@scotte1 I still have a paid up license of JRMC and I do still use it from time to time but it had / has dropout issues when streaming to either my Denon AVR or the Bridge II and the Jremote is really terrible. I dont have any drop out issues with Roon (probably just network gremlins at work on JRMC). I do like the Roon / Tidal integration as Tidal radio is hi quality streaming and I get some useful new music finds out of it. Its kind of like Pandora on steroids. I still also have a Pandora subscription for use when traveling. As far as sound quality I really cant tell and difference between Roon and JRMC when played to the Denon or the DSJr DAC. Both sound good to me. I consider myself also to be a music enthusiast but not necessarily an audiophile although I really appreciate high quality equipment in general not just in electronics.
@Baldy Thanks for the comments. FYI, I donāt experience dropouts with B-II and current JRMC software. I used to have a lot of them with B-I but I donāt really know if the problem was with the Bridge, JRMC or some other piece of the streaming kit pie. Networked-based audio can be fickle, but when all is stable, like it is now in my system (knock on wood), it is the best, musical experience I have ever attained. Regards.
Audirvana kicks ass on sound quality and Roon pales. On the other hand, Roon kicks ass on interface and Audirvana is merely adequate.
Thanks @Paul
I know you are busier than a [fill in the blamk]; but if you could find the time to share some specifics as to what is inferior about Roon, in terms of sound quality, I would appreciate it. Sharing such experiences and observations is the point of this topic/thread. Regards and thanks again.
Care to share any details RE: sound quality differencesā¦? T.Y.
Where do the SQ differences come into play between the two?
Oh my. Audiophile neurosis on high!! :). Roon vs audirvana vs jriver. For sound quality. Yikes. This too is why this thread peaked my interest.
Thatās the idea, but hopefully we can elicit some informed specifics. Regards.
Here is an interesting comparison of Roon and JRMC in a specific context: āAudio Dandyā Article
Cheers
From the article:
But ROON was not the best sounding solution of this group.
Itās was just like ROON is sound a bit dull, muddy and a little bit muted.
Precisely my experience.
@ELK Yet others have expressed a preference for Roon for its sound quality. I hope this discussion continues and we can learn more about system context and details about usersā experiences as preferences. FWIW, so far, there is just more there, there with JRMC. So, I use Roon/Tidal to explore and JRMC to play the music that I like enough to purchase and add to my physical, and then digital, music collection.
From what I have read, this is a distinct minority.
What you are doing makes good sense (use Roon/Tidal to explore and JRMC to actually play the music).
If you run across any similar, detailed comparisons please share them if you will.
Couldnāt agree more with this. At least PSA know what they need to achieve with Octave to win over some new customers (and keep the old ones too).
To my ears, Audirvana tames a lot of the brittle classical recordings to which I listen - you know, major classical labels.
Iām not saying itās warmer at all but I just never get fatigued with Audirvana and Iām constantly enjoying albums. With Roon, I seem to be less engaged.
Right now, Iām finding Audirvana a pain to use since I am using a headless Mac Mini so itās just screen sharing for now.
I wish PSA would ultimately release their server as software but, as a software professional, it would open up a massive can of worms - just not worth it, at least not in the beginning.
At this point, this is why Iām using Roon. Headless mini. So, the interface is a big deal.
I have yet to audition Audirvana or JRiver or Qobus (ya i know itās not in US yet). The idea of these other options was why i only went with a one-year on Roon vs lifetime.
Iām in year two of using Roon and, like you, did not purchase a lifetime sub.
I highly recommend you try Audirvana. You donāt need to go all in but just create a directory with some of your favorite albums and give it a listen. Remarkable sound but, as we have all noted, the interface is rough.
Those that believe Audirvana sounds better than Roon, are you using Audirvanaās SRC features? What accounts for the difference in your opinion?
I have compared Roon with Audirvana run from the same Windows PC into the DSD Snr with Bridge 2, Only difference was the software. No DSP or anything else.
I just found Audirvana to be a bit warmer sounding with more detail/separation. I would persevere with Audirvava but the A+ Remote is about as bad as it can get - especially as you have to pay for it!
Thatās interesting. I was never able to get A+ to work with the Bridge II. Wondering if you play the bit-perfect test files through both Roon and A+, they arrive at your DSD Snr bit-perfect?