Sound quality of Roon

@past 

The Streamer upgrade will not improve SQ.

I’d have to disagree. This hasn’t been my experience trying Mac Mini as a streamer via USB, then AURALiC Aries G1, then Lumin U1 Mini. Each device imparts its own sound signature with Mac Mini being the worst of the bunch in a capacity of a streamer. 

+1 @audphile1 If I were you I’d strongly consider upgrading to an Innuos Zen Mk3. Not only is it a much better streamer than the Node, you can load any CDs you have directly into it and have all your music in one place. To your question, by all accounts Innuos Sense sounds better than Roon. I don’t know Roon nor will I likely ever because I prioritize sound quality over convenience. Last, I highly recommend you do a free trial of Qobuz if you haven’t already — good interface, tons of hi-res music, and none of all the unfolding crap and editorializing of MQA, which is a total sham IMHO. FWIW and best of luck.

My advice is to see if you can try it yourself. 

I haven’t noticed a difference - it’s simply an interface change to simplify playing from a hard driver or multiple streaming services. I have a Roon-ready device from Moon so I can use Moon MiND app, Tidal Connect or Roon.  (My audio dealer uses Roon when people audition systems and there's several 100k+ systems in their listening rooms)

Here’s what I like:

• 1 TB hard-drive to store my music (allows me to free up my server for space for movies)
• Meta data - it’s like having access to the liner notes of the album and Rolling Stone at the same time.
• Recommendations for music based on history - I use it when I’m looking for background music
• Access to radio stations I haven’t found in Tune-in via the MiND app

Here’s things I don’t like:

• Search priority starts with your library - prioritizing hard-drive over streaming. My hard-drive is MP3s and I’d prefer a FLAC file over MP3 when available. I either have to click to select the FLAC version or add the "subscription" version to my library so it selects the higher quality version
• The volume buttons on the iPad change the volume button on the stereo. Accidently touching the button can raise the volume quickly

I prefer Tidal over Qobuz - based on sound quality and my musical tastes. I recommend Roon if you use more than one music streaming service or have more than one system you are using.

@audphile1 

+1

When I moved up to the >$3000 streamer/ digital player strata, the degree of audio improvement was not subtle. Linear power supplies in high-end gear matters.

@overthemoon let me try and help you there…in Roon settings, general…scroll down to STREAMING CONTENT PREFERENCES. Under it you will see Streaming service preference. Select Qobuz or Tidal from drop down. That’s going to ensure the version played by default is either Qobuz or Tidal, and not the mp3 from your library. 
Let me know if that works.