I also use it the same way on my Windows and Linux machines. The interface isn't that great, but it serviceable. I've also used VLC as they have a nice remote control so I can use my phone to control VLC over the local wifi. On Mac (which I've not had a Mac until the last year), I've mostly just opened stuff in Audacity and listened. If I were starting fresh I might go another way. I've used it for years and it can do so much. Now I foolishly have Windows, Linux and Mac computers all at times going thru my sound system. Mainly because it insisted on taking over anything related to audio or video. I've not tried it recently, but one I always avoid is iTunes.

I've not used Roon, tons of people just love it, but it is pricey. Like someone said, Jriver is something like Foobar made easy and video too. I'm not too stuck on any one.įoobar if you are used to it and don't need a more GUI type approach is fine. And you should keep in mind that Roon does not include CD ripping software, so you will have to use another program for that.

$500 for a lifetime subscription is also painful. $120 a year for Roon plus $240 a year for Tidal just to have a pretty interface for your music is a tough pill to swallow. Biggest problem with it for me is of course the price. If you are more knowledgeable about these types of programs you could probably figure out something that has similar capabilities but Roon is the elegant and easy way to go. The Roon team is always adding very useful functionality, hopefully remote library access is coming with the next big update. And using the built in DSP functions is also very cool. Seeing the year, sample rate, lyrics, and album reviews easily. It is really a very easy to use and informative program though, I love seeing the path of the music from source to endpoint. If you use a different streaming service, or none at all, then Roon is probably not a very compelling option. I have tried out a few different music streaming services and found that I like Tidal the most. I really like how it integrates Tidal streaming and my personal collection, which is a big part of why I wanted Roon. It is a very polished and modern looking program which I like but others may not. Like others will tell you, Roon is great for discovering things about your music and discovering new music. I read that Roon could do what I wanted so I tried it out. And the remote control app for Android failed to work correctly a lot of the time. I tried running the computer 24/7 so that I could access my music at any time but it would crash once in a while. I am not very savvy with computers so I was not aware of a way to overcome this with Foobar or another free program easily. At home I listen to music in multiple locations and I was not enjoying having my music stuck on one computer.

Clementine player dsd