Hi audiofun:
FWIW, you restoked my curiosity and over the last few days I spent some time doing A/B comparisons between Roon alone and Roon with HQPlayer. I am now definitely of the opinion that I prefer Roon WITH HQPlayer. Roon alone seems more forward and bright while Roon with HQPlayer is further away behind the speakers. So, at least for the near future, I'm going with HQPlayer.
FWIW, you restoked my curiosity and over the last few days I spent some time doing A/B comparisons between Roon alone and Roon with HQPlayer. I am now definitely of the opinion that I prefer Roon WITH HQPlayer. Roon alone seems more forward and bright while Roon with HQPlayer is further away behind the speakers. So, at least for the near future, I'm going with HQPlayer.