Roon ARC

Streaming Audio
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Not sure to whom this is relevant, but as part of the Roon software portfolio is a mobile client application, that runs on iPhone, Android phones and allows access to all music stored on your own music library. Furthermore, you can configure it to play in the original stored format, which is useful if you are using your smartphone device as a DAP, with an external DAC and reasonable wired headphones (don’t want to get into a discussion on Bluetooth codecs, they’re all bad :smiley: compared to wired)

Anyway, have been using Roon ARC since it was first on Beta from Roon, and use it frequently either when out for a walk, in the Car (via an existing iPod integration), on a plane (you can download content in original content for offline playback), or in a hotel room.

Just back from a further trip to Nairobi, my 3rd so far this year and 4th trip to Africa in 2025.
What was different this trip, is although I still had Roon ARC on my iPhone, which was used on the plane with an external dongle DAC and a pair of planar magnetic IEMs, I now have it on my MacBook Air M4. This is great if you are working away, in a hotel room, you can be plugged into your music library back home on your server, using the Headphone driver in the latest MacBooks and MacOS.
This has a number of useful features:

  • DC load detection and adaptive voltage output. The Mac can detect the impedance of the connected device and will adapt its output for low- and high-impedance headphones, as well as for line-level audio devices. When you connect headphones with an impedance of less than 150 ohms, the headphone jack provides up to 1.25 volts RMS. For headphones with an impedance of 150 to 1K ohms, the headphone jack delivers 3 volts RMS. This removes the need for an external headphone amplifier, when travelling - big win.
  • A built-in digital-to-analogue converter with support for sample rates of up to 96 kHz

Result when using Roon ARC.

Using a pair of B&W P5 Series2, which I also use with airline media systems, for movies on those long-haul flights.

When home, will give the driver a challenge with my Dan Clark Aeon Noire planar magnetic headphone, which are normally driven by the current amplifying Bakoon OPA-21 headphone amplifier.

Where else in the world have people taken Roon ARC to?

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Birdlip to Burford on my weekly bread run.
Holiday trip to Lynmouth
I’ve not tried it when walking the dog.

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Its my go to solution when traveling and on wifi. If I’m in the car or walking I tend to either use a Tidal app download or an audiobook.

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I found it more flakey than the flakiest pastry. Plus I have tidal so have struggled to see any use for it what so ever.

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The point of it is to stream your own music collection from your storage. If you don’t have much unusual music that isn’t on tidal, then it doesn’t have much utility. I use it over tailscale, and I’ve found it works pretty reliably if I’m on wifi wherever I am. I do have a gigabit internet connection at home too. I like having the Roon Daily Mixes and Playlists - I find I listen to them a decent amount, as well as having my history with me on the go. That said, the mobile phone networks in the UK are so poor so there is no point in using it when driving or on the train. I never personally stream when I’m on cell networks, I just use downloaded files. ARC only supports that I believe for your own files - you can’t download a tidal track into ARC, only into the Tidal app.

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The bigger annoyance is the constant falling over on phone such that you have to reinstall the app and then go through the arduous task of importing your music. I did this around 5 times before concluding I really don’t need that obscure Pink Floyd bootleg when out and about I can wait till I get home.

I too have tailscale and fast broadband, but fankly just getting it to work reliably on the phone first would be a major step forward.

This all being said there are already so many solutions for music on the go I feel roon could have utilised the substantial amount of time ARC has taken on other things.

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What Roon ARC is doing is not easy, while trying to make it look simple, while maintaining security and usable for all.
Yes, one could setup a personal VPN on the iPhone back to your home system and use the Roon Remote client, but what % of the Roon base are capable of doing this?

In work, we have multiple VPN connections into AWS and then from AWS to many different network operators, and these are always a pain to be setup and to get to stay-up 24/7.

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I don’t know, Plex Amp seems to pull it off without a hitch.

Anyway, what ever, if people find it reliable and useful then its a good to have. I have found it does neither so don’t use it.

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