:
With a plethora of free (or at least inexpensive) music player apps on the internet, including:
● AIMP Music Player
● Apple Music
● Google Music Player
● JRiver Media Center
● PlayerPro Music Player
● Poweramp Music Player
● Rocket Music Player
● Spotify Music Player
● VLC Music Player
● Windows Media Player
● YouTube Music Player
…(to name but a few), why would you want to pay (or pay more) for Roon? The answer leads to a deep dive into the software’s features. With the possible exception of JRiver Media Center, Roon is one of the most fully featured music players on the market. Roon supports most audio codecs including:
● PCM files are supported up to 32 bits @ 768kHz.
● AIFF and WAV files are supported up to 32 bits @ 384kHz.
● DSD files are supported up to 512 (stereo & multi-channel).
● Gapless playback is supported for all formats.
● Roon supports multi-channel signals, processing, and playback for up to eight
channels per zone. In RoonSpeak, a “zone” is an “endpoint” or a “device” that either receives digital music (such as a streamer or DAC) or converts electrical signals to audible music (self-powered speakers, for example).
But before we get into the architecture of Roon, let’s discuss why Roon claims to be the best choice for music. For comparison purposes, let’s compare and contrast Roon to its most successful rival – JRiver Media Center. Over the years, I’ve owned at least a dozen versions of JRiver. If I had to describe JRiver in a phase, the idiom “jack of all trades – master of none” would come to mind. JRiver can do a plethora of things (music and video, for example), but JRiver’s features, in my experience, sometimes claim to do more than they can actually deliver. I’ve toggled switches in JRiver before that seemed to do absolutely nothing. Perhaps newer versions have fixed those issues? I don’t know.
What attracted me to Roon, initially, was their claim that the entire package was designed from the ground up to optimize your music. Roon is, so to speak, a one-trick pony. But I think that, arguably, Roon has succeeded in their focus. From the optimized Roon server to Roon’s hardware package (Roon Nucleus), to even their proprietary Ethernet transfer protocol (“Roon Advanced Audio Transport,” or “RAAT”), Roon has attempted to tune every aspect of audio reproduction. To see how they’ve done that, let’s talk about Roon’s structure.
THE ROON SERVER:
The Roon server is the “brain” that controls your music. Roon server software can be installed on Windows, on Apple’s OS-X, on Linux, or a dedicated device like an Intel NUC computer or a Roon Nucleus. An Intel NUC looks like this:
THE ROON LIBRARY:
Once a Roon server is available, the next portion of the package is the acquisition of a “Library” of your music files. Your Library can be on any device that is accessible from your Roon server. You can use the internal drive(s) on your computer, external USB drives, and/or network drives connected by Ethernet or WiFi. Library drive status can also be assigned to a Dropbox online storage location. You can store your Library files in multiple locations. For some, this is very important.
Should you not wish to maintain your own library, and/or should you wish to access a wider variety of music than what you already own, Roon can be set up to work with internet music streaming services. If you have TIDAL, Qobuz, or KKBox, the Roon search function will also search those sources for the track, artist, or album you’ve requested. Using these online subscription music services, you can search for music that your local Library doesn’t have. This works seamlessly – in other words, you don’t have to tell Roon to specifically search in TIDAL, Qobuz, or KKBox – If you have a subscription, the search function will automatically include them when looking for the tracks, artists, or albums you want.
Roon will initially index your library and as you add new music over time, Roon will automatically add any albums or music files found in the Library to the server index.
You choose what Library locations you want Roon to use. Regardless of location, Roon can index all your available files, and they can all show up in your Library if you want.
If you want to limit the Library, just point the Roon server to only the locations you want to index, and Roon will display those albums and tracks (and only those) in your Library. If you have a location that you no longer want to be indexed, just disable that Library location, and Roon will reindex, omitting those locations that you don’t want.
Still not enough music? Roon also lets you set up internet radio stations to your heart’s content. Just point Roon to the URL of the stations that you want to hear, give the stations a name (or use the stations’ defaults), and you can listen to “Roon Radio” whenever you want.
THE ROON REMOTE APP:
To control the Roon server, Roon supplies a free app called “Roon Remote.” Roon Remote can run on your tablet, your phone, or your computer. If you have fat fingers, like me, then the Roon Remote experience is definitely better on a tablet (I use an iPad). But with smaller fingers, even cell phone screens are sufficient.
Although the app is called “Roon Remote,” it controls the full functionality of the Roon server. In other words, you can configure Roon, select and deselect Libraries, choose zones, and add/remove streaming music services and internet radio stations directly from Roon Remote. Roon Remote will access the server by WiFi and/or by Ethernet.
If you’re running Roon from a computer, then a copy of Roon Remote is automatically installed on the same computer that hosts your Roon server. This means that you can control Roon on the same computer it is installed on if you wish. Roon server (with Roon Remote) can be installed on Windows, Mac, or Linux computers. The same install file that you download to be your Roon server also contains a copy of the Roon Remote application.
Multiple copies of Roon Remote can access the same server. If you want to install Roon on more computers, you can do so. Theoretically, the number of Roon Remotes that can simultaneously access your server is infinite. However, each additional Remote connected to the server uses some CPU power. So, if you choose to let a LOT of people simultaneously access your server, a faster CPU and more RAM may be beneficial.
Roon Remote is also available as a separate download for mobile devices such as phones, tablets, etc. These portable installs of Roon Remote can control your server just like the Roon Remote software installed on your computer(s). Mix and match as you choose!
I use Roon Remote on an iPad when I’m listening to music and Roon Remote on a Mac when I want to edit metadata.
ROON ZONES:
If the Roon server is the “brain” of the system, the Library is the storage, and the Roon Remote is the control, then the “zone” is where the music meets the listeners. The word “zone” in Roon-speak, is synonymous with “device” or “endpoint.” Roon has partnered with an incredible variety of audio manufacturers so that their products work seamlessly with Roon.
Types of Roon zones can include:
● Network players with the Roon streaming technology built-in
● Digital to analog converters (DACs) and streamers
● Receivers, preamplifiers & Integrated amps
● Self-powered speakers and subwoofers.
● Etc.
Zones can be connected to the Roon Server over your Ethernet or WiFi networks.
Some Roon-Ready and/or Roon-Certified manufacturers include:
Here are the listed brands per Roon’s partners webpage: https://roon.app/en/partners/
Notes:
● Not all products from the above manufacturers are Roon-Ready. Check with the manufacturer for an up-to-date list of their Roon-Ready models. In general, the more recent the product, the more likely it is to work with Roon.
● New brands and models are being added to the Roon-Ready list all the time, so visit Roon’s website, or the manufacturers to check for the latest information.
“Roon Ready” is the highest level of certification. The Roon Ready designation means that all features of the device have been tested and will work perfectly with Roon. Roon Ready devices also use the RAAT streaming protocol.
Other devices can also receive the “Roon Tested” certification showing that their core functions have been tested and will work with Roon.
Even without any Certification, many devices can work just perfectly with Roon. You may need to experiment (or ask online) to find out if your particular make and model will work (many will).
A Roon Ready or Roon Tested device requires no configuration. It will be automatically recognized by Roon, and when selected via Roon Remote, it will give you music with no further ado. You can mix and match different brands of devices without issue.
An audio amigo asked me “What about people who have vintage equipment? Can they use Roon?” The answer is yes. Since you can’t stream digital music directly to vintage equipment, you’ll need an intermediate digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Most DACs are readily recognized by Roon. If your server device is in close proximity to your DAC, you can use USB, TOSLINK optical, Ethernet, or, in some cases, HDMI to communicate between the server and the DAC.
To connect your server to your zone over longer distances, most use Ethernet. If you don’t have Ethernet hard-wired in your home, you can purchase a pair of “Ethernet over AC” modems. Plug one in near your computer, the other near your device – then push the “connect” buttons on the modems, and you’ve got a home Ethernet network!
Some DACs do not have Ethernet inputs. In that case, you’d need an intermediate device called a “streamer” to convert the digits from Ethernet (or WiFi) to USB or Toslink. Almost all DACs have USB and/or optical TOSLINK inputs.
DACs and streamers can cost a lot of money, but they need not. I’ve run my system before using an eBay-sourced Apple TV-3 as a streamer (about $10 plus shipping). Ironically, the newest Apple TV-4 has eliminated the TOSLINK optical output and can no longer be used as a streamer unless your DAC has an HDMI input.
It’s also worth mentioning that many newer audio-video receivers (AVRs) have Ethernet ports included so that Roon can stream to the receiver directly by Ethernet. One of my friends uses the HDMI output of his computer directly into a HDMI input of his AVR. Works fine!
It’s been my experience that connecting Roon to my Yamaha AVR by Ethernet sounds better than using the HDMI connection. Since both are digital, the two connection methods should sound identical, but I don’t find that to be the case. Your mileage may vary…
Your Roon server can stream music to a single zone, or multiple zones. For example, you can configure Roon to send the same music to multiple rooms if you want, or you can send different music to different rooms.
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ROON MOBILE – ARC:
It’s frustrating to many of us who have large libraries of our favorite music at home, but when we’re out of town, the only music we have is what we can load onto our phone or tablet’s limited memory. Roon, using a port-forwarding method, has created a feature called Roon ARC. With any internet connection (WiFi or cellular), you can access your entire Roon library from anywhere.
To do this, your Roon server and Library at home must be online, and you must have mobile internet service (cellular service, or a hotel WiFi connection, for example). With this setup, and the ARC app on your mobile device, you can stream your entire music library from anywhere you may be.
This allows those of us who want to always have our entire music collection available to us, regardless of where we travel, to do so. By using the Roon ARC option, you can stream anything in your library to your portable device. Road warriors, rejoice!
Additional information on Roon ARC (not an acronym) can be found at:
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/arc#Overview
PART 2 – INITIAL ROON SETUP:
ROON SERVER INSTALLATION:
If you wish to install Roon on a desktop or laptop computer or an NUC, the download is free for Windows, Apple OS-X, or Linux with a 14-day trial period. Once installed, the user will be prompted to create a Roon account with a unique password. Additional information on Roon downloads is available at:
If you purchase the Roon Nucleus hardware, the Roon server is already installed but will need to be authorized (licensed).
Once your Roon account is active, the Roon server will need to verify, over the internet, that your trial period (or subscription) is active each time that you start Roon. So, your Roon server must always have internet access.
One other comment if you’re using a Roon Nucleus as your server – If the Nucleus loses power, it does NOT automatically reboot when power is restored. You’ll have to push the power button to restart the Server.
CONTROLLING YOUR SERVER – ROON REMOTE:
Music playback comes only from an authorized Roon server (one that you have licensed from Roon). But you can control your server from single or multiple copies of Roon Remote.
I’ll use my setup as an example. In my computer room (at one end of my house), I have a Mac minicomputer, a Roon Nucleus-One Server (hardware device), a cable modem, and a WiFi base station.
In my living room (at the other end of the house), I have a Yamaha AVR, connected by Ethernet, and my speakers. I also have an iPad with Roon Remote on it, connected by WiFi. I use this iPad copy of Roon Remote while listening to music.
I keep a second copy of Roon Remote (accessing the same server) on my Mac Mini. I like the screen real estate while editing metadata.
Although I can modify metadata from my iPad, I find it inconvenient. The Roon Nucleus has minimal video output so I can’t modify anything directly from it. If you plug the Nucleus’ HDMI output into a monitor, you get a line of text identifying the device, and a hyperlink leading to Roon’s online status page for your Nucleus.
LIBRARY INSTALLATION:
Once your account is verified, Roon will initially need you to tell it where the Music Library’s files are located. After initial Library identification, Roon will remember the location(s). For internal drives, or even USB-connected drives, this is straightforward.
But network-attached-storage (NAS) drives can be tricky depending on your operating system and/or what brand of NAS zone you’re using.
A visit to Google will normally show a variety of connection options, one of which is sure to work for you. In the examples below “nas” will be the name of your RAID and “music” will be the folder where your Library resides. Some common NAS path options might include:
Examples for Mac:
● smb://nas/music – Then add username and password (only if required)
● \\192.168.0.1\music – Then add username and password (only if required)
● smb://192.168.0.1/music = Then add username and password (only if required)
Examples for Windows:
● First, navigate to the folder where your music is stored using Windows Explorer.
● Then right-click on the folder and choose “Properties.”
● Select the “Sharing” tab and click “Share.”
● Verify Read/Write permissions for all Roon Remote users.
The Roon Nucleus path to a Synology NAS that worked for me was simply: \\Godzilla\Godzilla (“Godzilla” being the name of my Library RAID drive).
Once the Roon server is installed and the path to the Library identified, the Roon server will automatically index all the music in your Library. This can be relatively quick if you have but a few albums and tracks but can take hours if your music Library is large. Roon defines library size as follows:
● “Smaller Libraries” have less than 10,000 albums or 100,000 tracks
● “Larger Libraries” have more than 10,000 albums or 100,000 tracks
The larger your Library, the longer it will take Roon to index your files. So, for larger Libraries, a more muscular server with lots of RAM and a fast processor may be a desirable option.
One of my audio amigos asked, “how much space does the index file take?” That is dependent on several factors including how many albums / files are being indexed and how much metadata is stored with each file. My personal experience is that my Roon index file has never been of noticeable size when looking at my hard drive.
Note that indexing your Library files does not copy your actual music files to the Roon server location. The index is just a quick-reference list so that the server can find and display your available Library files without delay.
It’s also worth checking in Settings (the ⚙️ icon in the right column of the main screen) > Library > Skipped files to see which (if any) of your Library files Roon did not index because they were corrupt.
ROON ZONE SELECTION:
In Roon Remote, go to Settings>Audio. There, you will see all the zones that Roon recognizes. To use one or more, click “Enable” for that zone. All Roon-Ready, Roon-Certified, and other compatible zones should show up this way.
If your zone isn’t shown, you can do troubleshooting:
● Ensure that your zone is turned on and connected to the Roon server by Ethernet or WiFi.
● Then click the circle chasing itself icon to the right of the screen. This should refresh the zone list.
Is your zone still missing? Check with the manufacturer – your zone may not be Roon compatible. Don’t despair if your zone isn’t compatible with Roon. There are plenty of inexpensive streamers and DACs on the market that can bridge the gap!
ROON BACKUP:
Once you have your:
● Roon server successfully connected to your Roon account
● Roon Library identified and indexed
● Roon zones connected and working
…it’s time to do a backup! Don’t skip this step. Should you choose to move your Roon server to another location or device somewhere down the road, you’ll avoid a LOT of time and trouble by having a backup that will restore all your Roon settings without having to recreate them from scratch. I speak from experience!
One thing that confused me briefly was that before I moved my Roon server from my Mac mini to my new Roon Nucleus One, I did a backup. I then restored the backup to my Roon Nucleus. I went to find my server, but the Nucleus didn’t seem to be listed – the only server location shown was “Mac mini.” I finally noticed that in tiny print below the “Mac mini” title was a subhead saying “Roon Nucleus One.” I selected that as my server, and everything worked. Why was my server mislabeled? Because the name was restored from my backup (and “Mac mini” was the server’s name on that backup). To avoid future confusion, I’ve renamed the current server “Roon Nucleus One.” This name will be stored in all future backups.
Additionally, over time, you will probably add music to your library. Allowing Roon to automatically do a periodic backup (preferably at a time that you won’t be using Roon, but that your server and Library are online) will keep your backups up to date. This scheduling can be done within Roon.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Doing a Roon backup does NOT back up your Library files! There are two types of hard drives – those that have crashed and those that will. To avoid losing your Library to a disk crash, you need to follow the rules of backup:
● Multiple data copies in
● Multiple physical locations
Don’t ignore the second part of the backup rules. I used to do a computer radio show where the public could call in with their questions. One morning, a gentleman called in who owned a shoe shop. At the end of each business day, he made a copy of his store data on a tape backup. His backup tapes were at his store.
His store had been destroyed in a fire (along with his backup tapes & computer), and he wanted to know how he could recover his data. I had to explain to him that his backup system, though well-intended, had violated the second rule of backup and that his records were gone for good.
One of my audio amigos stores backups of his music library in a safety deposit box on a portable HDD. Another stores online backups (I recommend “Dropbox”). In both cases, their backups are secure.
ROON ARC:
If you plan to use Roon on the road, go ahead and install ARC. The installation steps are simple:
● Verify that your Roon server is up to date with the latest version (2.0 at the time of this article).
● The Roon ARC application will automatically detect and configure your Roon server to connect with the internet.
● Install the Roon ARC app on your iOS or Android device
● On any copy of Roon Remote attached to your server, go to Settings>ARC. If you see a “Ready” message with a purple check, ARC is ready to go.
● If you get a “not ready” message, then you need to enable port forwarding on your Roon server machine. NOTE: Don’t just activate the “DMZ” setting on your router! This would leave your machine open to hackers. Instead, go to:
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/arc-port-forwarding#Overview
This will provide instructions on port forwarding.
EQUIPMENT USED IN THIS REVIEW:
● Synology RAID connected by Ethernet to a home network
● Roon Nucleus One with Roon server
● Roon Remote on an iPad
● Yamaha RX-V6A receiver (Ethernet & HDMI inputs for Roon)
● GoldenEar Triton 3+ tower speakers with self-amplified subwoofers
● GoldenEar SuperCenter X center channel speaker
● Klipsch RP-600m speakers
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PART 3 – CUSTOMIZING ROON
METADATA:
Now we get to the features that justify the cost of the Roon application! When you import your library files into your Roon server, Roon will attempt to create metadata for each file including:
● Artist
● Album
● Track Name
● Reviews
● Ratings
● Recording and Release Dates
● Genre Names (multiple genres if appropriate)
● Photos of Album Covers
● Artist Photos
● Lyrics
● Biographies of Performers
● Biographies of Composers
● Biographies of Producers
● Biographies of Engineers
You can display as much or as little of this metadata as you wish. The metadata is cross-referenced and indexed so that, for example, if you like a particular artist, you can look at other works by the same artist. You can search on any field in the metadata.
You also have the option of using metadata that Roon supplies, from the internet, or that you create and add yourself.
You will be able to combine albums, split tracks into different albums, or refine individual tracks with the specific metadata that you want. This is particularly helpful if you have tracks that aren’t commercially available. For example, I have recordings of my daughter playing with the Baton Rouge Symphony, with a chamber trio, and performing at her graduation violin recital. I can add photos, dates, etc. to document her performances.
This customization feature is particularly helpful when you have multiple performances of the same material. For example:
● Song title – Artist – Studio album release – Release date
● Song title – Artist – #1 Live performance – location – Performance date
● Song title – Artist – #2 Live performance with second artist – location – Performance date
● Etc.
To edit metadata, select a specific track or album by right-clicking in the main display. At the top of the Roon home screen, you’ll see a blue button marked “Play,” and to its right, a circle with three dots in it. When you left-click the three dots, a drop-down menu will appear with the options:
● Heart icon – click this to add the album or track to your favorites
● “Add to Playlist” – click this to create and save a playlist for future use
● “Add to Tag” – similar to a playlist, you can tag albums or tracks for future use
● “Share” – this creates a sharable image with an optional hyperlink that you can post or send to friends – this doesn’t actually share the music itself – only the identification of the album or file
● “Export” – this exports the actual music from the album or track so you can create a CD or copy the music to a portable device
● “Go to folder” – this allows you to browse all the folders in your library and (if you want) move the selected album or folder to another library location
● “Edit” – this displays, and lets you edit if you choose, the album or track information and metadata
That last bullet point is worth further discussion. There are three tabs in the Edit display, Album Options, Metadata Preference, and Edit Album (or track).
The first of these, “Album Options,” displays the current album cover. If you think that the album has been misidentified, you can select “Identify Album.” This selection will search online music databases to try and find a correct album identification based on the tracks in the album. There is a “Missing or Extra Tracks” section that can (again, based on online music databases) compare the tracks that should be on that album to the tracks in your Library. The “Visibility in Roon” selection allows you to hide or unhide albums or tracks. And the “Your Tracks” selection gives you options on rescanning, reidentifying, reanalyzing, or deleting the album or track.
The second tab in the Edit display lets you choose where Roon should get its metadata from (for your selected album or track). The choices are “Prefer Roon,” Prefer File,” and for artwork, you have the additional choice of “Prefer Best.”
The third tab of the Edit display lets you edit every individual metadata option so your albums and tracks will be absolutely perfect.
It should go without saying that such customization can take time and having customized an album or track, you don’t want to lose your work. This is why the backups are so important!
You can also choose multiple albums or tracks and edit them together. To do so, right-click the first, and then (while holding down the “Command” key on a Mac or the “Control” key on a Windows machine), right-click as many more albums or tracks as you wish.
Everything is identical to editing individual albums or tracks except that in the Edit display, you have the option to group albums or tracks into a single album or to group alternate copies of the same album. This can be handy if your disc-ripping software chooses to break a single album into multiple files (each with only a few tracks). This can happen more often than you might suspect… It isn’t Roon’s fault, but Roon can correct it if it happens.
And at this point, I’ll mention that Roon does NOT include disc-ripping software. I use dBPowramp for ripping duties. Once tracks are ripped to my Library location, Roon automatically adds them to my index.
Another observation of importance – the metadata discussion above is correct as of the time that this review was written but may change in the future with updates to the Roon system. To get the latest information on metadata editing in Roon, visit this link:
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/metadata-model#Introduction
AUTOMATIC ROOM EQUALIZATION:
Few of us are blessed with dedicated listening rooms. The vast majority of listeners must share their listening area with living room functions, movie viewing areas, bedrooms, etc. This means that the acoustics of the listening room are seldom ideal. An ideal listening room might include:
● Sufficient space between the speakers and their back wall to avoid slap echo
● Sufficient space behind the listening position to avoid slap echo
● Sufficient space between the speakers and the side walls to avoid echo
● Sufficient space between the speakers and the ceiling to avoid echo
● Identical wave launch locations for the speakers (for example not one speaker in a corner while the other is adjacent to an open door)
● A mix of sonically reflective, diffusing, and absorbing materials
● A listening position directly between the speakers and centered between the room walls
● Room dimensions such that no distance is an even multiple of any other
● Non-parallel walls if possible
● Corners vented into other rooms, stairs, or halls to avoid bass peaks
An example of frequency response in a typical uncorrected room:
Since almost all of us lack one or more of the characteristics of an ideal listening room, Roon includes and/or allows several ways of semi-automatic electronic compensation.
If you have an iPhone or iPad, you can use an app called “House Curve” to shape your room acoustics. This is possible because all iPhone and iPad products use the same microphone! Since the frequency response curve of the Apple microphone is well known and well documented, the app can compensate to provide pretty darn accurate frequency response readings.
NOTE: To use House Curve accurately, you must remove any protective covers from your phone or tablet.
Once you have a picture of your room’s specific frequency response, you can use the “House Curve” app or Roon’s equalization options to compensate. Here is a frequency response of a room after being equalized by House Curve:
If you want to get deeper into room acoustics compensation, a full application called “Dirac” is available. Dirac files can be loaded directly into Roon, or you can use a hardware product called “Mini-DSP” to implement the frequency response corrections.
These types of more advanced room correction usually require a professional, calibrated microphone. The Umik-1 and others that come with their own individual frequency compensation files can ensure flat frequency response.
If you don’t like the “flat” frequency response provided by these products, you can modify the frequency response to your liking (within reason) either in the room correction software or within Roon itself.
MANUAL ROOM CORRECTION IN ROON:
Many people prefer less intrusive sound modification than that provided by the “automatic room equalization” products. For these folks, Roon allows the user to select from a wide variety of options.
Roon’s precision audio control suite is called “MUSE.” The suite is quite powerful with many available tools, my favorite of which is the parametric equalizer. Rather than walk you through the many (MANY) control options, I’d prefer to refer you to Roon’s introduction to MUSE at:
https://help.roonlabs.com/portal/en/kb/articles/muse#Getting_Started
Note that MUSE offers full functionality from your Roon Remote. On some cell phones, you cannot modify MUSE settings (MUSE applies digital signal processing or “DSP” to the audio signal). You also may get a simplified subset of MUSE if you’re on a portable device running ARC.
With MUSE, you can save multiple settings for each room. You can even download and save the settings that others have created. For example, Roon’s forums have a link to a correction curve specifically designed for Sennheiser HD560 headphones! In the same Roon user forums, you can share your own custom DSP creations.
The Roon DSP equalizer offers a variety of different filters including:
● Peak/Dip (“parametric” control)
● High Shelf (like a treble control)
● Low Shelf (like a bass control)
● Low Pass & High Pass (create your subwoofer crossovers)
● Band Pass (make your own Karaoke tracks?)
● Band Stop (aka “notch filters”)
I have found the parametric Peak/Dip filters particularly helpful. You can control the amount of peak or dip you want to add, the center frequency of the peak or dip, and the bandwidth of the peak or dip (the “Q” of the filter). This can correct for speaker unevenness, for room peaks and dips (to some extent), and for your preferences in how you want your music to sound.
It may be worth talking briefly about Q. Variable Q is what makes an equalizer “parametric.” In layman’s terms, Q is a measure of the narrowness of a peak or dip in a filter’s frequency response. More technically, it is a measure of the ratio of the center frequency of the filter to the bandwidth of the filter. The higher the Q, the narrower the frequency band of the peak or dip.
Be careful about adding multiple parametric filters; they use a LOT of your computer’s CPU cycles! In fact, the Roon server runs its DSP engine on one CPU channel per zone. At the top of the MUSE page, there is a “Processing Speed Indicator.” For best performance, keep that indicator at or below 1.0. If you overload the computer that’s running your Roon Server by adding excess DSP filters, either the music will stop, or it will stop and start intermittently. If you REALLY overload your system, Roon can crash and then you’ll have to restart it.
Also, be VERY careful about adding a lot of boost to your music. Music loudness is a logarithmic function, and you can easily drive your amplifier to clipping, thus destroying your loudspeakers or headphones! My motto is “Small boost is best.” If you want a relatively large boost at a certain frequency, you really can’t fix that with equalization. Don’t try.
MULTIPLE ZONES:
A Roon “zone” can be a different room in your house and/or a different audio output device. Why would you want this? You might want to stream the same music to both your listening room speakers and your bedroom speakers. Or you might want to have different music at your listening room and your patio. Zones allow you this flexibility.
Users can have up to about six different zones per Roon server. This is an arbitrary number and can vary (a lot) depending on factors including:
● How powerful the Roon server computer is (faster CPU & more RAM = better)
● Whether or not you’re using DSP (computers slow down a LOT when using DSP)
● Whether you’re streaming different music to each zone, or all zones are being fed the same program
Each Roon system is designed to work with a single Roon server. If your needs exceed the capacity of that single server, you can add capability by using a host machine with a faster CPU and/or more RAM.
PART 4 – SUBSCRIBING TO ROON:
Every new potential Roon subscriber receives a 14-day free trial (one per any 90-day period). After the trial period, you will have to subscribe (license your account) for it to continue working. Note that at any time during the trial period or after, you can move your server from any host machine to any other by disabling the old server and activating the new one. At the time of this review, Roon offers several options for subscriptions:
● For month-by-month authorization, Roon charges $14.99 per month. Why would you want this? If you’re not sure about Roon, and you need more than the 14-day trial to decide, this minimizes your risk.
● For an annual subscription, Roon charges $149.88 ($12.49 per month, billed annually).
● A (non-transferrable) lifetime subscription is available for $829.99.
Along with any subscription, you get free updates, the ability to consult with the Roon community, and access to Roon’s technical support folks (who, in my experience, are courteous, knowledgeable, and eager to help).
For the latest Roon pricing, or to start a free trial, visit Roon’s pricing page at:
PART 5 – HOW DOES ROON SOUND?
Here’s where the rubber meets the road! So, before I get into how I like the sound of Roon, let’s discuss what Roon won’t do:
● Roon will not improve poor recordings. If you have a poorly recorded, poorly mastered, or poorly equalized file, you will have to use Roon MUSE to improve it (manually). This requires not only knowledge on your part of how to successfully remaster the music but also the knowledge to successfully use the MUSE applet of Roon.
● Roon will not add or subtract dynamics from your music. The one exception is that you could force Roon to equalize the volumes of different tracks, but unless you like that effect, I wouldn’t recommend it.
● Roon will not compensate for the shortcomings of your speakers or your room. You can do both frequency compensation and room equalization by using external measuring devices with MUSE, but many AVRs and even some integrated amplifiers come with their room correction; rather than reinventing the wheel in Roon, I’d just use the device manufacturer’s microphone and software.
Will Roon suddenly transform your music library into a high-rez-sounding copy of the same? No, unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately) it won’t. The vast majority of my music library has been ripped from 16-bit, 44.1kHz compact discs (you should see my attic storage area…). But to give credit where credit is due, Roon does make the most of what’s available. I’ve heard SACDs and high-resolution streamed music, but those haven’t sounded sufficiently superior to CD standard for me to have any lasting interest. I’ve also listened to MQA files, but again, have been slightly underwhelmed.
Is my impression of high-rez and MQA music being shaped by Roon’s limitations? I don’t think so. I have an audio amigo who has a VERY high-resolution playback system. He runs jRiver Media Center, and having heard CD-standard, high-rez, and MQA music on his system as well, I’m still not hearing very significant differences. Can I hear any differences? Yes, I can (both on my amigo’s system and my own), but are those differences significant? Not very.
PART 6 – TROUBLESHOOTING:
Once you get Roon set up properly, problems are rare.
However, being an audio reviewer, my system is constantly in a state of flux with components appearing and disappearing from the system per both my whims and the necessity of writing a review of fresh equipment. And being gifted that way, I manage to break Roon on approximately a monthly basis. And it’s also fair to say that my system is a bit more complex than most (even though I run only one zone).
So, what’s my troubleshooting sequence?
● Ensure that everything has power (you’d be surprised how easily wall warts can become dislodged from their power sockets).
● Verify that every HDMI cable in the system is fully socketed (I have words for the “engineers” who developed the HDMI connector, none of them are pleasant).
● Verify the Ethernet connections.
● Verify the interconnects & speaker wires.
● In Roon Remote, go to Settings>Setup>Find Roon OS – and click the find button to identify the active server.
● In Roon Remote, go to Settings>Storage – and verify that your Library folder(s) are identified and active.
● In Roon Remote, go to Settings>Audio – and select the zone(s) you want active.
If Roon isn’t working by this point, it’s time to enjoy a beverage of your choice while giving your whole stereo a good talking to. Then just think for a while about what has changed since Roon was last working.
Don’t let this part of the review scare you. My wife has had “tele-klutsis” for decades and has finally infected me with it too. She can look at an electronic device and it instantly stops working. Since I’m the “live-in technical support,” I’ve gotten reasonably good at troubleshooting.
But nobody I know who uses Roon has ever had a tenth of the issues that I’ve had. If worse comes to worst, call Roon support. They are both courteous and helpful!
And while I’m airing my Roon grievances, here are a few that I’ve relayed to the Roon engineers for their consideration:
● If you use a Roon Nucleus hardware product, and it loses power, it will not automatically restart when power is restored. You must manually restart your Nucleus every time you have a power outage. Roon says that if this bothers you, a small UPS for the Nucleus server should prevent loss of service during temporary power outages.
● If you attempt to restart Roon from any Roon Remote application while your Nucleus server is down, you must reconnect Roon Remote with your server from Settings>General. When you try, Roon will give you a warning about the potential loss of your music. Don’t believe it. When you select your existing server (after turning it back on) your music index will still be there.
● The Nucleus pilot light (surrounding the on/off button) is bright enough to singe your eyeballs. There is no way to defeat or dim this pilot light from Roon. I found a workaround, however. I searched for “light blocking tape” on Amazon and the roll I got not only stops all lights but also is flexible enough that you can still operate the on/off button.
So, although the Roon Nucleus One is a capable product, can you get equivalent sound from a computer or NUC? I think so, but with one reservation. The ground plane of computers (and especially NUCs) is notoriously noisy! This can manifest itself primarily through the ground plane of the USB ports. However, you can find USB power isolators on Amazon for as little as $14 plus tax. One such product (that I use) is the:
So, if your Roon server is to reside on a computer (or particularly on an NUC) I recommend the power isolator just in case.
I struggled for a long time with the problem of Roon Remote on my iPad crashing every 30 minutes to an hour of playing music. The Roon server would continue playing, but I had to restart Roon Remote to regain control.
As it turned out, the problem was with my house. The WiFi base station was broadcasting from my computer room at one end of the house; the iPad was at the other end of the house with a significant number of wires, breaker boxes, and air-conditioner ductwork in between. The computer room is also near two outside central air conditioning units. These generate electromagnetic pulses (and perhaps momentary power sags & peaks) when the compressors start & stop.
I determined that weak WiFi was the culprit by moving my WiFi base station to the equipment rack in my living room (where the iPad also resides). I haven’t had a Roon Remote crash on my iPad since. So, to summarize, this wasn’t a Roon issue at all, but rather a WiFi one.
PART 7 – SUMMARY:
The thing I like the most about Roon is its metadata flexibility. I can pick and choose my art for every album in my library. I can modify the metadata and add my comments (for example, “I like THIS version of this symphony best of all the choices I own”). I can also correct errors in the metadata downloaded from online music databases (and there are plenty of those).
I’d have to say (at least for my uses) that Roon is not cheap, but that it is worth its cost.
If you just want a bare-bones music player for minimum cost, Roon may not be the choice for you. But if you’re passionate about your music, Roon seems to offer me the most choices (and convenient ones) for playing, displaying, and modifying my music than any other program I’ve seen. This is why (many years ago), I chose to purchase a lifetime subscription to Roon.
Given the fact that Roon offers a free trial, I can’t imagine why anyone serious about music wouldn’t want to at least try the Roon system. It’s that good!