Roon 1.8 sound quality change?

The background is now so black that it has become a black hole. All my music gets sucked into it and nothing can escape from it anymore.
Ah well, I might just enjoy the silence for a while until they fix this.


Better not get sucked in!

I experience quite the opposide.

Wouldn’t it be a 3 line statement of the Roon people to tell us whether they changed any remarkable things in sound processing with 1.8? Much better than any of these speculations ;-).

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The sound transparency was clearly better on v1.7 on my system (Antipodes S30 server+EERA Andante). Sorry but the sound impact of v1.8 is bad (if the hifi system is good enough…).
I hope that an update will change that or I will go by on the v1.7 if possible or use the squeeze player…


Audio stack improvements

The audio pipeline in the Roon Core has been optimized to reduce memory traffic and CPU usage. We have also improved the efficiency and mathematical accuracy of the dithering algorithm used for DSP.

I don’t know what needs to happen for the Roon team to bring back the wonderful sound. Based on the fact that many people like the current sound, they are unlikely to pay attention to the opinion of grumbling users who are in the minority.
For me personally, a music player is in the first place emotions from the music I listened to and which I was deprived of.

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Are you using USB? No sound issues for me on a network.

with nucleus+/accuphase e-650 + internal d/a converter/dynaudio confidence 20 no difference audible for me

Maybe, all here hearing a difference, can post the way they operate Roon.

Core, networked, USB attached, what DAC. Maybe we get some common criteria.

My core runs on Linux Ubuntu 20.04 on a virtual server. 4 GB RAM, 2 CPUs.

  • Auralic Aries G1 wireless with Antelope Zodiac Gold. AES/EBU between Auralic and Antelope
  • Macbook Pro 15" as endpoint, Ethernet, Toslink to RME ADI-2 DAC FS
  • Mac Mini as endpoint, Ethernet, Feniks Essence via USB

No difference


I’m 100% sure there are no differences, it is a psychological thing (expectance bias). Happens all the time (and for every release). Same reason new cables which have zero relevans sound different. I’m also 100% sure you will not be able to tell the difference between Roon 1.7 and 1.8 if you are not aware of which one is playing :slight_smile:


Hi Olek,
that was exactly my hearings and feelings after hearing my well known favorites!

Great work roonies !

Bassman Ralph

I think people’s observation (including me) is that the background noise during signal reproduction has gone lower. It does not say anything about « background » noise present in the absence of digital signal, such as whatever residual humm or hiss or thermal noise from tube stages that one can hear close to high-efficiency drivers. I use also efficient drivers (from 100 to 105 dB/W/m).

RME ADI-2 DAC has built-in bit perfect test. It passes with Roon 1.8, same as it did with 1.7, meaning there is no technical reason to sound different. It is exactly the same, original signal sent from Roon Endpoint to DAC. Also it does not pass when I enable Parametric EQ or volume leveling, which is expected.


But nothing has changed.
I do hear differences whenever the air makes some big changes like tempreature and humidity though. Like I said before, and that wan’t a joke, it’s freezing outside and everything sound great overhere. but most audiophiles don’t even consider that air has probably anything to do with audio :face_with_thermometer: They do believe that they can hear the difference between a cpu computing a cycle too many or between -120dB and -124dB noisefloor :thinking:

There have been many psychological studies about expectation bias. I have read many of them over the years. Why? Because I wanted to learn not to fall into the trap of it. Why? Because I can’t do my job reliably when I let myself lead by expectations. That’s not as easy as you might think. Since then, it’s remarkable how little difference I hear between software players. Maybe I can’t hear it anymore because my expectation is that I don’t have any expectations, maybe I don’t “believe” it anymore. Oh boy, I’m trapped in a vicious circle.


I have Intel NUC with Roon Rock further Sotm SMS-200 further DAC for USB.
Nothing changed in the system during the upgrade.

Agree 100%

I think the USB connection is a common factor in people who report sound changes for better or worse.
Clearly a weak point as you are not isolated from the core. So, if the core is busier, it will generate more noise, hence issues.
With a network, Roon tested or Roon ready solution, I would think these issues do not apply.


Don’t you find it strange that almost all users who are unhappy with the new sound describe the shortcomings very similarly? Can psychosis be contagious?


A null test would easily put this all to bed.

Record the output of a DAC from roon 1.7 vs 1.8. Invert the phase of one of the recordings and play them both at exactly the same time. If there is a difference it will be audible. If there is silence then the 2 recordings are identical.

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