Roon Labs Software

[ted_b]

PS Audio Directstream!

 

Any particular DAC is not in question. Roon is player software.

[Jabs1542]

This looks to be a JRiver type app on Sooloos steroids - awesome. Being able to "swim" through my library (plus Tidal) with all its metadata for something close to $100 per year - yea I would buy into that.

 

If Roon could drive HQPlayer we (at least me) would have the best of both worlds.

[Superdad]

I'm not familiar with how HQPlayer works, but if I understand correctly, your goal would be to use Roon as the browsing/playback interface while outputting audio via HQPlayer in some way so you could use all the filtering options?

 

If HQPlayer could act as an audio output at the system level, Roon could be "routed through" HQPlayer. But I'm not sure if that is something that they do.

 

That would be a dream come try for a lot of us here and worldwide. I suggest that you take a careful look at the sophisticated SRC and SDM offered in HQ Player (already on multiple platforms), and supporting both Core Audio and ASIO (even on Macs when using accommodating DACs).

 

The is nothing at all special about Signlyst's front end interface to HQ Player--that is certainly NOT why people love it. It is all about Jussi's amazing Poly-sinc filters, excellent dither choices, and entirely unrivaled S-D modulators for doing realtime PCM>DSD256 conversion. These allow users to play Redbook at 384kHz or double or quad DSD and skip the compromised filters in their DACs.

 

Many of us here have listened to and compared most or all of the available players available on our chosen platform, and for an awful lot of us, HQ Player has walked away as the clear winner. If there is any way at all for you strike a deal with Signalyst for true integration of the HQ Player audio processing engine into the Roon Labs offering, you would be getting a massive leg up with the hard core audiophile community. To-date Jussi ("Miska" here at CA) has not, to my knowledge, licensed his filters/algorithms, but to my view, a partnership with Roon would be a VERY attractive avenue for him to achieve broader market penetration for his decade of deep audio processing work.

 

So please download a trial of HQ Player; ignore the interface; and ask some folks here what filters and settings to try. Then drop a message to Jussi Laako in Finland.

 

Hopefully yours,

 

Alex C.

 

P.S. I was a big fan of the Sooloos system way before the deal with Meridian came about. You guys have the form and the function that makes music lovers lust.

[robdarling]

First off, thanks for all the good words. It has been funny being in such a small bubble of users for so many years... we are excited to get out and share what we do with a bigger world.

 

Second, thanks for all the feedback on what is important to you... I may not be able to comment specifically on a lot of things, but it is ALL really helpful feedback. We have always worked to learn from and take care of our users, and as we head into a whole new group, it is great to hear from everyone.

[john925]

looking forward to more info released.

[jcbenten]

It's hard to imagine how Roon could ever replace Jriver for those who use Jriver's more advanced functions. I hope there's a plan to integrate Roon inside Jriver without requiring a new application. I know Meridian is a well respected firm with big money but Jriver has been actively developing it's software for a while now and the feature set so deep. I'll be shocked if Roon could do it all.

 

Michael.

 

Not sure JRiver wants another software program mucking around...remember JPlay?

[Always.Learning]

Rob--

 

I had another thought about how one might use your software. As you said in an earlier post, the "magic" that happens with your software is that it allows you to interact with your music library in ways that are unexpected and that deepen your appreciation for the music:

 

"We then weave all that data into an interface that is like a web magazine about your collection... album and track credits, artist and performer bios, composers, related musicians, influencing musicians, photos... with hyperlinks to let you surf it all.

 

So all the relationships and contexts that used to make albums and album art an essential part of music are presented not just as eye candy, but as something you can actually interact with and explore."

 

l'm thinking that I don't need or necessarily want the "music player" part of your software -- I just want to experience this "web magazine" for my library. So I would envision installing Roon on the iMac that lives in my home office, which is connected to my 2.5 TB music collection. I don't need to read the "web magazine" while I'm listening. In fact, when I listen to music, that's all I want to do, preferably in the dark. My stereo listening experience -- which happens in my living room -- would be separate from my Roon browsing experience. If I wanted to both listen and browse using the Roon software, I could use my home office system, which consists of an HRT MicroStreamer and some nice headphones. But I could experience all the benefits of a rich music library with Roon without worrying about how it interacts with my Aurender hardware or whatever I happen to be using in my main rig. For those folks who are really attached to a particular music software player, whether that's HQPlayer or Audirvana or JRiver or whatever, they might have their cake and eat it too by using Roon as a supplement outside the context of their actual stereo system.

 

Is this a realistic scenario for using your software?

[BobSherman]

I don't subscribe to Ted's premise that all bit perfect players sound different, unless we are talking about different filters.

 

We are not talking about different filters.

[robdarling]

@Always.Learning

 

The world of hifi streaming audio has been really fragmented by a lack of robust, simple, elegant standards, so I bet there will be a thousand formulas for how things can work out for people. I am always amazed at creative ways people have applied our products in ways we never imagined

 

There is an awful lot of flexibility in the architecture of Roon- our roots are in a system approach with discrete and independently scalable storage, control, and output points- so there will be a lot of different ways people will apply it.

 

Soon enough you will be able to download and try it... I'd love to hear back when you do!

[flatmap]

As a classical music fan, I'm always interested in better library management and aids

to get (and not lose) correct metadata.

 

I do believe there is a niche in providing a really good user interface. No one has that currently, to my taste.

 

Not keen on a subscription model however...

[robdarling]

@flatmap

 

What we are doing with classical is unprecedented in its power and understanding of the unique issues of classical music in comparison to pop and even jazz. You will be very, very happy.

 

I can understand where you come from on a subscription, given that you haven't seen anything yet and what the industry standards are.

 

But I think when you see how the service works and what it does on an ongoing basis, you will understand why a subscription is the only relationship we can have with our users if we are going to always keep giving you the best product possible.

[mwheelerk]

As a classical music fan, I'm always interested in better library management and aids

to get (and not lose) correct metadata.

 

I do believe there is a niche in providing a really good user interface. No one has that currently, to my taste.

 

Not keen on a subscription model however...

 

I would agree. The one thing I would hesitate on is the subscription model. I would prefer purchase but businesses are about renewing revenue streams

[Paul R]

I would agree. The one thing I would hesitate on is the subscription model. I would prefer purchase but businesses are about renewing revenue streams

 

I am quite okay with a subscription model -if- I can quit paying and the application continues to work, though perhaps without updates.

 

I am quite actively opposed to any model I invest in that will "stop working" completely should I decide to stop investing.

 

-Paul

[robbbby]

I am very, very interested to see what this product is all about. The biggest downfall of my music is the terrible tagging or lack of tagging. I don't have the time to manually do it all myself and would rather just listen to music when I have spare time, though I do dream about a perfectly organized/tagged music library. I'm excited to see if this product can help me with that and do most of the leg work in properly organizing stuff based on existing tags/filenames. Will definitely be following this closely.

[Foggie]

I realize there's more info to come, but I'm still confused (sorry) on how music is played with ones existing local music library (NAS) for example? If I have invested $$ in players such as A+, HQ player, will this application be of use?

 

Sent from CA app

[mevdinc]

From what I understand the Roon Software is not a player, it's a clever and user friendly music browser and controller.

It's not an engine, it will use whatever player we want to use, Audirvana+ or HQPlayer, I think/hope

[The Computer Audiophile]

From what I understand the Roon Software is not a player, it's a clever and user friendly music browser and controller.

It's not an engine, it will use whatever player we want to use, Audirvana+ or HQPlayer, I think/hope

No. Roon is a competitor to apps like JRiver that feature full library management and playback capability.

[miguelito]

Good point Ted. The Roon app will combine with online services. It will be like AllMusic.com and your own collection combines. Way cool.

I LOVE THIS!!! If it works...

[miguelito]

No. Roon is a competitor to apps like JRiver that feature full library management and playback capability.

So Roon has it's own playback software?

[miguelito]

I would agree. The one thing I would hesitate on is the subscription model. I would prefer purchase but businesses are about renewing revenue streams

I am very much in favor of subscription pricing for ALL software of continued use. You want continuous maintenance and improvement in soft, and people have to make a living.

[orgel]

If I have invested $$ in players such as A+, HQ player, will this application be of use?

 

Only if it's better than what you already have. :-)

 

In all seriousness, @robdarling has stated there will be a trial version (see Post #59), so you'll be able to decide for yourself whether it's worth it.

 

I have to say I'm very curious about the Roon product. It seems like it has the potential to change the landscape for playback software.

 

Also, speaking as someone who currently pays for a couple of software subscriptions at work, the subscription model has pluses and minuses, compared with direct sales (or licensing or whatever you want to call it), just as you might expect. I've come to the conclusion that whether a subscription is a good deal pretty much depends on what you actually get for your subscription payments and thus I'm open to Roon's pricing model. However, it's up to them to show that it's a good value.

 

--David

[mevdinc]

No. Roon is a competitor to apps like JRiver that feature full library management and playback capability.

Thanks for the clarification Chris!

 

In that case, but surely and hopefully unlike JRiver it will allow us users the option of also trying/using other engines with it

[miguelito]

In that case, but surely and hopefully unlike JRiver it will allow us users the option of also trying/using other engines with it

And how exactly would Roon be able to do that? I don't think there's any natural way for Roon to be able to use another "engine" to play music unless such engine provides a mechanism to do so.

 

From the looks of it, Roon will be yet another library management software just like JRiver et al, with it's own playback software. If it is a lot better because it enhances your metadata smartly, allows many views, and plays wonderfully, then by all means I would go with it.

 

It is LOOOONNNNGGG overdue to have a truly robust playback solution for a computer platform.

[Yucca06]

Sorry if you already asked : will it support Audio Units plugins (for Mac) ?

[miguelito]

And how exactly would Roon be able to do that? I don't think there's any natural way for Roon to be able to use another "engine" to play music unless such engine provides a mechanism to do so.

Sorry... Came out a bit strong and bitchy... I assume you're specifically referring to jplay.