Thoughts please! I have Roon already, but I have not really invested in getting it properly set up or optimising it. Before I do, is it worth doing? What do people think who already use it? Are there any advantages to it? Thanks in advance…
I think Roon works more as a search engine/discography/research tool more than anything else. I thought about it for a while but The Naim App suits me. It’s different to a standard streaming service like qubuz imho.
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I really dont do anything to “optimize” the Roon UI or anything else about Roon. It just works.
I vastly prefer it to the Naim App due to its UI; I find it much easier to find what I want to listen to, and to explore new music, using Roon. And I like how it integrates my own library of 2TB of music with Qobuz. And most of the time I’m using the Roon UI via my Macbook, not my phone.
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@Bart has just saved me typing almost exactly the same thing… 
I only ever use the Naim app for updates.
I think the only way to see if Roon does what you want is to try it. Reading about what others do doesn’t help, except maybe to point you along a path you hadn’t thought of.
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I use it for volume control via system automation on my 552. I never have a Naim remote out…I just use my phone.
I think it might be possible to enable system automation volume control from Roon - but with volume levelling enabled it’s not something I’ve tried!
I don’t think it’s possible to do Naim system automation within Roon but I’d be delighted to be wrong.
I dont use any DSP ‘stuff’ in Roon, including volume levelling.
I use the internal volume control on my nd5xs2 - although normally set to 100% - and never actually implemented system automation. I’ll have to see if I can remember why I thought it was possible!
The big iPad Pro makes for a fabulous Roon control device!
If you’re only controlling a Naim system (or systems) I can see that it can be a difficult decision as the Naim app is very good and enough to live hapilly with.
The thing I value most about Roon where the Naim app is inferior, are the hyperlinks in artist Bio’s that make it easy to follow threads and find new artists from most of the folks involved in a recording.
Other things about Roon that have value for me are being able to control simultaneous zones from different manufacturers equipment, streaming to Airplay devices and having the option to EQ my outdoor system. Being able to see and select from multiple different versions of the same recording makes it easy to compare them too.
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Roon cannot access Naim’s system automation volume control. You can enable digital volume control on the streamer if you want convenience, but it degrades the sound.
Um. Indeed. I can’t remember why I thought it was possible, so I could be making it up, and in the absence of a cable I can’t try it…
I don’t have enough black boxes to hear if the streamer volume control degrades anything and - as mentioned - it’s normally at 100% anyway. That said, unless Naim have really bodged a solution - which would surprise me - any gain control in the streamers is done at 40 bit precision which should be to all intents inaudible.
The volume control on Naim streamers is an afterthought included only because it’s a requirement for certification for the likes of Airplay. They expect you to be using an analogue volume control because that’s what Naim use in all their preamps. Still, if you’re happy with it that solves your problem. Some hear a sound quality degradation and don’t use it.
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I know. I’ve heard it said often enough…
Hi just saw some roon news so thought I’d add it to this thread- Harmon/Samsung just bought roon.
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Interesting!
There’s an informative post pinned at the top of the Roon community forum, a much better read than the press release.
Just my findings but may be of interest……
Roon
UI
‘Radio’ selects and plays tunes after your album/playlist has finished
Ability to create playlists that include personal music storage, Tidal and Qobuz at the same time.
Great insight with artist bios etc.
Naim app
Straight forward
Volume control
Ability to control Naim amp inputs
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Nope. Mis-remembered. Shame really, though on the bright side it means I’m not exposed to the Roon drive-the-volume-to-max bug that afflicts some users…
I had the Naim app back in the day when there were many freezes on my first Uniti Device. I ended up going the Roon path mostly to solve this and to get control of the devices from my computer.
Had it for a good almost two years. But the added effort of maintaining an in house solution to host Roon was what eventually caused met to stop my subscription and move back to the Naim app. I had many network drops on my mesh wifi and, unlike all the other streaming apps I use, the Roon implementation implemented no type of buffering at all making my music stop randomly from time to time. I invested a lot of time and effort and money to try and fix this but to no avail.
Roon’s decision to go to an always online situation for locally hosted content certainly did not convince me to stay.
What do I miss now that Roon is gone?
- The organisation of my music.
- A slightly better way of finding new music.
What is the Naim app more than enough for now?
- It works very smoothly these days and I can find and play anything I want.
- Native control of the devices, including things like multiroom.
- I recently realised the Naim app works on a Mac as I just bought one so now I have computer control as well.
As I do not have a huge library of own music files I also find that Tidal connect gives me a lot of what I had in using the Roon interface.
But that is my own usage patterns and know that many dived deeper into what Roon offers so then it would be a harder decision.
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