[skunark]

Just wait until AVX-512, i'm sure those RFs will be non-existence then   

[skunark]

IMO, the speed of your Roon Core matters a lot more than Roon would like to admit. I used to run Roon Server on a Mac Mini (2012 model) and I would occasionally experience what you describe. When I moved to a MacBook Retina (quad i7 w/ 16 GB RAM, SSD), wired to the same switch as my BDP-1, all of that went away for me...

As always, YMMV.

I just killed off Roon, the iOS app crashed repeatedly, so even i needed a dedicated server for Roon, I don't think the product is mature enough even though it's been around for a while.   MPD still owns playback with next to no resources and next to no issues.     I know Roon did more than that, but integration with Tidal is very lacking and I don't need a Roon server to help me rediscover my own music.

Jim

[zoom25]

I've been trying MPD playback off the wireless setup with a NAS (hard drive attached to the router). This way I'd only have the adapter + Jitterbug plugged into the BDP-1 and nothing else. I had nothing else plugged into the circuit besides the Torus and audio gear. All computers and devices unplugged and on another circuit on another floor. Only had an iPad in the room to control. I don't think it made a difference whatsoever, but just to be sure. Connection on the BDP-1 and the iPad app were stable for both Roon and MPD. Both flawless in stability. This allowed for a fair comparison between MPD and Roon in wireless mode as well. I've already done this in wired mode.

At this point, I think I've tried out all the possible ways to run Roon and MPD with the following devices and with various combinations among these devices:

Flash drives, Portable hard drives, external powered drives, USB hubs, Jitterbugs, 5V linear power supply, 2 x ethernet switch, bridged ethernet connection between Mac and BDP-1, wireless USB adapter, FLAC vs. WAV. vs Roon, and DLNA.

It's been time consuming and exhaustive over the past 1.5 years.

MPD (especially with FLAC) in comparison to Roon will each have a distinct sound that stays throughout all the combinations. I think this boils down to the CPU usage and network patterns.

In general, I also find that BDP-1's power supply is excellent and with a low noise floor. Whether it was USB hubs, Powerline adapters, stock switching power supply for the switch, or even external LPS, they all had an influence on the noise floor and how dynamic and clean things sounded.

Regardless of Roon or MPD, running things exclusively off the BDP-1's power supply is probably the best idea unless the external gear has really good power supply. I say run things off the BDP players.

On the BDP-1, Roon definitely sounds different than MPD (especially with FLAC - I use level 7). It's very hard to miss it. You can pick whichever one you like. Just make sure that it's setup to be a fair comparison. Also, allow enough time to listen to each mode so you can get used to the sound. The novelty aspect can often influence your decision.

(I wonder if the differences are still there on the BDP-3 given that it's a beefier machine?)