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Multi-channel support to come to Roon

amirm

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Good news! Hopefully the support is broader than just this one DAC: http://hifipig.com/merging-technologies-announce-partnership-with-roon/

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Merging Technologies have said they are proud to announce that the result of a new partnership with Roon Labs will be on display on stand 3-L10/M07 and in the Special Sound Demonstration in Konferenzraum K1B at the HIGH END show in Munich. The concept of Roon’s player program being offered in integrated solutions is not new; there being many existing partners with products available, but this will be the first time that the focus will shift to a complete turnkey and networked solution offering multichannel capability up to DSD256 and DXD.

The Merging NADAC was launched at the 2015 HIGH END. A variety of player solutions including Merging’s own Emotion player can be used with an external computer but this concept is not the first choice for all users. The ‘single box’ solution with the software and the server combined with a DAC removes the need to have a computer in the living room. The system can then be controlled by tablet or smart phone. Integration details such as direct control of the NADAC volume and mute from the Roon user interface also adds to the overall ergonomics by simplifying the control of the entire system from one single page on one single tablet.

Merging also announced that this solution can be retrofitted to all Merging NADAC units already in the field and to any units shipping from now on, meaning early adopters can take advantage of the upgrade if they wish. Pricing and options for this solution, as well as cost for the upgrade of existing units and delivery date will be announced at Rocky Mountain.

Roon’s CEO, Enno Vandermeer commented; “We have admired the innovation and devotion to excellence that Merging has demonstrated with their entry into the audiophile market. This dovetails with our objective to be at the top of the performance table as well as having the best user experience.” On Merging’s behalf, Head of Software Engineering and NADAC Product Manager, Dominique Brulhart stated; “We have carefully evaluated the trends and needs of today’s audiophile and it is clear that a Roon enabled DAC is a very elegant solution. We are delighted to be working with our friends there to maximize all the advantages that we can both offer. Customers can still choose other player solutions with our technology, as well as other DACs with Roon, but we think this combination will be hard to beat.”
 

Mivera

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Good news! Hopefully the support is broader than just this one DAC: http://hifipig.com/merging-technologies-announce-partnership-with-roon/

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Merging Technologies have said they are proud to announce that the result of a new partnership with Roon Labs will be on display on stand 3-L10/M07 and in the Special Sound Demonstration in Konferenzraum K1B at the HIGH END show in Munich. The concept of Roon’s player program being offered in integrated solutions is not new; there being many existing partners with products available, but this will be the first time that the focus will shift to a complete turnkey and networked solution offering multichannel capability up to DSD256 and DXD.

The Merging NADAC was launched at the 2015 HIGH END. A variety of player solutions including Merging’s own Emotion player can be used with an external computer but this concept is not the first choice for all users. The ‘single box’ solution with the software and the server combined with a DAC removes the need to have a computer in the living room. The system can then be controlled by tablet or smart phone. Integration details such as direct control of the NADAC volume and mute from the Roon user interface also adds to the overall ergonomics by simplifying the control of the entire system from one single page on one single tablet.

Merging also announced that this solution can be retrofitted to all Merging NADAC units already in the field and to any units shipping from now on, meaning early adopters can take advantage of the upgrade if they wish. Pricing and options for this solution, as well as cost for the upgrade of existing units and delivery date will be announced at Rocky Mountain.

Roon’s CEO, Enno Vandermeer commented; “We have admired the innovation and devotion to excellence that Merging has demonstrated with their entry into the audiophile market. This dovetails with our objective to be at the top of the performance table as well as having the best user experience.” On Merging’s behalf, Head of Software Engineering and NADAC Product Manager, Dominique Brulhart stated; “We have carefully evaluated the trends and needs of today’s audiophile and it is clear that a Roon enabled DAC is a very elegant solution. We are delighted to be working with our friends there to maximize all the advantages that we can both offer. Customers can still choose other player solutions with our technology, as well as other DACs with Roon, but we think this combination will be hard to beat.”

Running Roonserver internally in the DAC is a no brainer. But what Merging has over the competition is a solution that spits out I2S/DSD direct. :)
 

Fitzcaraldo215

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In some ways this is good strategy for both sides, but in other ways it strikes me as a bit odd, at least at present.

I think the good side is fairly clear. Two advanced technology companies are cooperating on a potentially state of the art solution that advances both their interests. But, that is likely more from high end image and publicity than via actual sales, given the NADAC's price point and other factors.

As I see it, both Mch and DSD have stronger appeal to classical music listeners, based on the available discography and downloads in those formats. Or, the even much bigger Mch market is with video. But, classical is a genre where Roon remains weak in its library management and video is only possibly on the very distant horizon for Room. Roon has said they have plans to address Mch audio and classical libraries, but I have seen nothing about plans for video.

So, I will stay tuned to see what develops, though I have no immediate plans for a NADAC. My Exasound E28 is performing quite outstandingly well with JRiver, and it has been for a number of years. JRiver gives me just about all I want and quite a bit more as a library manager/player. It is also my PC-based Mch preamp/processor/controller for audio as well as video. Roon is still quite far from that. The NADAC, as far as I can see, would work just as well with JRiver. Also, I was just listening, minutes ago, to aDSD256 recording in Mch with JRiver and the E28.
 

Mivera

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Roon is by far the best music player software. The Tidal integration takes it even further. Building it into the DAC so all that's required is a mobile device for GUI, and a dumb storage device for files is a no brainer solution. For those who want inferior sound, and user experience, just so they can put a computer in the mix, it will still have the Ravenna interface to connect to a general purpose computer.

Last I heard NADAC sales were in the hundreds. Far more successful than they even imagined it would be.
 

Fitzcaraldo215

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Roon is by far the best music player software. The Tidal integration takes it even further. ...

Classical music collectors do not agree (yet) that Roon is the best music player. Maybe someday. Most classical listeners also cannot find what they are looking for in Tidal. Maybe someday.

If you like them for your purposes, great. But, "best" is clearly a matter of opinion.
 

Mivera

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Classical music collectors do not agree (yet) that Roon is the best music player. Maybe someday. Most classical listeners also cannot find what they are looking for in Tidal. Maybe someday.

If you like them for your purposes, great. But, "best" is clearly a matter of opinion.

That's simply a minor fix if it hasn't already been addressed with the 1.2 release. The big news here for me isn't the multichannel, it's the fact that it is running Roonserver internally on an interface board that spits out I2S/DSD direct. No need for USB or even Ravenna. It's just like the SD card transport implementation in the Resonessence Mirus, only running the best music software in the business. The multichannel is only the icing on the cake.
 
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