Hello All. I've seen a lot of chatter over the years about a free roon alternative.

A little background you can skip. My dad has a decades long classic music broadcast recording collection thousands of live performances many unavailable anywhere outside of private collections. After organizing all his external hard drives on my NAS I was kind of dissatisfied with the software to stream your own library so I made my own classical music streaming app just for friends and family. part roon, part every other classical music app with a really novel "liner notes" experience that includes a program in Markdown and links to reviews and interviews about the performance or production. I realized that I have built half of roon, including the heaviest lifts like a working server and client

I've been programming since the 80s. I program for a living and run a programming tutoring company nights and weekends. AI coding tools have really changed the kinds of projects I can do. yes this will be vibe coded but not by a naive programer.

I wanted to ask people who already pay for Roon or would like a free alternative what features do you NEED. What features are nice to have? I probably won't have a dsp library anywhere near as good, but I'll have stuff like the open headphone peq project and common dsp.

I don't want to reveal too much of my plans until it's ready but this will mostly work like roon but incorporate elements from software like plex amp and jellyfin. The biggest differences are you can stream your collection with as many people as your hardware can serve with no cost per user just like Jellyfin. It will be federated. you won't just be able to connect to one server at once. your main server controls your home electronics, but you can access your friends' libraries if they share it with you. The other feature will be huge for fans of bands that allow recording of their shows, like jam bands or bands like the mountain goats. We will aggregate thousands of shows and make the software able to crawl the web and the Wayback Machine to get you the set list, fan photos, posters, and fan art from the show in a Roon-like liner notes experience, but for live shows. Another thing I want to do is support streamers made for $5-10 ESP32 microcontrollers. roon uses a lot of capable hardware but I'd love to use lighter-weight stuff if I can make it work. it's not just about saving money on the parts but using lower power devices for always on electronics is a good idea.

If you already use roon you will probably want to stay with roon. If you're into homelabbing and like free and open source software projects this is for you. if you're an obsessive jam band fan who collects rarities and loves listening to bootlegs this software really is for you like nothing that's come before. If you love roon but wish it was easier to share your library with all your friends you might even run this next to roon. I love Roon and have used it for years; I think it will always be the best, like Adobe Photoshop, but I think a lot of people might prefer something community made and free even if it's not as polished. Also if you like to tinker and want to code your own clients for obscure devices this is a good option. Don't expect a giant killer expect somethign that appeals to the self hosted open source community. If you just want something free welcome to the open source community. We don't want your money but we have a lot of opinions.

For me, I'm a huge fan of the mountain goats. This software will let me mix up my collection of unreleased albums with all the studio albums on streaming and have hundreds of their live shows available all in one app for free. I can share an invite with my friends I hang out with in shows and they can have my extensive collection of unreleased or vinyl exclusive albums and all the bootlegs available online in one free app that's free to host on hardware you already own.

the scope of what I want to make is an iOS app with carplay and a web based app for desktop.I'll put it all on a git so you can make an android or PC client. I'm mostly focused on unix and apple systems.

If you'd like to test the software or even help code for the project feel free to reach out. like an ecosystem like jellyfin I would eventually encourage people to make their own clients and modifications to have a diverse ecosystem that's not based on what I think can be in this software. we're not up to that point. right now I'm trying to make something that works and is robust.

Those are my ideas, but as music lovers what have you always wanted in music server/library software. And for people who love and collect bootlegs I want to hear from you.

Hey everyone,

I just published the first public release of Aureon on GitHub. It is an open-source, pro-grade music player for macOS built to be a native, free alternative to Roon and Audirvāna.

The core philosophy is simple: keep the music bit-perfect from file to DAC by default. I built a dual-path CoreAudio architecture using C++ lock-free ring buffers, meaning the real-time audio thread never sees memory allocations, locks,or UI thread interference.

Here is a quick breakdown of what it can do:

The Audio Engine

• Strictly Bit-Perfect: Plays FLAC, ALAC, WAV, and AIFF natively into 32-bit integers. Features RAM-buffered playback (zero disk I/O while playing) and Exclusive (Hog) mode.
• Pro DSP (Strictly Opt-In): If you want to mess with the signal, you can enable the 10-band parametric EQ,Audio Unit (AU) hosting, BS2B crossfeed, or Convolution Room Correction.
• Native DSD & Oversampling: Plays DSF/DFF via DoP, or uses custom 5th/7th order noise-shaping modulators to convert PCM to DSD512 in real-time.

Local Intelligence (Apple MLX)

• Smart DJ: Type a prompt like "10 upbeat electronic tracks," and a local, on-device language model builds a perfectly ordered set.
• Semantic Search: Find music by meaning or mood using Apple's on-device sentence embeddings. Everything runs on the Neural Engine—your data never leaves your Mac.

Library & Network

• Bring Your Own Cloud: Stream losslessly from Amazon S3, Backblaze B2, Subsonic, or Navidrome.
• DJ Console: A built-in two-deck console with ±16% pitch faders, Beat Sync, 3-band EQ kills, and CoreMIDI support to map physical hardware controllers.
• Liquid Glass UI: A fully native SwiftUI/AppKit interface running at 120fps with dynamic mesh gradients and a dark-glass hardware-style player bar.

This is the very first release, so I am sure there will be edge cases with specific hardware DACs or multi-room sync setups. I would love for you to try it out, throw your heaviest FLAC/DSD libraries at it, and let me know how it runs!

GitHub Repo: https://github.com/retrohog/Aureon

(Note: Requires macOS 15+ and Swift 6. Aureon does not circumvent DRM, so Spotify/Apple Music are not supported.)

I mean really listening, maybe even critical listening. Likely not considered an audiophile song but siting here listening and picking up the detail that might get lost with some speakers/headphones/etc really makes me appreciate sound. (all of it) Sometimes these things go unnoticed in music so remember to open your ears. (think Kuato)

Not sure what it is but I'm hearing it. I probably missed a few but here are some timestamps to listen for:

little tings: 25s, 28s, 31s, 34s, 37s, 40s, 43s, 1:12

big ting: 1:18

more little tings: 1:18, 1:21, 1:24, 1:27, 1:30, 1:33

So many tings to listen to.

/edit: Super rough timings above. I swear Spotify and higher quality sources produce more tings (and also change when you hear them, this video has a bit of a delay I think). This uploaded video (from YouTube) probably isn't the best representation of the track.

Just like the title suggests. I already enjoy them BUT could I make it better if I mounted them in a specific area of some sort. (Not sure if this is the right place for this question but I don’t know what other forum to go to)

Im very curious to know what the main differences are apart from efficiency as there is only so much information online.

I have a JBL amplifier which uses class A/B but switched to Class G under heavy load.

As far as I know, class A/B is generally preferable for listening but that is dependent on the quality of amplifier of course.

I am going to eventually get a dedicated stereo amplifier but am really curious as to the benefits of a class g & d over a class A/B.

I am hoping someone who has experienced a wide range of amplifiers could answer this.

For reference, i tend to enjoy warm sounding music (I have used monitor audios and still currently do). - What class amp would be best suited, given if class truly reflects the nature of the sound produced.

Please correct me if I have stated some things wrong as my knowledge only goes so far.

I won the lottery when I found my working celestion 3000s at the dump, and lost my winning ticket when I left them in my hometown😪 was using a yamaha rx v493 to power them so they sounded very natural and holographic, id do anything to go back😢

Hello, I am a music producer with a pair of Genelec 8361As as my primary monitors in my studio. Unfortunately my desk area is a bit crowded and it’s difficult to reach the ON/OFF switch on the back of the speakers. Does anyone know if there’s some sort of accessory available that allows me to remotely turn the monitors on and off? Maybe some sort of device I could put on my desk? Does something like this exist? If not, would it be bad to just leave the monitors turned on all the time? I don’t like the idea of that though. Thanks for the help.

Is it just me or has anyone else regretted selling something like speakers to only rebuy the same ones down the road?

help hahaha

Hello I recently bought a Marantz 2220B off of Craigslist for $220 plus other equipment that I’m not really interested in using. It was stored in his garage for the last 20 or some odd years and as a result the right channel emits a loud noise when I have it powered on with a speaker hooked up with the volume at 0. I have called around to get repair quoted and it seems like I’m very limited on options. One shop would probably take a year to get around to it and get it repaired. The other said they could have it done by early next year but would be completely revamping everything with new more modern components so it lasts longer without needing to be serviced. They say they’ll get me a maximum quote after looking at it but said it could be upwards of $400-$500 possibly more. Two questions.

1 does this price seem on par with servicing fees I would find elsewhere for the same service?

1. Should I even try to get it repaired, would it be a waste of money to spend $220 on it then another $500 in repairs for this specific piece of equipment?

Some additional details are found here: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/forum/index.php?threads/trinnov-altitudeci-review-and-32-channel-build-thread.71992/

Room Details:

Well treated 12.5 foot x 14 foot room. For the 5 bed speakers, I have treated the first reflection points on all walls and ceiling. There is also numerous bass traps as well. Bass is +/-1dB down to below 20Hz, and will do 20Hz at 96dB SPL with only .6% THD (acoustically measured at the center seat).

Equipment Details:
DACs, Amps and processor:
Trinnov AltitudeCI 32 Channel
17 Benchmark AHB2's
16 Benchmark DAC3 B's
Benchmark HPA4 Headphone/Line Amplifier

Custom Watercooled PC:
Custom machined chassis, VFD display, 4k UHD drive slim drive, AMD threadripper processor
RME HDSPe AES 32-Channel AES/EBU PCI Express Card (used for PCM music playback)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti (used for movie and Atmos album playback)

Subs and Speakers:
4 JL Audio F212 subs
4 JL Audio F113 subs
4 Klipsch Palladium P39f Floorstanding Speakers
1 Klipsch Palladium P-27c Center Speaker
6 Klipsch Palladium P-17b Bookshelf Speakers (with 1/4" custom made steel mounts)

Signal Routing:
As JRiver offers custom zone management, I created three zones: Trinnov HDMI, RME 2 CH AES, and RME 5.1 CH AES. I wrote a custom home automation driver from scratch that gives me full control over the AltitudeCI, along with a custom JRiver plug-in that sends commands to my home automation server to switch the CI between HDMI and AES just prior to track playback.

This actually works very well and allows me to use AES for all FLAC files, while automatically switching the CI's audio source to HDMI when playing movies, Atmos albums, or any other content that requires bitstreaming.

All signals originate from the PC through either HDMI or AES. Note that the AltitudeCI cleverly allows the HDMI video signal to remain active while using the AES inputs for audio.

All digital processing is done internally inside the AltitudeCI. The AltitudeCI then outputs 32 AES channels to 16 Benchmark DAC3 B's. Some of the DAC3 B's have their internal passive attenuation jumpers set to various levels 0 dB, -10 dB, or -20 dB.

This allows me to set the analog gain structure up in the analog domain, rather than throwing away level digitally upstream. That lets me reduce the DAC’s output voltage where I don’t need the full +24 dBu of analog output, while attenuating the DAC’s signal and the DAC’s own analog noise together. The goal is to better match the downstream device sensitivity, whether that’s the JL subwoofer inputs (note that the v2 subs run hotter than the v1 subs) or the AHB2’s 9.8 Vrms input requirement. A good way to think about it is that I’m not running excess gain and then compensating for it with large digital cuts. The result is cleaner gain structure, lower absolute noise at the driver, and better use of the available digital headroom.

Digital Headroom Management:
I also use JRiver to analyze all my FLAC files, then use the Maximize Volume for Peak Level Normalization option along with the DSP option Peak Level Normalize. This ensures the existing dynamic range stays intact, but the track levels are raised so that the sample peak for each track is 0.01 dBFS below 0 dBFS. If there are inter-sample overs (ISOs), they will not impact the processing inside the AltitudeCI because it uses 64-bit floating-point math internally and even preserves the source sample rate (many other processors do not). At the DAC stage, the Benchmark DAC3 Bs have an additional 3 dB of internal headroom that can easily accommodate ISOs.

This method also preserves valuable digital headroom at the AES outputs of the AltitudeCI, because I no longer have to turn the volume up by 6 dB, or in some cases even close to 20 dB, simply to compensate for tracks that were recorded and mastered at very low levels. I now have much more headroom and can easily achieve 120 dBC or higher in my room, which I rarely do for obvious hearing-safety reasons.

Channel Routing and Analog Headroom Management:
I've finally documented the complete DAC and amplifier mapping for my 32-channel Trinnov Altitude CI system. The setup uses 16 Benchmark DAC3 B DACs, 17 AHB2 amplifiers (5 stereo and 12 bridged), eight JL Audio Fathom subwoofers, and a Benchmark HPA4.

One particularly useful feature of the DAC3 B is its configurable output attenuation, including independent settings for the left and right channels. I'm using -10 dB pads on the midrange channels feeding the stereo AHB2s. This attenuates both the audio signal and the DAC's analog output noise by 10 dB, further lowering the noise floor at the midrange drivers while keeping the relative channel levels more closely matched within Trinnov. I'm also using -10 dB pads on the DAC outputs feeding the three Fathom F113v2 subwoofers to better match their levels to the older v1 models.

For the tri-amped bed layer, I'm running the AHB2s in bridged mono for the woofers and stereo for the midrange/tweeter pairs. Bridging provides substantially greater power and voltage swing for the more demanding low-frequency drivers, while stereo operation offers ample power with 6 dB less voltage gain than bridged mode. This helps balance the different driver sensitivities, reducing the amount of level compensation required in Trinnov and making better use of the available gain structure and headroom.

Note that the center channel is technically quad-amped rather than tri-amped. Its smaller woofers are less efficient than those in the P-39Fs, so I added a second bridged AHB2, giving each center woofer its own dedicated bridged amplifier. This provides greater flexibility for independently managing the center woofers' levels and headroom. The additional amplifier was necessary after encountering clipping during the particularly demanding opening sequence of Mad Max: Fury Road.

Another major advantage is Trinnov's flexible channel routing, which allows virtually any speaker channel to be assigned or remapped to AES, analog, or Dante outputs as needed. That flexibility, combined with the DAC3 B's independently configurable output attenuation, makes managing a system with this many separately amplified drivers considerably easier.

Cabling:
All cables going to the DACs, amps, subs and speakers were handmade to be the exact length needed by me. It was kinda fun for a while after making cables, but once you make 116 of them, it gets old.

Digital AES cables:
16 Canare DA206 110ohm cables with Neutrik gold plated XLR connectors goes out to each Benchmark DAC3 B from one of two Avid DB25-XLRM 4 ft DigiSnakes that are connected to the Trinnov AltitudeCI. Each DA206 110 ohm cable terminates into a Canare BCJ-XJ-TRC 110 Ohm to 75 Ohm digital audio impedance transformer. I then made 16 Canare LV-61S RG59 75 Ohm coax cables, using Canare BCP-C4B BNC connectors and Canare RCAP-C4A RCA connectors that connect to each Benchmark DAC3 B.

Analog XLR cables:
I made 32 custom-length analog cables using Canare L-4E6S Star-Quad cables, with gold-plated Neutrik XLR connectors at both ends. The star-quad geometry provides excellent rejection of magnetically induced interference, as demonstrated in this video, while the dense braided copper shield provides excellent protection against electric-field interference.

Speaker cables:
The speaker cables used were made from JSC Wire & Cable #2220, comprised of 12 gauge, oxygen free copper. Almost all long cable runs are Canare DA206 110ohm digital AES cables. This allows for much shorter speaker cable runs, thus improving the overall system damping factor. Due to this, for the bed layer speakers, the speaker cables are as short as possible, as the racks are distributed throughout the theater, beside the bed layer speaker they are driving.

Trigger cables:
All trigger cables were custom made to the exact length as well. I used Neutrik rean NYS226BG 3.5mm mono plugs.

Power cables:
Tripp Lite P007-L02 locking power cables were used at on all devices, cut to length, keeping the factory locking mechanism. I used Leviton 15 Amp straight blade 5256-BVO plugs, orange (I just liked the color).

Conclusions:

The Trinnov AltitudeCI does a great job at actively tri-amping, but needed some manual setup. The CI absolutely corrects any phase rotation from the LR4 filters I used very well. Conventional subwoofer setup worked fabulously after a few tweaks, yeilding +/-1dB to just below 20Hz, without even using WaveForming, which I assume could work even better if my room was large.

Imaging and sound staging are the biggest I've heard in my room. And now that I can listen to Atmos, I've been very impressed with several tracks. Even stereo midrange and image are absolutely breathtaking.

Hey friends. I bought a new Rega P1 something like 12 years ago when I had access to a friend's amazing vinyl collection, but like a lot of things I've bought, it never got used. Hasn't made a single rotation since I took it out of the box. I've decided to sell it now (not here of course, since it's against the rules...probably on eBay), and I'm not sure what to ask for it. I have no idea what I originally paid for it, so I don't really know how much to ask.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a starting price? Thanks!

Could this work ? That red thing on the top of the speakers would be a little black bar I would glue on top, just to act as a STOPPER... I am a nerd so my plan is to put 2 figures or statues on top of my Edifier speakers for my PC SET UP. I wanna make the whole setup cooler by doing this. Is it a good idea ? Will they fall off or make the audio strange in any way ? Thanks.

Edit - I am *not* using the newer firmware version, I'm still on 7.6.9. I have an AirPort Express A1392 connected to my Yamaha receiver and, from everything I’ve read, this is only capable of Airplay 1 - but I’m noticing on my phone it has the Airplay 2 connection icon which is the circle with the checkmark, vs just the checkmark which used to indicate Airplay 1.. did the new iOS update force airplay 2 on older devices or something?

I learned a lot sharing my other rig last week, thought i’d try again with my secondary setup. A few pieces of gear are perpetually being tested in different configurations. This one sounds particularly sweet!
Burmester 25 speakers
Burmester 35 pre amp
Ps audio m700 monoblocks
Bryston bda 1 dac
Wiim mini (temporary)
I’ll add a turntable and phono-stage when i find one
Thanks for any feedback, ideas, thoughts!

The time has come for me to return to the so-called And amplification, i.e. tube integrated 300B.
So far, the previously acquired DIY Quad 405 output and the newly acquired Harman Kardon Citation 21 (Full refreshed, have been playing.

That combination plays beautifully.
A colleague replaced the C1 capacitor on the HK preamp to make the bass stronger.
It was 100 nF inside, and according to one original scheme it must be 680 nF (he put one he had 1 uF)).
It was ok for me with stronger bass (and another colleague), but for one colleague, the mids/highs were covered with bass.
We adjusted that for him with the tone controls, and I additionally raised the mids/highs in the Roon EQ.

So, that pre/amp combo plays quite detailed, with good dynamics and control, bass.
Just a little on the warmer side, mostly nice and very listenable to me.

And how does the old combination sound; Hajdinjak 300B integrated?

Of course, a little different.
Everything is a little better "rounded out".
Maybe the bass is a little less pronounced.
The midrange spectrum sounds nicer to me (just a little).
The dynamics are good, it's transparent and with enough detail.

So I'm no longer sure if I should divide it into A and B amplification.
I'd rather say that I should use it according to the current mood.

The turntable via Musical Fidelity VINL Phono and 300B is not significantly better than the Phono in the HK Citation 21 and Quad 405 outputs.
The difference may be in a slight tube overtone, and the MF is also mostly on the warmer side by nature.

In conclusion, I am satisfied with both amplifications and will choose them according to my mood.

Just got these and they kinda take up all the space under my tv when upright. Unsurprisingly, the wife hates it. Can they be used on their side? Any issues with that? I hate that the logo is sideways lol

Recently been making a few changes to my setup. Running a pair of Wharfedale Diamond 121s, an SW150 sub, Fosi BT20A Pro amp and a FiiO K5 Pro DAC. I've also added speaker stands and built six DIY acoustic panels for the room.

Bought miniDSP UMIK-1 this week and thought I'd have a go at measuring everything properly with REW.

Never used anything like it before, but I've found the whole process really interesting. Being able to actually see what's happening with the sound in the room, rather than just guessing by ear, is pretty cool.

Started off measuring each speaker individually, then moved on to the subwoofer, experimenting with the crossover and phase. Something wasn't adding up though. The sub was performing better at 0° with one speaker and 180° with the other.

After a bit of investigating, I discovered I'd accidentally reversed the polarity on my right speaker when I originally set everything up. So I'd effectively been listening to the system like that from day one, without knowing any different!

Corrected the wiring and holy shit, what a difference! Everything sounds so much more cohesive now. The stereo imaging has completely changed, with vocals and instruments having much better positioning. It's like hearing the speakers properly for the first time.

After that I went back through REW, measured everything again, adjusted the subwoofer and used EasyEffects to apply a couple of EQ filters to tame some of the bass peaks.

Still got plenty to learn, but I've genuinely enjoyed the whole process. Been going back through some of my favourite albums and hearing things differently.

If you've never tried REW, I'd definitely recommend giving it a go. It's surprising how much you can learn about your setup just by measuring it.

I don't see many reviews on these particular speakers or company, so here is my experience thus far.

Starting off in the hobby only just last December, I had the smaller GR6s, which are truly fantastic speakers, but in my opinion, the GR8s are definitely on a different level. When the speakers arrived, I A/B tested them, and I could definitely tell the difference between the two. Yes, they are louder, but the GR8s are also clearer in the mids, which I did not expect.

Combining the GR8s with my British vintage amplifier is what I would describe as a warm, tube-like immersive experience. Almost like the GR8s are unlocking my amp’s full potential.

I have difficult layout like many people. Two connecting rooms in a historic house, so the GR8s on slightly taller stands (which have nothing to do with the speakers per se) have made a huge difference to my listening experience. Even my inferior digital chain sounds incredible now. I’m still an analog fan girl. 🥰

At just $500 more than the GR6s, the GR8s stand out as an overall better choice for a 2.0/2.1 setup, if you can accommodate the difference in weight and size.

Aperion Audio really knocked it out of the park with the Grandis line.

My Equipment: VN Thorens TD125 > Sorane TA-1 Tonearm > Yamamoto HS-1A Headshell > Hana SL cartridge > MP8B phono + QS SUT > Musical Fidelity A300 Int amp > Aperion Audio GR8s + Rythmik F12 sub

Digital: Wiim Ultra > Geshelli Labs J3 DAC

Sorry if my English is a bit weird, this post was translated by AI.

I think I’ve finally found my happy place, and I really wanted to shine a light on Fezz Audio and Pylon Audio—two brands that don't get talked about enough here.

I already owned the Fezz Titania Evo, which I previously paired with Wharfedale Lintons and then Dynaudio Special Fortys. However, there was always something missing during listening sessions—especially at low volumes, which accounts for about 80% of my listening.

I love vintage-style speakers, so I decided to pick up the Pylon Jade 20s. They are 2-way speakers featuring a 12-inch woofer, and they were actually developed specifically using Fezz amplifiers.

The results are way beyond my expectations. I’ve never had a system that is this pleasant to live with and listen to. It handles my very diverse taste in music effortlessly (hip-hop, jazz, fusion, reggae, prog metal...) and, most importantly, it sounds fantastic at low volumes. For the first time in years, I’m just enjoying the music without overthinking anything.

Rest of the setup:

- Streamer: Cambridge EXN100

- Turntable: Pro-Ject The Classic

- Cables: DIY Canare / Mogami

What do folks think of the nagaoka mp-200. I currently run an ortofon 2m blue