Brain Farts w/ Roon Nucleus

I've been using Roon for about 8 years and bought the lifetime subscription after the first year. Besides the great user interface, what I like about Roon is the ability to use it with a wide range of devices without having to change anything in my library, playlists, etc. And the ability to play the same or different content on multiple devices at the same time. 

I currently have nine endpoints connected to my Roon system - four Bluesound Node 2is, two RPi devices running Ropieee, an Auralic Vega G2, a Sonore Signature Rendu SE, and a Wiim Ultra. It's not unusual for me to be playing different content on 4-5 endpoints at the same time.

My library is a similar size as the OP's - slightly more artists and albums, slightly fewer tracks. 

I started out running the Roon server on my Windows desktop, then built a dedicated NUC i7 running ROCK. About three years ago, I bought an SGC i9 server which runs their propriety Linux OS. I switched to this because I wanted to experiment with HQPlayer. 

Overall, Roon has been very reliable. I have had some issues with my Sonore, but I think this is related to the optical Ethernet connection. All my other endpoints have been rock solid. 

The only other issue I've had is with the iOS apps. They work great when first launched, but if the device goes into standby and closes the connection to the Roon server, it often doesn't seem to reconnect automatically. Closing the app and relaunching always fixes the problem. If I'm doing an extended listening session, I'll set the app to stay on which prevents it from disconnecting. Tho iphone app seems to work a bit better than the iPad app, but the iPad app has some more features and is a bit easier to use. 

I have found that Roon has continued to improve since the Harmon acquisition. It has gotten a little snappier, and, if anything, sound quality has improved. 

My network setup isn't particularly complicated. Most of my devices are hardwired to a switch connected to my router. I think a couple of my Nodes are running wireless, but everything else uses a wired connection. 

I agree. I just restarted my Roon subscription and the sound quality has definitely improved. Roon UI is the best there is. Aurender Conductor is a close enough second but lacks some key features. One downside with my set up running Roon core on mac mini is once in a while a Roon update would make it finicky on the mac. Knock on wood it has not been an issue so far after I renewed my subscription. 

Another possible issue some having with Roon may be due to the constant updates  being made. I've no doubt, just like with operating systems, each update may be one step closer to making our present streamers obsolete. 

As for the updates, some claim they can hear changes in sound quality after a single update. I've never heard such a thing, now perhaps there may be a slight change after cumulative number of updates, can't say I've ever heard any changes I could confidently attribute to Roon.

Worth noting that I use DSP heavily all the time and my modest older minipc I run teh core/server on still does quite well, however fact is it does peg the CPU frequently which clearly indicates more CPU will only help.   From what I read I will likely upgrade to newer Mac mini at some point as a cost effective solution that should be up to the task fully.

The fact that Roon runs on so many devices both commercial and specialized for audio enthusiasts is perhaps its greatest feature as well as one of its biggest burdens because clearly performance can vary widely depending on what devices are used and there are so many to choose from at all price points.

In my case, with the devices I use, things work very well for the amount of money I have invested.  

Caveats;

1) if vendor support is a key issue for you there may be better options out there.

2)  Given teh range of possible devices used, performance will vary widely.   In general, as with most any computer hardware, you should get what you are willing to pay for.

3) Roon could do a much better job providing more clarity on what to expect with various commonly used devices.  It would probably require a bigger investment by Harmon to be able to provide that information reliably but I think that would help elimiate a lot of angst with users who can only find out for sure via trial and error themselves.  More technically savvy users will be better equipped to navigate the journey effectively than many.

One final note, as with any computer application,  when things head south,  a reboot may be needed to clear things up.   With Roon that mean a reboot of Roon endpoint devices as well as the device the Core/server runs on. Sometimes router and any other devices involved with internet access.

If you have not rebooted all those together ever or for a long time, worth a shot to see if it helps.  A lot of physical devices and services are involved with any network application especially when internet connections and performance of remote services at the other end that users have no control over (Like Qobuz, etc.) come into play.  THings only perform as well as the weakest link in teh chain at any particular moment.

Roon is an awesome app with many unique and valuable features, but those with low tolerance for technical complexity are probably better served using other vendor specific streaming solutions.

If only one could have it all and it always worked perfectly and didn’t cost very much as well.  A perfect world would be very nice indeed!

I have been a senior technical engineer/architect for a major financial services provider for many years.  I also have a technical background in digital signal processing.  So ai am used to this kind of thing and eat it up.  Maybe when I retire sometime soon I will offer up my services to Harmon to see if I might be able to help take Roon to another level.  That would be a fun thing for me to do in retirement but on a very limited part time basis only.  Who know.  Lots of fun things to do in retirement including all the usual audiophile trappings.  

Cheers!