Downloads Versus Streaming

I also have Qobuz-->Bryston Pi. I also think spinning a CD on a BOT-1or playing files sound a tiny bit better and I mean tiny. Upgrading to a mesh network and having the Pi connected directly to a node and upgrading my cable reduced the margin even more. But not enough to dump a wad of cash on an upgraded streamer. The last move I made was putting a ROON core on an SGC ST and switching the Pi to an endpoint. Proly sit at this level for a while as it sounds really close to files and my Rega P6/Ania Pro. Nothing matches ROON for library management that I have seen. The Radio Paradise app for sure sounds better on the Pi than Roon and I switch back to Pi/MPD when critically listening to that source but otherwise I am all ROON now.

If my dealer ever gets a MOON Mind 2 in I might consider doing a head to head with the Pi. Or picking up a Used Bryston BDP-3. But the BDP-3 is totally over kill for just tapping a service or Roon Endpoint.

@grannyring & @verdantaudio Thanks for sharing your comparisons. What about a DSD comparison with high resolution files? For me, DSD sounds better than any other format. Good remasters also produce favorable results.

@jbuhl I appreciate hearing from someone else using the Pi. I do admit that Roon has the best cataloguing software I've ever used. But I initially dropped Roon because I was not able to play DSD files through Roon. After which, I realized that MPD sounded exponentially better anyway so I found a work around using playlists and Rigelian. Bryston told me they're planning on releasing an MPD update that will be far better than anything they've ever had. I apologize for not being all that tech savvy, could you please clarify what your referring to when you said;  

'Upgrading to a mesh network and having the Pi connected directly to a node'

’Upgrading to a mesh network and having the Pi connected directly to a node’.

It’s moot point if your Pi is hardwired ethernet. Mesh networks use nodes that you place around your house. They create an improved network environment with a single access point. I just have one of the nodes placed at my rig and can run ethernet cable directly to the node.

What were you using to run the ROON Core?

Mesh

Mesh-Wiki

@jbuhl I was using an M1 Mac Mini.

Yeah I tested on a MAC mini.  After reading here and other places I finally took a leap of faith and put the core on a dedicated host (SGC ST i5) sitting at the rig and also hard wired to the Mesh Node. Made enough difference that I stuck with ROON over the Pi/MPD.