Roon vs JRiver

I tried an Android tablet as a controller for JRiver. yes it worked but it was not nearly as nice as Roon.

I have conversed with Roon a few times. They have made a few suggestions. Their support was also thinking that maybe JRiver and Roon were in contention with each other. The one thing that does seem to make the most difference is running Roon as a Headless Dedicated Server on the Tiki. Nothing else running other than the normal protection software. And then using the Surface as the Roon Controller. Seems like the SQ is there and definitely a heck of a lot better interface.

Because of the amazing diligence from Roon support and their obvious continual improvements I decided to purchase the lifetime subscription. They also assured me that version 1.2 will be out within a month!
 
Randy Myers said:
The only thing that I was important to me was that I was comparing DSD files. I am surprised
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Might it be that although you are playing DSD, it is converted to PCM?
If this is the case it might be a matter of different filters.
JRiver uses a very aggressive filter by default removing almost all high frequency components
(see the pics on http://www.thewelltemperedcomputer.com/SW/AudioTools/Spectrum.htm)

If there is such thing as consensus in audio, HQPlayer is the way to go if we talk sound quality.
Its interface is primitive so Roon+HQplayer probably gives you the best of both worlds.
 
I had checked that previously. I was running DSD in Native. I have one album in DSD 256. The only way it can play is through native on either. It played fine on both JRiver and Roon.

I may look into the HQPlayer with Roon eventually. After just purchasing the lifetime on roon I have to lay low for a little while on audio player software :)....
 
Nice, now to figure out how to install it. I am fairly certain it will be a breeze :)....
 
Randy Myers said:
I have experimented with remote desktop software. The standard remote desktop requires Windows 10 Professional I believe. Windows 10 home version no longer includes remote desktop. I have played around with others such as Team Viewer and Splashtop. Both work, but not as smooth as I would like. I also have MCRemote which is a JRiver remote program for Windows Phones. It does actually work, but far too small for my everyday use.

The way that Roon runs with a "Server" on the main computer and installing the "Controller" on the Surface (or laptop etc.) works very nice because it is exactly the same as the desktop app.

Just wondering if JRemote works as good as this. I would literally be buying a tablet for this purpose. Seems silly to get a tablet just to use it as a remote :)....

I am continuing to compare to make sure it was not just an anomaly last night. I really want them to sound the same and really find it hard to believe that there is a difference. I can't ever remember routing for something to be better so that I could spend $500 and DAMMIT. I just played some selection from some 96kHz PCM files.... DAMMIT, JRiver stills sounds better. Fuller, richer...son of a b!@#$%...

I said from the get go that SQ is the one factor that I am not willing to compromise on. I am just shocked that JRiver actually sounds better than Roon... of course judging only from my setup...

So now do I buy a tablet just to run JRemote? The remote desktop apps are not solid enough to remove the monitor from on top of my audio rack (Roon's controller was :()... MCRemote on my phone is too small and basic to use 100% of the time, and honestly I almost always have to re-connect the phone to wifi when I use it because unlike the kids, I do not live on my phone :D....

Ok, giving Roon one more chance.... ELP From the Beginning in 96kHz.... "New Stereo Mix".... ok the Roon playback sounds pretty good.... JRiver..... F!@#$.... fuller, more open, richness in the vocals is much better... the guitar strings are so much more present and the sound stage is to die for....I didn't even notice the background percussion in the Roon playback.... grrr

I know this has got to be funny as heck, me giving a play by play... but I thought some might find it very interesting. But, yea JRivers does sound better... which honestly makes me sad....
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Hi Randy, very interesting test, thank you for sharing. Unfortunately I do not have much to contribute, regarding the SQ of either, as I was using Audirvana as a Mac user.

What might also happen, is that your 'better' is what you are accustomed to, as you have been using JRiver for a while. You could hence cross check both Roon and JRiver vs. another source e.g. CD.
 
I have gotten everything as honed in as I can I think at this point. because of the amazing service and interface with the people from Roon I decided to purchased a lifetime Roon subscription. By running Roon as a headless server on my dedicated PC and using my Surface as a Roon controller it not only sounds excellent but also works very nice. The Roon controller is about as good as you get in convenience and ease of use!
 
I was shocked at how better Roon sounded than anything else I tried (on Antipodes server). The only downside I see (besides the subscription of course) so far is the fact that it obliges one to use Tidal over Qobuz, which means a smaller catalog, at least for classical music and jazz. That, plus a few stability issues and bugs. Regardless, I'm switching all my dealers and all willing clients to it.
 
Streaming is not something that I am currently interested in so Tidal versus Qobuz does not matter. I have not seen any stability issues so far. At first JRiver was giving me a very slight sound quality improvement. However, with optimizing Roon, going with Room as a straight headless server on my dedicated PC and using another PC (Surface Pro 3) as the Roon controller I feel that any SQ differences have been negated. The amazing customer service that i experienced from the Roon staff and the tremendous advantages (and much better interface) of the Roon Controller versus JRemote on an Android tablet led me to purchase the lifetime sub. Purchased an Android tablet to use negated a portion of the Roon sub price since I already had the Surface available!
 
I am a lot late to the party. But J remote works well with Android. You can also use a program called Splash Top. It's free and it works great. It puts the desk top of one computer on another and it allows you to control it an any programs remotely and seamlessly. I use it to control Bug Head on my dedicated music laptop and external hard drive.

http://www.splashtop.com/
 
I am very familiar with SplashTop, and TeamView, etc, etc.... I also own JRemote.... all are good, none are close to Roon Controller....
 
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