I use Roon primarily with Qobuz, with a relatively small amount from network flac files. Going beyond 48/24 doesn't seem meaningful to me, perhaps even 44/16 is more than enough. I'm currently streaming mostly to my WiiM Pro and Chromecast Audio pucks. I do use PEQ, so I'm not sure if resolution prior to processing matters.
My question is whether there is a best way to set maximum sample rates and bit depths with Roon. I assume if that's done through Settings>Services>Qobuz then Qobuz will perform the format reduction from their server. That seems most efficient from the processing standpoint but I don't know if there's any hit to quality compared to Roon. The options through this setting are more limited than other ways within Roon.
Roon can also set maximum rates for each device through Settings>Audio>(device name). I'm not sure if Roon will only request lower res files from Qobuz, or if Roon will fully process the reduction from high-res formats. Roon converts audio to floating 64 bits prior to any processing, then back to the target sample rate and bit depth for output. Does that make a meaningful difference to audio quality, or is it digital overkill?
Roon can also convert sample rates through MUSE (which controls headroom, sample rates, PEQ, Procedural EQ, Speaker Set-Up, etc). I don't think bit depth can be changed through MUSE.
So my question: Is there a best way within Roon for setting maximum sample rate and bit depth? Are all methods equally "transparent"? Is there a meaningful reason to be concerned about processing efficiency?
See attached image for the different Roon options.
My question is whether there is a best way to set maximum sample rates and bit depths with Roon. I assume if that's done through Settings>Services>Qobuz then Qobuz will perform the format reduction from their server. That seems most efficient from the processing standpoint but I don't know if there's any hit to quality compared to Roon. The options through this setting are more limited than other ways within Roon.
Roon can also set maximum rates for each device through Settings>Audio>(device name). I'm not sure if Roon will only request lower res files from Qobuz, or if Roon will fully process the reduction from high-res formats. Roon converts audio to floating 64 bits prior to any processing, then back to the target sample rate and bit depth for output. Does that make a meaningful difference to audio quality, or is it digital overkill?
Roon can also convert sample rates through MUSE (which controls headroom, sample rates, PEQ, Procedural EQ, Speaker Set-Up, etc). I don't think bit depth can be changed through MUSE.
So my question: Is there a best way within Roon for setting maximum sample rate and bit depth? Are all methods equally "transparent"? Is there a meaningful reason to be concerned about processing efficiency?
See attached image for the different Roon options.
