The Computer Audiophile Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 View full article Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Matias Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Wasn't Roon released before 2017? 1. WiiM Pro - Mola Mola Makua - Apollon NCx500+SS2590 - March Audio Sointuva AWG 2. LG 77C1 - Marantz SR7005 - Apollon NC502MP+NC252MP - Monitor Audio PL100+PLC150+C265 - SVS SB-3000 3. PC - RME ADI-2 DAC FS - Neumann KH 80 DSP 4. Phone - Tanchjim Space - Truthear Zero Red 5. PC - Keysion ES2981 - Truthear Zero Red Link to comment
One and a half Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Awww, no wooden spoon .... AS Profile Equipment List Say NO to MQA Link to comment
Popular Post austinpop Posted January 4, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2018 Given the number of first (and only) post voters, and the shenanigans you detected from manufacturers, you’ll forgive me for being highly skeptical of these results. In any case, does anyone really trust internet polls? beerandmusic and LTG2010 2 My Audio Setup Link to comment
Superdad Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 On behalf of John Swenson (hardware design for both the UltraCap LPS-1 and Sonore ultraRendu), UpTone Audio, and Sonore, I'd like to thank all CA members (and site host Chris) for these awards. It is a fine honor, and sits well with the outstanding 2017 that both our firms had. We are grateful for all our clients and consider this a tribute not just to the unique products offered but to the value we place on providing responsive support--both here on the forum and endlessly via e-mail and phone. Cheers to all for a musically rewarding 2018. And with John Swenson now fully set up in his new home and development lab you can look forward to additional efficacious products from both UpTone and Sonore. --Alex Crespi P.S. With regards to trustworthiness of the poll taken, not one person was ever encouraged by me to nominate an UpTone product. I guess sheer numbers sold and satisfying experiences was all it took. The Computer Audiophile 1 UpTone Audio LLC Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 7 hours ago, austinpop said: Given the number of first (and only) post voters, and the shenanigans you detected from manufacturers, you’ll forgive me for being highly skeptical of these results. In any case, does anyone really trust internet polls? I weeded out the cheaters. Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
The Computer Audiophile Posted January 4, 2018 Author Share Posted January 4, 2018 8 hours ago, Matias said: Wasn't Roon released before 2017? Products didn’t have to be originally released in 2017. For example Roon was originally released years ago, but that shouldn’t stop people from making it product of the year. ednaz 1 Founder of Audiophile Style | My Audio Systems Link to comment
Popular Post vortecjr Posted January 4, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2018 Congratulations to Roon! I work closely with the team at Roon and they are a highly skilled and dedicated group well deserving of this award. Also, special thanks to my team for the work they put into the Rendu series. BTW Sonicorbiter 2.6 will be released soon with some new features to be announced. Chris, what''s coming on Tuesday? The Computer Audiophile, asdf1000 and MikeyFresh 1 2 SONORE computer audio | opticalRendu | ultraRendu | microRendu | Signature Rendu SE | endPoint | opticalModule DX | Power Supplies | Link to comment
LarryMagoo Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 Roon is the best player I have ever used!! Coming from Pure Music, and others but none are even close to what Roon has done for my musical enjoyment!!! When you add what you can learn from the Roon community....nothing else compares.....Their staff is incredibly helpful with getting the best from Roon. Plus they don't rest on their laurels either....always looking to make improvements to their technologies as well as incorporating many suggestions from their customers. Link to comment
Popular Post gmgraves Posted January 4, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2018 Roon is much too expensive. $120/year and $500 for a lifetime "lease" is simply ridiculous no matter how good the software is. I would consider $120 to BUY the software to be exorbitant. I say that if you're gonna f*** me, kiss me first, and for that price it's had better be a damned good f***! Melvin and beerandmusic 1 1 George Link to comment
Popular Post asdf1000 Posted January 4, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2018 4 minutes ago, gmgraves said: no matter how good the software is But it really is that good. The experience gets even better in a multi zone setup, i.e. more than one endpoint - grouping multiple zones, transferring playback from one zone to another so slickly, specific DSP with any/all zones etc. dcrook23 and Abstraction 2 Link to comment
Melvin Posted January 4, 2018 Share Posted January 4, 2018 @The Computer Audiophile .. while these type of polls are interesting I'm honestly curious what your picks are for the top 3 products of the year. I believe you have access to far more products than the average forum member. Care to share your opinion? Link to comment
Popular Post ednaz Posted January 5, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 5, 2018 10 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said: Products didn’t have to be originally released in 2017. For example Roon was originally released years ago, but that shouldn’t stop people from making it product of the year. I'm completely with you on that. I tried Roon twice before - once when they were brand new, once a year or so later. Underwhelmed, but more than that, annoyed by this or that weirdness in their implementation, and the sound quality... well, JRiver just trounced them. At least to my ears. I signed up for a trial again a couple weeks ago. Holy moly. The implementation is smooth and consistent. The UI is quite good, and consistent enough across devices to make it easy to use. One thing that floored me was, I saw that they did Logitech support. OK, cool, let's see. Blew me away when I wandered past my Transporter and saw the Roon logo on the LCD display. They didn't just accommodate the Logitech legacy devices, they embraced and integrated them. Those Transporters (I have two, plus one Touch) sound better than they did with the Logitech server software. And then the sound quality. I wasn't the first to weigh in. First time I fired up the system with Roon with family here, I played some music that everyone likes (tough in families with a wide age range.) EVERYONE said, wait... we've heard this before, but why does it sound so different? When I said "Different?" Every one of them said "Better." Comparing it to JRiver on multiple output devices - it's better on most, equal on one or two. It's the product of the year here... a no brainer buy. Impressed. R1200CL, Abstraction, opus101 and 1 other 4 Link to comment
Booster MPS Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 2 hours ago, Melvin said: @The Computer Audiophile .. while these type of polls are interesting I'm honestly curious what your picks are for the top 3 products of the year. I believe you have access to far more products than the average forum member. Care to share your opinion? Great question @Melvin. Allow me to put a twist on it and also ask for a glance into your crystal ball - based upon your industry knowledge, where do you think we will be say a few years from now with innovative hardware, software, and services? That might be deserving of its own article, but curious on your thoughts @The Computer Audiophile. Thanks! Link to comment
gmgraves Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 3 hours ago, Em2016 said: But it really is that good. The experience gets even better in a multi zone setup, i.e. more than one endpoint - grouping multiple zones, transferring playback from one zone to another so slickly, specific DSP with any/all zones etc. That's not the issue. The issue is the repeated dipping into my pockets (once I have committed my music library to Roon) every year at an exorbitant price ad infinititum (unless I want to be taken further to the cleaners and pay an eye-watering $500 for a "lifetime lease". No thanks). I think JRiver is too expensive, but it is at the top of what I'd be willing to spend for such a software solution and I do own that. George Link to comment
asdf1000 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 49 minutes ago, gmgraves said: That's not the issue. The issue is the repeated dipping into my pockets (once I have committed my music library to Roon) every year at an exorbitant price ad infinititum (unless I want to be taken further to the cleaners and pay an eye-watering $500 for a "lifetime lease". No thanks). I think JRiver is too expensive, but it is at the top of what I'd be willing to spend for such a software solution and I do own that. No worries. Like everything in this hobby we all have differing opinions on what constitutes good value for the money. And that's good. We all vote with our wallets. Side note, I didn't think it was the best value for the money for a long time. I wasn't getting the sound quality I was getting with Audirvana... that all changed a few weeks ago with v1.4 of Roon. Anyone that tried Roon long ago should give it another free trial, especially if SQ was an issue previously.... They've optimized their RAAT protocol and gotten a nice SQ improvement to my ears. It wasn't a difference I could hear easily with speakers (room effects probably masked the small differences). But I was able to hear it with my headphones. I can no longer hear any difference with headphones with v1.4. marcusman 1 Link to comment
R1200CL Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Here is a two months trail for roon NL1601HBPROJECT Stolen from : DreamOperator 1 Link to comment
gmgraves Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 4 hours ago, Em2016 said: No worries. Like everything in this hobby we all have differing opinions on what constitutes good value for the money. And that's good. We all vote with our wallets. Side note, I didn't think it was the best value for the money for a long time. I wasn't getting the sound quality I was getting with Audirvana... that all changed a few weeks ago with v1.4 of Roon. Anyone that tried Roon long ago should give it another free trial, especially if SQ was an issue previously.... They've optimized their RAAT protocol and gotten a nice SQ improvement to my ears. It wasn't a difference I could hear easily with speakers (room effects probably masked the small differences). But I was able to hear it with my headphones. I can no longer hear any difference with headphones with v1.4. Roon's quality is simply not an issue for me. It's their business model that puts me off. I use Adobe's Creative Suite a lot. But I'm still using v.6. Why? Because after that, Adobe went with this subscription pay-per-use model on the internet. IOW, one can no longer buy a copy and use it, upgrading if and when one wants to. No, one has to pay a monthly fee to Adobe,. And pay that fee whether you use the software that month or not. To me that's cynical bullshit and I will not support such out and out corporate greed. That goes for Adobe, Roon, or any other software publishers who use that business model. George Link to comment
Account Closed Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Old saying: " You get what you pay for" Corollary: "You don't get what you don't pay for" Both apply in spades to Roon. Best audio product to come along in years. Deserves to be product of the year. LarryMagoo 1 Link to comment
ElviaCaprice Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 15 hours ago, Em2016 said: No worries. Like everything in this hobby we all have differing opinions on what constitutes good value for the money. And that's good. We all vote with our wallets. Side note, I didn't think it was the best value for the money for a long time. I wasn't getting the sound quality I was getting with Audirvana... that all changed a few weeks ago with v1.4 of Roon. Anyone that tried Roon long ago should give it another free trial, especially if SQ was an issue previously.... They've optimized their RAAT protocol and gotten a nice SQ improvement to my ears. It wasn't a difference I could hear easily with speakers (room effects probably masked the small differences). But I was able to hear it with my headphones. I can no longer hear any difference with headphones with v1.4. The media player, via bit perfect stream, should never sound different SQ wise regardless of choice of software. If it is then you got other server/streaming issues. So your really paying for features in Roon. Which is fine, I get it. For myself, JRiver has all the features I desire and then some over Roon at a far more reasonable cost. (JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14) (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer) Link to comment
LarryMagoo Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Roon is the best player I have ever used!! Coming from Pure Music, and others but none are even close to what Roon has done for my musical enjoyment!!! When you add what you can learn from the Roon community....nothing else compares.....Their staff is incredibly helpful with getting the best from Roon. Plus they don't rest on their laurels either....always looking to make improvements to their technologies as well as incorporating many suggestions from their customers. If you think of Roon like a component of your Music. $500 is a bargain for lifetime sub. Control every aspect of your Music with a iPad ? Send it around the house with multiple types of Endpoints...the possibilities are endless...no other player offers what Roon does. When you add their Roon Community...it's off the charts....shame you can't see that....Lyrics to all the songs also on your iPad with just one click...I could go on...but why bother... Link to comment
LarryMagoo Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 It's a shame also you find $10/month exorbitant ......?? Link to comment
firedog Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 14 hours ago, gmgraves said: That's not the issue. The issue is the repeated dipping into my pockets (once I have committed my music library to Roon) every year at an exorbitant price ad infinititum (unless I want to be taken further to the cleaners and pay an eye-watering $500 for a "lifetime lease". No thanks). I think JRiver is too expensive, but it is at the top of what I'd be willing to spend for such a software solution and I do own that. It's all a matter of perspective. With JRiver you pay small amounts incrementally to upgrade. Over time that will also add up. I really like Roon, paid for the lifetime, and every year it "gets cheaper" and adds more features etc. If it stays around for 10 years it will have cost me $50 a year, which seems reasonable to me. I have weeks where I spend that much on downloads. ednaz 1 Main listening (small home office): Main setup: Surge protector +>Isol-8 Mini sub Axis Power Strip/Isolation>QuietPC Low Noise Server>Roon (Audiolense DRC)>Stack Audio Link II>Kii Control>Kii Three (on their own electric circuit) >GIK Room Treatments. Secondary Path: Server with Audiolense RC>RPi4 or analog>Cayin iDAC6 MKII (tube mode) (XLR)>Kii Three . Bedroom: SBTouch to Cambridge Soundworks Desktop Setup. Living Room/Kitchen: Ropieee (RPi3b+ with touchscreen) + Schiit Modi3E to a pair of Morel Hogtalare. All absolute statements about audio are false Link to comment
gmgraves Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Just now, firedog said: It's all a matter of perspective. With JRiver you pay small amounts incrementally to upgrade. Over time that will also add up. I really like Roon, paid for the lifetime, and every year it "gets cheaper" and adds more features etc. If it stays around for 10 years it will have cost me $50 a year, which seems reasonable to me. I have weeks where I spend that much on downloads. I see your point, but I believe that you are still missing mine. With JRiver, whether or not I upgrade incrementally is up to me. I have Media Center 23 now, but when Media Center 24 comes out, MC 23 won't suddenly stop working, and if I'm happy with that, I need not spend another penny with JRiver. But every year, I would get to pay another $200 for Roon, or, conversely, pay $500 and get it over with. Either way you look at it, it's a lot of money for a piece of consumer software. Roon might be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but at my age, being a pensioner, I have to be careful about my expenditures. Perhaps if I were still working in Silicon Valley, making around $200K/year, I wouldn't blink twice about the cost of Roon (I still wouldn't like that business model, though), but in my present situation, I don't even dare try out Roon. I might like it so much that I had to have it! George Link to comment
ElviaCaprice Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 2 hours ago, firedog said: It's all a matter of perspective. With JRiver you pay small amounts incrementally to upgrade. Over time that will also add up. I really like Roon, paid for the lifetime, and every year it "gets cheaper" and adds more features etc. If it stays around for 10 years it will have cost me $50 a year, which seems reasonable to me. I have weeks where I spend that much on downloads. You don't have to upgrade with JRiver or you could even skip a year or two. If your savy enough, upgrade every two or three years on their new pre version for $16.95. Let's see, monthly for Roon over 2 years that comes to $240 compared to $16.95. Yeah, that's a big difference. Or worse the Roon lifetime membership for $500. Would take 29.5 years with JRiver updated every 2 years at $16.95. Johnseye 1 (JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14) (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer) Link to comment
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