Naim + Roon, alone together?

Totally agree with This Nestor_Burma.
In my modest Naim system Roon works really well.
I find volume levelling function offers more than it detracts.
Curated playlists are good e.g. I do like Sarah picks.
Information is second to none.
Don’t like Roon radio.
As for sound quality, Roon imo does not degrade as RAAT puts less work load on your streamer (if you use a streaming service).
To summarise, if Roon was taken away and I only had Naim app overall I’d not be as happy.

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I have my Roon Core on a Roon Nucleus. The Nucleus contains an SSD with my music files.
I’m more than happy with the sound quality. :+1:

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Ok so now I added 3 days ago the mcru power supply to the nucleus replacing the stock sps. Remember I only do qobuz streaming. Notable and satisfying improvement in SQ: the sound is « tighter », more muscular, defined, thanks to a better integration of the bass in the message. Interestingly this same improvement is notable also on the roon app direct SQ…go figure! It is like it is not the Nucleus that benefits from the better supply, but the whole system independently. Very surprising to me. Leads me to wonder about the few other sps I still have like on fiber modem or router…maybe I should remove them too.

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SQ through Naim app direct (no roon) has a very slight edge to my taste: a bit more transparent, a bit wider deeper soundstage maybe a bit more asperity. Music through roon (no dsp) feels a bit more « rounded » and fluid to these ears… which is not bad either. In fact both are excellent with slightly different profiles.

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I like the keyword ‘trump’. This seems pervasive everything, especially the rural states.

I also have a Nucleus with an internal SSD, and I feel more than happy with the Roon’s sound (if there is such a word), it is even (much) better with the HQPlayer if you use USB or coax from a streamer to your DAC.

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I am sure that you know, volume leveling can be detrimental to the SQ.

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I did compare both options, several times.
Didn’t notice a difference.
So I kept Roon.

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Not sure what you mean by that? Seems like you are comparing Roon with the Roon app, which is just a remote control.

Can’t hear a difference though I tried, and it’s so much more convenient. As you surely know, the volume change is calculated in 64-bit, and obviously it does not use compression but a target LUFS value for the whole album (in my case), so that volume relationships within an album are not changed.

For those claiming to hear an improvement from the remote control, how do you suppose that is? Do you think changing the batteries in a narcom will improve the sound, or perhaps, do you think take a step back and consider?

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You are maybe the one you bought my ex ER and MCRU pinnacle, on EBay? These top MCRU are very good.
You are not wondering about Innuos PhoenixNet? It made a clear difference.

Who claimed that?

The OP compared two situations with different signal paths - one that included his Roon Core and RAAT and one that did not.

And he reported a slight audible difference.

I think he may have been referring to @Nestor_Burma’s comment above that,“Interestingly this same improvement is notable also on the roon app direct SQ…go figure!”
Perhaps he means something else, but on the face of it this reads to me like he is saying that Roon sounds different when controlled via the Roon app than it does if you control it by some other means (which would likely be just another control app on a different device).

That is how I read it, on reading it again perhaps by app he means roon and naim systems, on that basis I appologise.

That being said, I have read here how someone felt the naim system sound improved when he updated his iPad app, so I know you are out there somewhere!

I notice slight differences between using roon vs using Qobuz thru the Naim app. I actually prefer roon. The Naim has wider soundstage but seems flatter. I would think roon has less processing, since that’s done by roon core, and Naim receives the stream with roon raat. With Qobuz on the Naim app, that’s done internally. I’m using Naim Uniti Atom HE.

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Compared various times:
No difference notable for me
Roon provides a magnificent user experience
Iver

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It can be detrimental in the context of the Linn streamer. Now considering that you start with CD quality content–16bit, so If you play that without volume leveling turned on, there are the 16 bits of meaningful data there that will be sent down to your DAC.

Now, say we turn on volume leveling and do a big adjustment like -18dB, so three bits. After the adjustment, we have a signal that has zeroes in the most significant three bits, and the signal has moved down and it is in 4-19 instead of 1-16 like before. Roon will up 16 bit to 64 bit to do calculation and down to 24 bit or 32 bit before sending the data to your DAC.

So therein a problem with the Linn streamer or any DAC that can only take 24 bit when you play 24bit source material through volume leveling.

Yes, good summary and all correct :slight_smile: Though one thing: volume leveling usually is max. +/- 6 dB, most often less. And for 24-bit DACs and 24-bit material, one should probably keep in mind that no DAC today can work with the full 24-bits, 2 of them are typically noise in any case

a digital level control is a multiplication and always to a larger accumulator. whenconverting down to, say, 24-bit after this you add a small amount of random data (white noise) to mask the effect of truncation whis may be audible (depends) even with a 24-bit destination (at 24 the noise itsekf is inaudible),

and beyond 20-21 bits the natural analog circuit noise will mask anything anyway.

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