[GregC]

I am using a Windows Laptop with USB out to a Wyred Recovery USB (powered by linear PSU) into an Exogal Comet DAC.  I use JRiver on the laptop for streaming music.  I usually remote to the laptop but sometime I use DLNA and control music from my phone.  I can use Youtube or any audio source on my laptop.  The setup works for me and I have been pleased with the sound.  I also have an HDMI cable from my laptop to my HT processor for streaming video. 

I have read about Roon and I like the idea of a core that can feed different sources.  A simple renderer (with high quality PSU) using Ethernet to access my music library could in theory sound better since I do not get the noise from the laptop.  The down side is an annual membership or an expensive one time membership. 

Questions:

• Is Roon able to have the tools to tag media files similar to JRiver or would I use something like Media Monkey?
• Is Roon better SQ than JRiver?
• Could I use a renderer and access JRiver via DLNA and get similar results as Roon?

Thanks is advance for any insight.  Happy Holidays!

Update:

I have done a lot more research to answer my first question regarding tagging Media in Roon.  I do not know if I can manually update tags that are not identified by the Roon process that checks for changes to a media direcory. 

I think a NAS makes sense.  I could access the media files in the NAS with JRiver and stream directly as I do now.

If I get Roon, I would have a dedicated Windows machine with a SSD for the Roon core.   Could I get a fanless NUC Windows machine and put it in my stereo rack as an endpoint to stream Roon media via USB to my DAC and via HDMI to my HT processor from the NAS across the network? 

[GregC]

I did a lot of reading in forums and think I have an idea of the recommended configuration.  I need to have a dedicated Core computer that stays active 24/7, a bridge computer that can also serve for my streaming needs, and endpoints.  The more I read, the more I realize that the setup with software and all hardware is going to be costly and a serious investment in time to properly configure.  I read that the sound quality difference between a well sorted JRiver setup and Roon is different but not necessarily better.  I know a lot of people rave about Roon, but unless I can run the application on a single computer and have near optimal sound quality I am not willing to invest my time and money into Roon. 

[JerryM]

What's your budget?

[GregC]

I would like to not be much more than $1k, and also not pay an annual membership for Roon.  For that I would hope the sound quality to be noticeably better than my current JRiver setup on my laptop.  I am leaning more towards a NUC with a linear PSU and run JRiver from that and that will be better than using my laptop to run JRiver.

[mikeeastman]

Of the 5 softwares I've tried JRiver was #4 in SQ with Roon being the best by a long shot. Not only is the SQ better it's the easiest to use, as a matter of fact it is so easy my wife is now playing with my precious system. Not only is she playing music but making playlist and adding music. This by someone that won't go near my system in the past because it was to hard to figure out.

[GregC]

Of the 5 softwares I've tried JRiver was #4 in SQ with Roon being the best by a long shot. Not only is the SQ better it's the easiest to use, as a matter of fact it is so easy my wife is now playing with my precious system. Not only is she playing music but making playlist and adding music. This by someone that won't go near my system in the past because it was to hard to figure out.

When I initially decided on JRiver it sounded the best to me compared to Media Monkey, Winamp, and Foobar2000 in a head-to-head comparison so I decided on JRiver.  I upgraded from Jukebox to JRiver Media Server. 

I currently run JRiver MC21 on my laptop connected to a Wyred USB Recovery (powered by linear PSU) connected to an Exogal Comet DAC.  I think it sounds great, but like all people with our sickness wonder if I can get even better sound.  I read countless reviews and most said that JRiver and Roon were comparable, but the UI and Tidal integration for Roon made it stand out. 

I am wondering if my money is better spent on a high end NUC with linear power supply running the latest JRiver.

[zoom25]

Run Roon on any computer that can support it. Send data over ethernet from the PC to your audio renderer. For the network switch that will feed the audio renderer, power it with a LPS. I use double shielded ethernet cables around my gear with grounds removed on both ends. This is what results in the best sound for me.

If you run connection by USB, then all bets are off. Use ethernet and put some distance. Ethernet is a lot better and simple to deal with than USB.