Roon is a music management and playback software platform. Its price has risen steadily since the author first reviewed it about three years ago. The author now considers the Mac mini with an Apple M-series chip the best host for the Roon Core, and considers a NAS the least suitable.

Price Development

Roon's lifetime license has increased in price over the past three years:

The author states that the lifetime license now costs between NT$20,000 and nearly NT$30,000. He describes the rise as roughly USD 100 per year. He argues that the software rewards buying early only in the sense that later buyers pay more.

What Roon Does

Roon is software that controls networked streaming players. Most streaming players include their own app, such as those from LUMIN, Eversolo, AURALiC, and Aurender. According to the author, these apps are less usable than Roon. They also require a separate app for each brand.

Roon controls all supported devices from one app. The author lists the following supported devices in his setups:

• LUMIN and Eversolo streamers
• Aurender streamers
• Audio Pro C5 speakers, used in a bathroom
• Cabasse Akoya speakers, used in a kitchen area
• Apple HomePod speakers

The author describes two households that use Roon for whole-home control:

• Household A: HomePods are installed in the bathroom, including one above the toilet. A phone holder in the shower area allows the user to start music on the HomePod while bathing. Roon can control the same speakers.
• Household B: Ceiling-mounted speakers are installed in the bathroom and bedrooms. The owner controls all devices from a phone through Roon.

Advantages of Roon

The author identifies three main advantages:

1. Interface: A single app controls all compatible devices and is easier to use than manufacturer apps.
2. Whole-home control: One app manages every supported device in the home and office.
3. Sound quality: According to the author, playback through Roon has better dynamics and stronger impact than playback through most manufacturers' apps. He notes that some listeners doubt this.

Roon also offers album search and additional features described below.

Total Cost

The author estimates the total investment at more than NT$50,000. This includes:

• The Roon lifetime license, at NT$20,000 to nearly NT$30,000
• A computer to run the Roon Core

He notes that this cost exceeds the price of many streaming players and some complete audio systems.

Budget Guidance

The author advises against buying Roon first unless the audio system costs at least two to three times the price of Roon. He makes an exception for buyers who regard Roon as an investment.

He gives this example: a NT$150,000 system plus a NT$50,000 Roon setup totals NT$200,000. The NT$50,000 could instead fund an upgrade from bookshelf speakers to floor-standing speakers. He argues that the speaker upgrade has a greater effect on sound quality.

Additional Features

Music Sources

Roon does not include music. Users must subscribe to a streaming service. Roon supports:

• Tidal
• Qobuz
• KKBOX

The author recommends Tidal and Qobuz, which he considers to have the best sound quality. He states that KKBOX is unnecessary. He also mentions Dropbox and other network music sources but excludes them from his recommendations.

After signing in to Tidal or Qobuz within Roon, users can play that service's catalog on any assigned device.

Shared Streaming Accounts

A single Tidal account can play on only one device at a time. Playing on a second device interrupts the first. Roon avoids this limit. With Roon, one Tidal account can serve all devices, so the user does not need a family plan. The author notes that households with 10 or more devices exist. He cites Household B, whose Roon setup lists many devices.

Roon ARC

Roon ARC is a companion app that connects from outside the home to the home Roon Core. It provides access to the full library. The author describes two common uses:

• Phone: An assistant uses Roon ARC on the MRT with Bluetooth earphones.
• Car: Roon ARC runs on Apple CarPlay. An assistant uses it to play music from the company NAS and from Roon and Tidal.

Roon Radio

Roon Radio recommends music after a track ends. Recommendations are based on the composer, performer, and musical style. The source of recommendations is twofold:

1. The user's own Roon library
2. The Tidal catalog

The author reports that many artists featured in his videos came from Roon Radio. Examples include:

• Alison Balsom: Roon Radio recommended her after the author listened to Handel's Messiah.
• "A Spoonful of Sugar": This song from Disney's Mary Poppins was recommended by Roon Radio. The author describes it as a song that makes people work diligently when they feel a little happy.

The author also uses Roon Radio for jazz. He states that jazz recordings predate classical recordings, and that the jazz catalog is very large. He argues that even experienced jazz listeners find unfamiliar records through the feature. He cites a classical figure, identified in the source as 傑利畢達克 (Jerry Bidak), who described early Louis Armstrong-era recordings as sounding like damaged beans sealed in a can.

Requirements

Roon License

The author recommends buying the lifetime license instead of a monthly subscription. Monthly fees accumulate, and the lifetime price rises over time. He states that Roon has been acquired by another company, so he considers it unlikely to shut down.

Computer

The Roon Core runs on a computer with one of the following:

• An Intel CPU running Windows or macOS
• An AMD CPU running Windows
• An Apple M-series chip running macOS

The author states that a dedicated Intel NUC or the Roon Nucleus is not required.

The computer must:

• Stay connected to the network
• Stay powered on at all times

All music passes through the Roon Core. This includes streams from Tidal, files from a NAS, and music ripped from high-resolution CDs. Processing features, such as DRC, EQ, and upsampling, also run on the Core. The Core then sends the processed audio to the selected player.

The author recommends leaving the Core on. Waiting for a computer to boot can cause a user to lose interest in listening. He also notes that new releases, such as recent Chopin and Mozart albums, can prompt immediate listening.

The Roon Core at the showroom runs on the Mac that staff use for taking customer orders. The author states that a dedicated Mac is also an option. He notes that a Mac costing about NT$19,900 can serve as a Roon Core.

Performance Test: Room Correction on the Mac mini

The author used the Roon EQ to reduce a 100 Hz peak in a showroom listening room. The peak affected a Burmester BC150 system. The reduction produced cleaner sound and more detail, according to the author.

The author reports the following results:

• Nucleus+: Roon with EQ required 30 seconds to 1 minute before playback started on each track. The Core needed time to process the EQ and buffer the audio.
• Mac mini M1: Track selection and playback started almost instantly, even with EQ enabled.

The author notes that the Nucleus+ also occasionally froze during showroom operation.

Connection Test

The author connected a Mac mini directly to a UniFi router instead of a Melco switch. He reports a small difference in sound quality. He states that the benefits of the setup outweigh the drawback.

Hardware Recommendations

The author compares three options:

• Intel NUC: Easy to use because it can remain powered on, but the user must install Roon.
• Mac mini with an M-series chip: The author's current recommendation. He notes that the Mac mini M4 was expected to launch soon. A Mac mini can also connect to a television, and a wireless keyboard and mouse allow use as a general computer, including for YouTube.
• NAS: The author does not recommend running Roon on a NAS.

Why a NAS Is Not Recommended

The author gives two reasons:

1. NAS performance has changed little in three years.
2. Roon's resource needs have grown, and NAS packages also consume more resources. Running Roon alongside NAS packages was previously workable but is no longer practical. The NAS either slows down or Roon slows down.

The author states that even a high-end Synology enterprise-grade NAS, the best model in Synology's home product line, showed this problem. He recommends using the NAS only for storing music.

Operation Notes

The author states that Roon's interface has changed little over the past three years. He refers readers to his earlier video for a detailed walkthrough and says he plans to publish a follow-up on practical use and operating considerations.