bits is bits

@mclinnguy That article reiterates what I've heard from reading various white papers over the years. It's the music player player software's interaction with streaming system hardware that's affecting the sound quality. To this end, myself and others have found Roon provides best sound quality with two streamer setups, one for Core, the other, a much simpler device specifically designed as Roon Endpoint. Issue is Roon complex interface requires relatively high processor resources which of course means noise. Going the direction I've gone with custom build Core streamer with more powerful processor means I'm using far less processor resources. I can monitor my processor usage in real time, very rarely see over 1% on any thread, mostly under 1%. 

People are getting confused, believing bits are being manipulated by streaming services when in fact its the interaction between the music player software and their streaming hardware that's causing variable sound quality. 

Per networks altering or affecting bits, so AI which is in fact a collation of  human 'experts' claims this true, some other 'expert' or 'experts' claim otherwise. 

Issue is Roon complex interface requires relatively high processor resources which of course means noise. Going the direction I've gone with custom build Core streamer with more powerful processor means I'm using far less processor resources. I can monitor my processor usage in real time, very rarely see over 1% on any thread, mostly under 1%

​@sns And if you read the end of the article the author's comment (before all of the ASR peoples' comments that say, prove it) he states that Roon actually sends data in bursts instead of a continuous stream, which increases noise generated, and suggest a low noise solution. 

Helps partly explain why most of us with Antipodes streamers feel that Squeeze/Squeezelite or Jplay is a better sounding software than Roon. My streamer has a server (and player) memory and cpu usage circle graph display that typically has Roon cpu usage at anywhere from 0 to 25 percent, usually 1-2%, where Squeeze typically remains at 0%. 

But if 90+% of Roon users are "bits are bits" people and "claim" there is no difference (without proof), and they are happy with it, Roon will continue to develop more resource intensive features like ARC and convolution filters to gain more membership and ultimate sound quality will take a back seat. 

“People are getting confused, believing bits are being manipulated by streaming services when in fact it’s the interaction between the music player software and their streaming hardware that's causing variable sound quality. ”

@sns 

True, most of us have a solid grasp of what really causes variations in sound quality. Beyond playback interaction between software and hardware, it’s also important to consider the provenance and mastering of the recording itself. That alone can explain why the same track might sound better on one streaming service than another.

Headphonesty is garbage. It's the National Enquirer of audio.

However, this particular article was right on point! Go figure. Even blind pigs find a truffle sometime.

@mclinnguy 

Absolutely. I found that I needed a Melco switch to get the best out of Roon with a Linn DSM. Although things have improved now that some DSMs are Roon Ready.