The release of Roon ARC; a mobile version of the platform that allows you to connect to your Roon Core anywhere in the world was a boon to those of us who use a music server like the Roon Nucleus as the core of our digital playback system.
With the Roon Nucleus connected to my ASUS home router, I have multiple Roon endpoints scattered throughout my house (Cambridge Audio, Bluesound, Apple, Naim) that I can use to access all of my music through the software.
What I couldn’t do before the release of ARC was access all of my saved music on TIDAL and Qobuz through a single platform on my iPhone in New York City or Toronto while on assignment or traveling; that also included the 2,000 CDs that I have ripped to external HDDs that are attached to the Nucleus.
What is Roon? That’s a very good question.
For a detailed breakdown of Roon and how it works and integrates your existing digital music collection and streaming platforms like TIDAL and Qobuz, please read our primer.
Roon has announced a new update to ARC with some interesting features worth mentioning.
MUSE is the new name for Roon’s sound engine and audio processing suite. And now MUSE has landed in ARC – with improved sound quality for mobile users.
MUSE delivers the precision audio control of Roon when you’re on the go or running a streamlined, portable setup from your phone. It’s also one of the most anticipated and highly requested enhancements to ARC’s feature set.
The evolution of mobile audio signal processing has arrived
MUSE features artful design ergonomics, and sound quality unmatched by any other music app. It places radically unique EQ handling, enhanced balance control, volume leveling, crossfeed, DSD support, sample rate conversion, and more in the palm of your hand. And, like the similarly named goddesses of classic mythology, MUSE inspires and invites curiosity and creativity.
Sound shaping for every sonic need
Sometimes your music needs something extra depending on the source file, setting, or use scenario. Maybe your IEMs get a little bass heavy on the treadmill, or road noise colors your grooves with too much rumble. Or, you may want to bump up that bass, add a little air and sparkle to the mix, create a punchy center channel when listening to older hard-panned stereo recordings in headphones, or upsample music to match your portable DAC’s full capabilities.
Throughout MUSE, Roon has provided precision controls that let you perfect your sound, then save and apply customized presets with a few clicks. To get started, simply press the MUSE sound wave icon on the ARC home or now-playing screens.
Enhanced equalization UI for a new era
Equalization is one of the most popular sound-shaping features in Roon, and it’s taken a giant leap forward in MUSE for ARC. If you’ve never used EQ much in the past, MUSE’s highly interactive controls will change that!
Select a filter type from the drop-down menu, then use one of three methods to dial in EQ. Press and drag to adjust the frequency and gain, use the control wheel, or enter settings manually for greater precision. Fair warning, the wheel is highly addictive!
Crossfeed, Volume Leveling, and Balance controls are similarly optimized with press and drag sliders. Or you can enter your preferences manually for more granular control.
MUSE knows your gear
Device-specific customization of sample rate, DSD, MQA, and more are instantly at your fingertips. To set up or edit your device settings, press the gear icon on the MUSE page.
To top it all off, MUSE automatically remembers your previous settings when you reconnect a known device. Or you can choose from one of your saved presets instead.
ARC’s signal path display provides complete transparency for MUSE audio processing. Now you can access the signal path from several locations in ARC, the now playing screen, the MUSE main page, or any of MUSE’s individual settings pages.
Roon MUSE is now available with a firmware update.
For more information: help.roonlabs.com
Related reading: Roon Me for Life: Transforming Your Digital Music Listening Experience
ORT
June 14, 2023 at 4:30 pm
A psychotic is a person that build castles in the air and puts the outhouse above their backyard.
This above all else describes the illness I call, “Roonacy”. Roonatics that take it too far. That claim Roon adds PRat and other frAudiophilian terms that are the base of their incredulous claims of electronic (and now by ASS-cociation, software) equipment having a “sound”.
I think Roon and its Roonatics (and not all that buy into this farce are certifiable…Yet!) are as stupid as MQA and its devotees. Roon ain’t crap. It is a means of controlling your audio and video when hitting “PLAY” becomes so taxing that you can barely wake your ego smothered id to just play some fookin’ music!
If I never read nor encounter another frAudiophile that claims Roon has changed the way he listens to music I will be happy. Until some shill of a charlatan decides ’tis time to fleece the flock again with some new crap.
Green Markers? Strategically placed M&Ms? Plain or Peanut or a combination of both? Room treatments (padded walls are exactly what these buffoon need!)?
Oh lawd! What is next, “Roon Treatments”?!
Decades back when the Green Marker on CDs swept the pUniverse that is frAudian I wrote the editor of Sterepile to tell him of my newest discovery. I had a cold and post nasal drip and perchance whilst cleaning my CDs my nose did drippeth upon the silvery surface of mine CD…In an epiphany nothing short of a Myagi wax off kind, I rubbed the viscous GREEN fluid into my CD and with trembling hands coupled with a trepidatiousness not seen since Michelangelo first chipped away at “David” inserted the now “Disco Verde Snodato” into the player and…Heaven on Earf. ‘n’ sheeit.
I cancelled not long after that because reading their frAudian Rote had become akin to reading “The Brothers Karamozov”, I grew weary of inserting “boop!” to substitute the Russian names.
CyranORT de Roonerac
Ian White
June 15, 2023 at 1:08 am
ORT,
I don’t think Roon does anything but organize your music collection. My Nucleus has zero sound. It’s the DAC on the other end that is impacting that.
Ian
Catherine Lugg
June 14, 2023 at 5:08 pm
I guess I am happily building a deck on my castle in the air, as someone who doesn’t have the health or mobility to deal with traditional audio (heavy amps, floor standing speakers, vinyl, CDs and the like), Roon has been a boon to my quality of life. As a former professional musician and baby recording engineer (40+ years ago), my aging ears do appreciate the sonic differences provided by hi resolution audio, as well as the convenience of it all. So, I am looking forward to chasing the ins and outs of this MUSE. Ian, thanks for this over-view!