I have a Naim ND5SX2 connected to a SN3 with a Qobuz subscription. I am curious about Roon but am confused.
What is roon?
Can you control streaming volume using roon from an iPhone directly without using system automation ?
Are their advantages of having both Roon and Qobuz?
Can they coexist? Are there disadvantages to having both?
If they can coexist, does Qobuz sound better alone?
Hi, Roon combines your music collection of locally stored files, Qobuz and/or Tidal into a single integrated library. If you have a suitable computer on which to run a Roon Core I would suggest that you take out a trial subscription, play with it for a while, and see what you think. Some people love it, others either dislike it of fail to appreciate its potential. There are no rights or wrongs here.
Sound quality when using Roon is much the same as it is without it, although some find that it isn’t quite as good as using a local server or Qobuz within the Naim app. Again, do the trial and decide for yourself.
Roon canot access System Automation volume control, so you would need to use the Naim app or the remote control. There is a digital volume control on the ND5XS2 which would work in Roon, but it can degrade sound quality, so you may prefer not to use it.
Qobuz is an online streaming service, like Tidal, Apple Music, Spotify etc.
Roon is software that perhaps primarily is best described as library and play management, though it has various functions and people’s use of it can vary. It provides an interface, enabling you to browse and select/play music files from both your own store, if you have one, and online streaming services (like Qobuz), if you use them. Where I think it is unique is its way of blending the two types of file source seamlessly, so you browse in one operation, it not mattering where the file resides. Like some other library & play management software it can also undertake “rendering” duties, converting the music file into a digital music stream to output from the device it is on directly to a DAC, or serve the file over a local network to a streamer (which combines a renderer and a DAC). It has bells and whistles such as (but not limited to) proprietary metadata and online database of music/artist information, or accepting ‘plug in’ DSP models for some degree of room correction, that some people find a perfect fit to their music playing desires, but other people don’t want or don’t get on with or find not beneficial enough compared to other software (including the Naim app) to justify the high price. There are multiple threads on this forum where Roonis discussed, which you can find using the forum search tool.
Last I was aware you could do a free trial of Roon.
You can also do free trials of some of the online streaming services like Qobuz and Tidal.
Great write up! This should be the template when people ask about Roon here.
Your’s as well IB but I hit “reply” too soon
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