NAD C 700 V2

“Push that button,” Doug Schneider suggested after Jason fired up Roon and began streaming some music. Jason Thorpe, senior editor of SoundStage! Ultra, had recently built a Roon server using spare computer parts. He connected the server to an ancient Squeezebox Touch streamer, and that, in turn, to the USB port on the Hegel Music Systems H120 integrated amplifier–DAC of his main-floor music system.

Read more: Little Colored Lights: Drilling Down in Roon

As readers of my articles on Simplifi will likely know, my primary music-management application is Roon and has been for almost as long as I’ve been writing for SoundStage! But before that I used Audirvana as my main music-player app, and I liked it a lot. Audirvana has been through many changes since I switched to Roon. I thought it would be interesting to revisit it.

Read more: The French Connection—Is Audirvana a Worthy Alternative to Roon?

Somewhere in the middle of 2015, the whole Apple ecosystem—at least with regard to ripping music and plonking it onto my iPhone—stopped working for me. In fact, I can pin it down to sometime between May 1 and August 1 of that year. I know this because, until very recently, the newest Grateful Dead CD rip to make its way onto my iPhone was Dave’s Picks, Volume 14 (Academy of Music, New York, NY 3/26/72). Thereafter, every time I tried to sync my ripped music to my iPhone (be it my 6s Plus, 8 Plus, or 12 Pro Max), I was met with a dreaded “Waiting for sync to start” error that never resolved itself, even when I left my phone plugged into my PC overnight.

Read more: Apple’s War on Windows

During the first few months of 2024, I’ve seen some killer deals on the kind of hi-fi gear I most like. Seeing these deals has led me to ask some questions about the nature of Simplifi’d hi-fi, and to wonder how widely my preferences are shared.

Read more: Fire Sales

Lately, I’ve noticed that a growing number of products reviewed on Simplifi and other sites on the SoundStage! Network are only available for purchase online. Here are some examples: Denmark’s Buchardt Audio, whose Anniversary 10 active loudspeaker I reviewed on February 1, sells exclusively over the internet. So does Norway’s Arendal Sound, whose 1723 Tower S loudspeaker Philip Beaudette recently reviewed on SoundStage! Hi-Fi. Fluance and Axiom Audio, both based in Canada, sell exclusively online. Thom Moon has enthusiastically reviewed several Fluance products on SoundStage! Access, most recently the RT81+ turntable and Reference XL8F loudspeaker.

Read more: Direct versus Retail

Harman International Industries, as many readers know, owns several highly regarded home-audio brands: AKG, Arcam, Harman Kardon, JBL, Lexicon, Mark Levinson, and Revel, among others. Fewer know that Harman is also involved in pro audio and automotive electronics. On November 27, Harman announced a further expansion to its ambit with the acquisition of Roon Labs, a move that caught almost everyone in the hi-fi world by surprise, including me. Harman itself was acquired by Samsung Electronics in 2017 and operates as an autonomous subsidiary of the South Korean giant.

Read more: Harman International Has Bought Roon Labs—What Comes Next?

There’s a short answer to the question posed by the title of this article: “Of course they do.” I could leave it at that, in which case this would be the shortest article ever published on the SoundStage! Network. A slightly longer answer is that the place of physical media in Simplifi’d hi-fi is declining, just as it is in hi-fi in general. But make no mistake—vinyl and CD are still relevant.

Read more: Getting Physical—Do LPs and CDs Have a Place in Simplifi’d Hi-Fi?

Since 2018, the SoundStage! Network has been a member of the Expert Imaging and Sound Association. Each year, EISA presents awards in six categories: photography, mobile devices, in-car electronics, home-theater display, home-theater audio, and hi-fi. The SoundStage! Network is a voting member in the hi-fi category.

Read more: Active Voices: Livio Cucuzza of Sonus Faber

In mid-July, a SoundStage! reader posed this question on SoundStage! founder Doug Schneider’s LinkedIn page: “Can someone point me to an article that tells me in simple terms why I should be using Roon?”

Read more: Is Roon Worth It?

Sometimes when things don’t work out the way you’d planned, it’s all for the best. This article is a case in point. In my June 1 feature, “Lakeside Streaming,” I explained how I’ve made it simple for guests to stream video and music to the various TVs and smart speakers in our vacation home. In the conclusion of that article, I noted that I use Roon for music playback at home and explained how the Roon ARC app lets me access my Roon library when I’m away from home. “But Roon ARC is a subject all of its own,” I added, “which I’ll tackle later this summer.” That time has now come.

Read more: Out and About—Using Roon Away from Home

Among my better half’s innumerable gifts is an acute nose for real estate. I experienced this firsthand seven years ago, when we were enjoying a two-week holiday in Southampton, Ontario—a funky little Canadian beach town on Lake Huron. In addition to its lovely beaches, Southampton has some excellent restaurants, good shopping, an interesting history, and glorious sunsets.

Read more: Lakeside Streaming—Network Entertainment at a Vacation Home

  1. Streaming Update—Spring 2023
  2. Active Voices: An Interview with Paul Barton and Rob Nicholls of PSB Speakers
  3. The State of Streaming—2023
  4. Gordon's System, Re-Simplifi'd
  5. Mix Master: PMC's Heff Moraes on Making Music in Atmos
  6. Toronto Audiofest 2022, Simplifi’d
  7. The Great Debate: Is Component Hi-Fi Dead?
  8. Evolving Hi-Fi: My Journey with a Fleet of Devialet Silver Phantoms
  9. Simplifi'd Hi-Fi at Munich High End–and Elsewhere
  10. How We Listen
  11. Wayback Playback
  12. Listen While You Work
  13. The State of Streaming—2022
  14. Why "Simplifi"—Five Years Later
  15. The Evolution of BluOS: An Interview with Lenbrook's Andrew Haines
  16. Dolby Atmos Music in Your Home
  17. The Big Switch
  18. I'm Only in It for the Money
  19. Encore! Encore! An Interview with Patricia Barber, Jim Anderson, and Ulrike Schwarz
  20. The New Apple Music
  21. Moving Forward with Formation: An Interview with Andy Kerr of Bowers & Wilkins
  22. Glory Days
  23. Spotify Goes Lossless
  24. In Defense of Streaming
  25. Tinkering Simplifi'd
  26. Simplifi Defined
  27. Going Deep with Artison
  28. A Simplifi Yearbook
  29. A Perfect Pair
  30. The Critical Component
  31. Has the Time Come for Surround Music?
  32. My Top Ten Products of the Last Two Years
  33. Turning Pro
  34. All About That Bass
  35. Gently Down the Stream
  36. Big Events
  37. Rules of the Game
  38. The Name Game
  39. January 1, 2020: The State of Streaming
  40. Warsaw’s Audio Video Show 2019, Simplifi’d
  41. Toronto Audiofest 2019, Simplifi'd
  42. Hi-Rez à-Go-Go
  43. Streaming the Classics
  44. Play Nice Together -- An Interview with Rob Darling of Roon Labs
  45. Active Voices, Part Three: KEF's Jack Oclee-Brown
  46. High End 2019, Simplifi'd
  47. Active Voices, Part Two: Axiom Audio's Andrew Welker
  48. Montréal Audio Fest Simplifi'd
  49. Active Voices, Part One: Elac's Andrew Jones
  50. Let's Keep it Simple
  51. A Roon of One's Own
  52. How I Simplifi'd My Wi-Fi
  53. Are Downloads Dead?
  54. Hi-Rez Streaming: Tidal vs. Qobuz
  55. Toronto Audiofest 2018 Simplifi'd
  56. How I Simplifi'd My Hi-Fi
  57. Time to Celebrate: Five Years of Google Chromecast
  58. How Good Can Voice Recognition Get?
  59. Are Smart Speakers Any Good for Audiophiles?
  60. High End 2018, Simplifi'd
  61. Is the Smart Speaker a Dumb Idea?
  62. What's Up with Apple AirPlay 2?
  63. The Spotify Dilemma
  64. CES 2018, Simplifi’d
  65. Farewell, CES
  66. Room Tunes
  67. Social Streaming
  68. CEDIA 2017, Simplifi’d
  69. Classical Prime Time
  70. The Röst Reconsidered
  71. High End 2017, Simplifi'd
  72. Vinyl: There's an App for That
  73. Metadata: Life with Roon
  74. The Internet and Audio: The Good, the Bad, and the Impossible
  75. The State of Streaming
  76. CES 2017, Simplifi'd
  77. Why "Simplifi"

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