For me, Roon to my NDS through the SonoreUPnP Bridge sounds better than Tidal through the Naim App, and for Qobuz since this isn’t available via the Naim App for the NDS.
On local material, Roon just has the edge on PCM formats, but for MQA encoded material Roon is best.
Roon is a very good piece of software, for me I have a few streamers and some other gear and roon supports them all, only this is just a big plus compared to any supplied app that is brand exclusive only. Is a piece of software that I use for many years now, and every piece I purchase one necessity is for me roon support.
I think most brands only provide only basic functions on their end to get their clients of the box playing right away, normally I feel that the supplied software is not great it serves is proposed objective. Also think that hardware is their primary concern and software is only a small bonus, and that is where most hardware developers fail.
Great software offers a better value to users and the brand. Unfortunately brands do not invest that much in the software side and then there is roon and others like audirvana, to elevate the experience of navigating our library.
100% agreed
At one time I experimented with different servers and protocols. Roon/RAAT always had a slightly digital sound to my ears. But this was before version 1.8. I currently use a simple minimal Mac Mini M1 with Twonky (UPnP) server with the server placed in another room via a Netgear GS108T switch. Based on very limited exposure so far Spotify HiFi will win in musicality of the streaming services.
The Naim app cannot by definition have a “sound.” All it does is tell a server what to send to your streamer/player. The data does not go ‘through’ the Naim app.
I run a Roon Nucleus, and to me Asset or MinimServer running on a qnap or synology nas (UPnP) sound the same to me as Roon running on a Nucleus. My experience with NDS and then ND555.
I suppose I “want” a $16,000 Innuous server to sound better than my Nucleus. But absent hearing them a vs. b I shall remain blissfully ignorant I, also, suppose!
Not all roon servers sound the same or are equal, and my nas runs the package internally I do not have a dedicated computer running roon as this could produce better results.
By the logic of no identifiable differences all software Roon, Audirvana, bitperfect, amarra, jriver to name a few would produce exactly the same sound when played on the same streamer or dac, but is not the case.
But in my listening there are a little difference in the sound and present in a way that is easily identifiable.
FWIW I’ve found this a bit of a moving target.
Roon on a fanless QNAP NAS with everything else disabled sounded comparable to Asset and better than Minimserver or Twonky controlled by the Naim app.
Later, running Roon on a Nucleus improved sound vs. the QNAP and Qobuz via the Naim app, however recent firmware upgrades made Qobuz with Naim app comparable.
With the Roon core on the Innuos Statement, things sound even better for local and Qobuz streaming, but better still (and by quite a margin) using Innuos Sense.
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