Excellent question. Roon is software that offers a system for
you to find and organize music. Tidal, Qobuz, Amazon etc are all services
leasing access to music. About $25/month for Roon and any one of the 3 music
purveyors.
Roon also sells streamers. You can buy anyone's streamer if it is "Roon ready"
and use Roon with it.
Some Streamer companies do not want to drop their drawers to Roon for
the Roon Ready approval. Their private secrets exposed to Roon. Making
alterations to their company programing-Companies like Linn- is abhorrent to them.
Linn recently cut a special deal with Roon and are going Roon Ready too
after realizing "If you can't beat'em, join'em".
So what should you do?
The Streamer upgrade will not improve SQ.
The DAC is the thing to shop. The Denafrips Ares 2 is one good value.$800
I chose streaming as my main source and happy about it. I find new music everyday for a minimal monthly fee.
The negative about Roon is the absence on any live CS support.
Their attitude is- Go ask somebody else in the community. Such BS.
You make it, you sell it, you service it.
When your internet is down you have no music.
I bought an Innuos Zen 3 which streams/Rips/Stores in one box.
$2,400 is what I paid 2 years ago.
No DAC in it which is what I wanted.
DACs are getting better, cheaper every day.
It was explained to me by one very particular small euro company that they
found when whatever Roon required to be built in to their product for approval
degraded the sound. I believe this guy was telling me the truth.
Now that said are my ears capable of hearing this degradation?
Or do I enjoy the Roon software enough to say its a trade off I will live with.
I believe that eventually all Streamer makers will fall under Roon's control.
People want the service as it is good and getting better.
A Streamer is a computer. Some may be built better than others but your
BlueSound is the best value going in HiFi gear today.
Sorry for the book but you hit a subject I just finished investigating
and am happy to share it.