@lalitk
you are a longtime, established contributor here, i am not prolonging an argument, but i don’t quite agree with what you expressed in this case
1) roon is a software overlay, it does not have a sound... if someone feels roon sounds inferior to x, they haven’t implemented roon properly compared to x offering a one box solution they may have chosen - yes it may take more work, and lumin, innuos, pink faun, hifi rose, grimm, or aurender may have done that system integration for the consumer, and this indeed is good, it is a market alternative for those preferring to pay for that one-box-done-well convenience
2) there is nothing friendly about streamer companies trying to diminish roon, despite its superior functionality in cataloging, suggesting and managing digital music, be it from local or streamed sources.... it’s all about a battle for customer control, and the revenue streams associated with it... to say anything is done in this case is ’philosophical’ is rather bleary eyed and naive in my view - this is all about hardcore business and making money from customers
3) to be fair and symmetrical, roon isn’t being friendly to hardware makers either... having claimed an ample segment of digital oriented audiophiles, they have wielded a heavy hand in presenting hardware makers with a suite of requirements they must build into their gear... while at the same time offering software based functions (dsp, upsampling etc etc) that hardware makers justifiably see as infringing on their turf, what they seek to offer to customers as part of their own value proposition -- but that is my point -- this is business, an old fashioned power game, hardcore turf war... nothing friendly or philisophical about it
4) as such, it is undeniable that hardware makers would love it if roon did not exist, it is a pain in the ass to them, complicates their world, diminishes their market and income... but why does roon have so many customers? are they stupid, paying up for bad sound and me-too functionality? according to @lalitk roon is also a late comer to the game compared to aurender -- we should ponder this? perhaps roon allows users to manage and play their music more enjoyably? i do agree in that the presence of roon, its success to this point, has indeed prompted others (especially hardware makers) to up their game in developing competitive user interfaces...
some here have paid up for aurender, auralic, innuos, and roon too, and get understandably ’protective’ of their purchasse because they have paid handsomely, but it is still important to step back and see the landscape for what it is
