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We’ve been busy this month here at Roon! Tons of new and exciting products to highlight, from DIY DAC solutions to music servers, speakers, and amps.
Our partners have something for just about everyone, no matter what type of audiophile or hobbyist you may be. Time to check these components out!
For a full list of our partner brands – and every device that works with Roon – visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
It’s been an eventful month for us here at Roon! We’ve certified some exciting anniversary products, brand-new music servers, and highly capable integrated amplifiers. No matter what kind of system piques your interest, chances are good this update has something for you. Let’s get started!
You can read all about them in our latest partner update below. For a full list of our partner brands – and every device that works with Roon – visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
Continue reading “Roon Partner Update: March 2023”It’s been another busy month as we welcomed an array of new network players into the Roon Ready family from Cambridge Audio, FiiO, NAD, Primare and Volumio.
You can read all about them in our latest partner update below. For a full list of our partner brands – and every device that works with Roon – visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
This month’s round up features new releases of classics from an iconic brand, a range of top-level DAPs, and more.
A new year, a new round of exciting products to welcome into the Roon Ready family. This month we’ve got classic designs relaunched for the modern music lover, revolutionary audio solutions that integrate seamlessly with your home’s interior design, and a range of DAPs from ‘entry level’ to ‘top of the line’. Let’s get started!
A bumper round up of new Roon Ready products in this month’s partner update – from compact streaming speakers to elite level DACs. Check it!
Just in time for the holidays, we have a huge month of partner updates this December. We welcome two beautiful Volumio products to the Roon family, and reveal a new Roon Tested Astell&Kern DAC – the perfect hardware to take advantage of Roon ARC’s new Android USB driver. Let’s dive in and take a look.
Audio giant Astell&Kern’s brand new portable DAC, the AK HC3, represents a seriously exciting addition to the vibrant portable DAC scene. This compact little USB-C DAC lets you experience high performance audio wherever they’re listening – a plug and play solution that levels up your mobile listening experience.
The AK HC3 comes Roon Tested and fully compatible with Android devices, making it a great product choice for Roon ARC users looking to experience bit-perfect playback with ARC’s USB driver. But it’s not just mobile listening where the HC3 shines. It’s fully compatible with Windows and Mac computers with a USB-C port, making the HC3 an easy, compact solution for elevated home listening, too.
The POWERNODE EDGE is the new entry-level streaming amplifier from audio heavyweights, Bluesound. It’s the easiest way to add streaming to a pair of speakers you already own and combines streaming sources (including high-res streaming with Roon Ready!) control and amplification in a sleek and affordable package.
If, like us, you’re a sucker for beautifully designed gear that does it all – you’re going to love the HiFi ROSE RS520. South Korean audio specialists HiFi ROSE have cultivated a reputation for their ‘lifestyle-led’ approach to audio. They specialize in high quality products that put the user experience first, and the RS520 comfortably continues this trend.
The RS520 is an all-in-one, audiophile approved streaming solution that takes a no-compromise approach to power and sound quality. By pairing top of the line ESS DAC technology with a cutting-edge GaN based class AD amplifier, the RS520 achieves pure, low-noise, ultra-high-res sound whilst outputting up to 250W. Control is where this really streamer comes into its own. The full-front-panel 12.6inch LCD touch screen gives you Roon Ready functionality through a beautifully designed, easy-to-use display. It all adds up to make the HiFi ROSE RS520 a seriously smart addition to your audio set up.
The Rotel S14 is something of a game-changer in the high performance audio market. It represents Rotel’s first integrated amplifier with built-in streaming technology – making this a ‘just add speakers’ system that builds amplification, streaming services, wireless playback and connectivity into a single chassis.
Under the hood, a 150W AB class amplifier offers plenty of drive, and a large toroidal transformer demonstrates Rotel’s time-tested engineering and design practices. The Rotel S14 utilizes a Texas Instruments 32-bit/384kHz DAC with exhaustive tuning and hand selection of all critical components delivering a fuller, richer and more balanced presentation of your music. With Roon Ready tech built-in, the Rotel S14 is a near-perfect all-in-one HiFi solution.
We’re delighted to welcome Italian audio specialists ‘Volumio’ to the Roon Ready family – with two of their flagship products now officially certified Roon Ready. Here, we’ll take a look at both of Volumio’s Roon Ready products in a little more detail.
The Volumio INTEGRO is a high performance, slimline, all-in-one integrated amplifier solution. Despite its compact size, the INTEGRO packs quite a punch – boasting a powerful speaker amplifier (70w RMS / 4 ohm), a dedicated dual-mono headphone amplifier, and dedicated subwoofer output. It features Coaxial and Optical S/PDIF inputs, an RCA analog input, and plenty of playback compatibility – supporting Roon Ready, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, Bluetooth and USB drive playback.
The INTEGRO has been designed in collaboration with Red Dot award winners Design Narratives, and is the first Volumio product to be 100% built in Florence, Italy. null
The Volumio RIVO is a highly flexible ‘digital bridge’ – designed for optimized performance while adding audio streaming to your existing setup. The focus of the RIVO’s architecture is simplicity – its digital signal path is built as clean as possible without any unnecessary stages. There are plenty of connection options with AES/EBU, Coaxial S/PDIF, and USB outputs all available. To ensure the lowest possible noise floor, The RIVO utilizes isolated power supplies for each function block and multiple power filtering 1:1 OFC copper grain oriented transformers – ensuring full galvanic isolation of the AES/EBU, coaxial, and USB outputs.
A bumper round up of new Roon Ready products in this month’s partner update – from compact streaming speakers to elite level DACs. Check it!
We’ve got an absolutely bumper partner round up for you in November – with some seriously exciting new additions to welcome into the Roon Ready family.
There’s something for everyone this month – from compact streaming speakers that pack a punch, to an elite-level streamer DAC running Roon OS built-in. Let’s dive in.
Roon Ready
If you’re in the market for a compact streaming speaker that pairs slick design with great sound quality, the new Pulse M from Bluesound is a great bet. The Pulse M delivers clear, lush, room-filling audio from its pint sized chassis – giving you foot-tapping music streaming wherever it’s placed within your home.
It looks great, too. The subtle design and simple touch controls allow the Bluesound Pulse M to blend seamlessly into any room decor.
Roon Ready
From one aesthetically pleasing piece of kit to another – The Metronome DSS 2adds Roon Ready streaming to your HiFi system, and looks good while doing it.
Built in France, this sleek looking network streamer features an I2S output supporting rates up to DSD256. It comes featuring analog and digital connections for plenty of flexibility, and cutting-edge power supply circuitry for a cleaner sound. The DDS 2 now offers integrated WIFI and supports MQA playback.
Roon Tested
The Musical Fidelity M6x DAC bears impressive heritage. Going all the way back, the M6x is the proud successor to the Digilog model that started it all in 1988. The M6x USB DAC continues to build on Musical Fidelity’s rich legacy of world-class audio devices – providing superb build quality at great value.
Its Roon Tested USB input supports PCM playback up to 768 kHz, native DSD playback up to DSD512, and MQA Full Decoder functionality. It features the latest ESS DAC chips to deliver superb signal-to-noise performance. The built-in headphone amplifier delivers high bandwidth, extremely low noise, and up to 128dB of dynamic range.
Roon Ready
The Mytek Empire Streamer DAC is a seriously powerful streamer designed to challenge the most elite DACs on the market. The Mytek Empire comes with Roon OS built-in, brilliantly combining the power of a Roon core with Mytek’s legendary digital and analog audio designs.
It features two ultra-high performance ESS 9038PRO Sabre DAC chipsets in dual mono mode, powered by dedicated linear power supplies for each channel. The Roon OS and Mytek OS computer boards are fully isolated from the DAC and analog components with a faraday cage design and separate linear power supply.
For control, the Empire has multiple options available. On the device itself, there’s a neat little five-and-a-half inch touch screen that offers full control and browsing of Roon. Additionally, the Mytek Empire comes shipped with an iPad for control from anywhere around the home. It all adds up to make the Mytek Empire one of the most technologically advanced and best sounding hi-res music streamers available today. And it’s designed to be upgradeable, so you’ll be set for years to come.
Roon Ready
Since the 1990s, AVM has cultivated something of a legacy for developing compact all-in-one devices that don’t compromise on sound quality. The AVM Inspiration AS 2.3 integrated amplifier confidently continues this legacy.
The customized AVM X-STREAM engine supports Roon Ready playback up to PCM 384 kHz and DSD256. The AS 2.3 makes a huge leap in sound quality from its predecessors – carrying a powerful 140 W amplifier based on the full-sized OVATION CS 8.3 design.
Roon Ready
Looking for a high-end, Roon Ready speaker solution that looks as beautiful as it sounds? Then the KEF LS60 Wireless is about to jump right to the top of your Christmas list. The LS60 Wireless takes KEFs reputation for forward-thinking design with a classic grounding to a whole new level. It’s a celebration of 60 years of sound innovation – with a clear eye on the future of high fidelity experience and design.
In terms of aesthetic, the LS60 Wireless really stands apart from the crowd. Its iconic slim structure makes for a beautifully contemporary addition to your living or listening room. But the LS60 doesn’t just look the part – it sounds sublime, too.
It supports high-resolution playback via Roon Ready streaming and includes flexible input options such as HDMI eARC, optical, and analog RCA connections. The LS60’s Single Apparent Source technology is adapted from the flagship KEF Blade loudspeaker. It aims to achieve the acoustic ideal of a point source. Where low, mid, and high frequencies radiate from a single point which enables coherent, precise, and clear sound across the whole audio bandwidth. The LS60 is a beautifully designed, no-compromise speaker solution for discerning audiophiles with a real eye for internal design.
Roon Ready
If you’re looking for KEF sound quality and performance in a smaller package, KEF has a compact, budget-friendly Roon Ready option available to you. The KEF LSX II – a beautifully designed small-scale WiFi speaker – reflects KEF’s continued commitment to top-end listening regardless of speaker size or budget. Under the hood, there’s plenty packed into these bookshelf speakers. The LSX II comes with built-in support for Roon Ready streaming up to 24-bit/384kHz and dedicated amplifiers inside each speaker for added punch.
The KEF LSX II is super flexible, too. It can connect to your TV via HDMI ARC, your laptop via USB-C, and even a turntable, CD player or games console. And if you want your movies, music, or gaming to come with extra bass, there’s a dedicated output to connect a subwoofer. This comprehensive compatibility is backed up by an unquestionably reasonable price point. The LSX II is all you’d need to assemble a truly world-class sound system.
It’s been another busy month of partner launches at Roon! We’ve welcomed a brand new partner – Dynaudio – as well as new devices from Musical Fidelity, Astell&Kern, Denon, iFi, Wattson Audio, and Atoll Electronique.
You can read all about them in our latest partner update below. For a full list of our partner brands – and every device that works with Roon – visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
Roon Ready
We’re thrilled to announce that renowned Danish speaker manufacturer Dynaudio has joined the Roon Ready family!
Celebrating the debut of this partnership are three all-new active speaker designs in the Focus 10, Focus 30, and Focus 50. Each speaker features custom-tuned DSP built-in, allowing the speakers to intelligently adapt to your room and listening needs.
The bookshelf Focus 10 is perfect for elevating the acoustic experience in smaller spaces, and the larger floorstanding Focus 30 and Focus 50 assert a powerful presence in just about any space. All in, Dynaudio offers a winning formula for your whole home.
Roon Ready
The MX Stream from Musical Fidelity has been added to the Roon Ready family – a capable network bridge featuring unique connectivity and thoughtful, HiFi-focused design touches throughout.
Thanks to its built-in WiFi and Ethernet networking capabilities, adding the MX Stream to your system is a cinch. Meanwhile, the HDMI video output, ability to rip CD’s to connected hard drives, and broad support for resolutions (up to 32bit/384kHz and DSD256) all make for a unique music streamer for any audiophile.
Roon Ready
The all-new A&ultima SP3000 from Astell&Kern is a remarkable, performance-driven Digital Audio Player – featuring the craftsmanship and attention to detail that Astell&Kern is known for alongside full Roon Ready integration inside.
Thanks to A&K’s custom-built music engine, TERATON ALPHA, and a Quad-DAC chip from AKM, you’ll never miss a detail in any song that you play.
Roon Tested
The latest Denon models to join the Roon Tested family are the duo of S660H and S760H receivers, alongside the high-end AVR X1700H.
The S660H offers robust audio delivery for both music and movies to any full 5.1 system, alongside support for 8K video, HDR, and much more. The S760H integrates many of the capabilities of its sibling, with an increased channel count of 7.2 at 75 watts each.
The AVR X1700 shares much with its fellow Denon counterparts, however, it also boasts an output of 80 watts per channel, with 7.2 channel Dolby ATMOS support, and a myriad of audio and video inputs ready for any home theater system.
Roon Ready
The iFi Neo Stream is a unique solution to a familiar equation – home music streaming, simplified to its very essentials. The Neo Stream makes HiRes streaming as fluid and hassle-free as possible, with no need for specific app control, and integrations with full-featured Roon Ready streaming, Spotify Connect and TIDAL Connect – as well as AirPlay and other streaming integrations.
Simply set up your favorite music listening app and you’re ready to enjoy the symphony of high-end HiFi components that make this network bridge the fantastic audio component it is.
Roon Ready
The Wattson Audio Madison is a compact desktop streaming DAC that can easily integrate into your full HiFi system, serve as a powerful HeadFi centerpiece or possibly do dual duty! Precision Swiss engineering defines the character of this DAC, with carefully considered circuitry, Roon Ready streaming, and a collection of inputs and outputs that easily complement any system.
Roon Ready
The SD300 Signature all-in-one integrated amplifier from Atoll Electronique gives you everything needed for your HiFi listening setup in a single enclosure. This integrated amplifier is ready to be the centerpiece of your main listening system – featuring a powerful 150W 2 channel amplifier, and full-featured Hi-Res Roon Ready streaming built in. From MQA to DSD, S/PDIF to RCA inputs, anything is possible – all you’ll need to add is speakers.
We continued adding to our partner family in the summer as we added new devices from the likes of Burson Audio, dCS and TAD.
For a full list of our partner brands and every Roon Ready and Roon Tested device, visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
Burson Audio – Composer 3XP, Conductor 3P, Conductor 3R, Conductor 3X GT, Conductor 3XR, Playmate 2 and Timekeeper 3i
Roon Tested
We added seven devices from Burson Audio who also come in as a new partner to our growing family. Burson Audio is dedicated to challenging the conventional and is pushing the boundaries of audio excellence through innovation.
Their revolutionary discrete audio opamps are benchmarks in the HiFi industry today, establishing a totally unique perspective on music delivery. Each of the new products from the Burson Audio Conductor range (3XP, 3P, 3R, 3X GT 3XR) and the Playmate 2 and Timekeeper 3i are all certified as Roon Tested, ready to deliver spectacular performance in any system.
dCS Lina
Roon Ready
The all-new Lina is the 13th certified device from the renowned HiFi engineers at dCS joining our Roon Ready family. Featuring the remarkable dCS Ring DAC technology inside, the Lina Network DAC is a showcase of the incredible precision manufacturing that dCS is known for, along with their passion for perfect music reproduction, all at an approachable price point.
This is a totally unique entry into the streaming DAC space, and when combined with its complimentary Lina family components, it’s a supremely capable single-stop solution for every Head-Fi need.
TAD D1000TX DA1000TX
Roon Tested
We’re thrilled to announce that Technical Audio Devices Laboratories (TAD) is a brand new Roon partner, jumping in with two new Roon Tested products, the D1000TX Disc player and the DA1000TX DAC. Each of these reference HiFi components is meticulously crafted with hand-picked componentry, assembled to the highest of standards. The DA1000TX is equipped with TAD’s Asynchronous USB Communication Engine, offering support for resolutions up to 32/384kH in PCM and DSD256. The D1000TX shares this masterclass digital topology, enhancing its overall functionality with an integrated SACD and CD player.
Both of these sources can effortlessly deliver your music with perfect timing thanks to TAD’s Master Clock UPCG. From showcasing your CD collection in flawless form to ensuring your digital-first listening system is fully equipped, the DA1000TX and the D1000TX are stellar solutions for nearly every HiFi setup.
We’ve had a bright start to the summer as we introduced five new devices from audio brands such as Thrax Audio, Matrix Audio and Zidoo.
For a full list of our partner brands and every Roon Ready and Roon Tested device, visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
Matrix Audio element i2, M2 and X2
Roon Ready
Four new devices from Matrix Audio’s family of streaming DACs were certified as Roon Ready in June: the Element i2, Element M2, Element X2, and the Mini-i Pro 3 all can now stream Hi-Res audio natively from Roon. Each of these DACs are engineered to deliver spectacular sonic reproduction at an equally impressive value and comes standard with useful connectivity options such as balanced audio output, a balanced headphone connector, and USB-C. The Element series sports a fantastic touchscreen interface with a revamped UI, and the Mini-i Pro 3 features cutting-edge Bluetooth streaming, unlocking even more streaming possibilities for your system.
Thrax Audio Ares
Roon Ready
We’re welcoming Thrax Audio’s third device to the Roon Ready family with the Ares MkII, a powerhouse integrated amplifier. Featuring tandem full monoblock amplifiers in its chassis, the Ares has individual linear power supplies and transformers dedicated to each of its stereo audio channels, ensuring that the powerful solid-state amplification stages receive every bit of current they need. The Ares’ digital capabilities are equally impressive, with power delivered by a dedicated transformer, and support for resolutions up to 32/768kHz, this is a complete listening solution for many two-channel Roon users.
Zidoo Neo Alpha
Roon Ready
The brand-new Neo Alpha is the latest Roon Ready device from Zidoo. The Neo Alpha is an all-in-one streaming hub for your home media and Hi-Fi listening system, and includes HDMI output with support for 4K streaming, alongside support for a myriad of Hi-Res streaming formats, including DSD and MQA. This is the total solution for anyone who appreciates high-quality video and audio streaming and can function as a powerful hub for all of your multimedia needs.
Throughout May, we introduced ten new devices from audio brands such as Arcam, Astell&Kern, Chord Electronics, CanEVER Audio and JBL.
For a full list of our partner brands and every Roon Ready and Roon Tested device, visit our Partners page on the Roon website.
Arcam
Roon Ready
Arcam has added four new devices to their ever-growing lineup in our partner family last month, with the AVR11, AVR21, AVR31, and AV41 all becoming Roon Ready. All of the new models in Arcam’s lineup this month feature modern HDMI 2.1 connectivity, and include DIRAC Live room correction built-in.
The AVR11 and AVR21 use fantastic A/B amplification in their multichannel designs, while the AVR31 offers Arcam’s powerful Class G amp technology onboard. The AV41 is a stellar Preamp/Processor with a host of inputs and full support for Dolby Atmos output.
Astell&Kern
Roon Ready & Roon Tested
We’re excited to announce two more Astell&Kern have joined the Roon partner family with the Roon Tested AK HC2 and the Roon Ready KANN MAX. The AK HC2 is a USB-C based portable DAC offering HiFi performance in a package that couldn’t be easier to toss in a pocket and bring anywhere you go.
The KANN MAX is the Digital Audio Player in the award-winning KANN series, and features the high power output you’d expect in an even smaller and more convenient package. Of course, the KANN MAX is bolstered by a high end ESS Sabre DAC, and can thank Astell&Kern engineering for its stellar sonic performance.
Chord Electronics
Roon Tested
We would like to join Chord as they welcome the Mojo2 to the Roon family, this being the 12th Chord device to be certified as Roon Tested.
The Mojo2 builds on the foundation made by the much loved, award winning Mojo, taking its familiar pocketable form factor and elevating the experience offered to even greater heights. With improved charging circuitry, a USB-C port, and industry-leading lossless DSP volume capability, the Mojo2 is a remarkable and welcome addition to the Roon Tested lineup.
CanEVER Audio
Roon Tested
Last month our brand new Roon Partner, CanEVER Audio, announced that the ZeroUno DAC is now Roon Tested. CanEVER is an Italian HiFi manufacturer, attuned to the joy and energy brought out by the music that we love.
The ZeroUno is a unique tube DAC, and emphasizes accurate reproduction of musicality and the emotive nature of sound in its design. With a jitter-free USB implementation, and an incredibly low noise floor, this DAC is certain to be an exciting addition to any system.
JBL Synthesis
Roon Ready
New Roon Ready additions from the exciting JBL Synthesis line include the SDR-35 and SDR-58.
The SDR-35 is a powerful Class G home theater AVR that features DIRAC Live room correction and Dolby ATMOS capability out of the box. The SDR-35’s 16 channel output and with HDR10+ support ensure that capability and home theater performance are top-notch. The SDR-58 is a 16 channel preamp and processor with full support for HDMI 2.1 built-in.
Just like its AVR sibling, the SDR-58 features AirPlay 2 and Chromecast support built in, alongside its DIRAC Live room correction technology. Whether you’re taking advantage of JBL’s Sythesis amplification technology or providing your own, you can’t go wrong with these AV solutions.
