We Compare the Hardware & Software to Help You Decide

For example, we recently received a call from a customer who was leaning toward Aurender. After chatting about his current setup and goals, Moon Audio founder and CEO Drew Baird, P.E. learned that the customer already had a BlueSound Node 2i music streaming player, which is a Roon Ready device. Drew explained to the customer that Aurender is a closed system, meaning it cannot be used with other products. Roon, on the other hand, is compatible with a multitude of brands, including Roon Ready devices that have Roon technology embedded in their software. That made Roon the right choice for this customer.

The world of audiophile music streaming has exploded, and you've got great options to help put the entirety of your personal collection and content streamed from apps at your fingertips. We created this guide to help you understand what differentiates Roon and Aurender so that you can enjoy music streaming nirvana.

4) Personal preference — which software do you like better?

If you have the chance to test drive either system, great! You can also watch videos to help you determine which user interface you prefer. The Aurender Conductor App is more streamlined and is easy to use, whereas the Roon app has lots of bells and whistles beyond the basic metadata like album, song title, and artist.

5) Audio quality

Drew at Moon Audio thinks Aurenders sound better than the Nucleus, but not by leaps and bounds. The Aurenders do go the extra mile with linear power supplies, filtered and isolated USB connections, and SSD caching to ensure the best possible data transfer. Either option will appeal to the hifi enthusiast. In the land of servers, your DAC does most of the heavy lifting and sound signature contribution. Your server accounts for 35% of the sound quality, the DAC is the rest.

6) Cost

Aurender can be the more expensive option. Aurender servers range from $2,700 up to $22,000. The software is free. For the cost of the Aurender, you are getting a lot more stuff. Aurenders have better technical specs and abilities and amazing customer service and technical support. The Roon Nucleus, if you opt to purchase it to use as your Roon Core, costs $1,459 ($2,559 for the Nucleus Plus), plus the cost of storage and a Roon subscription. A subscription is free for the first year with the purchase of a Nucleus, and $119/year thereafter. You can also buy a lifetime subscription for $499. Something to note is that as you add the cost of storage for a Nucleus, you get closer to the price of an Aurender.

What is Roon?

Roon Core

The Roon Core is the heart of your setup — you can think of it as a "traffic cop." You can run Roon Core on a Mac or Windows PC; several — but not all — NAS storage devices; or a dedicated music server such as Roon's own Nucleus. The Roon Core is the brain of your system. It manages your music files, streaming services, and your audio devices.

Roon is an ecosystem, with numerous components that work within the ecosystem. Let's say you have 10 systems in your house. Something has to be the "core" for everything to talk to. You have to have something that says, "Hey, I'm going to send out music to all of these different pieces in the ecosystem."

If you're going to use a computer as a Core, you tell it that it's a core by downloading the Roon Core software onto it and then you can point to it from a computer or iPad. If you don't have a server that's going to be a Core —  in other words, if you don't have a place to host music — then you want a Nucleus.

Roon Nucleus

The Roon Nucleus is a dedicated device made by Roon especially for running the Roon Core. Nucleus is the easiest and fastest way to get your Roon system running. You just take it home, plug it in, and download Roon apps for your mobile devices and computers. Using Nucleus, Roon manages all your music — on hard drives, NAS, and streaming content — and allows you to play it on all the audio devices around your home. You can stream and manage your music library with the Roon Nucleus Music Server. It connects directly to your network and can be controlled via your phone, tablet, or computer.

Now, again, you don't have to have a Nucleus. But know that if you use your computer as your Core, it has to be turned on and you have to be logged in. Even though you're using your iPad, and the Core is in another room, the Core has to be on so that they can communicate with each other in order to play music. So if you don't want your computer on all of the time, you get a Nucleus. You leave it in your 2-channel system, you leave it on all of the time and it's always running in the background. You can also then put an internal hard drive in it or an external hard drive and add storage to it (whereas most people store music on their computer). You essentially become untethered from your computer.

Roon Remote App

The Roon Remote is a control app that basically works as the "remote control" for your Roon Core. It is something of a showstopper, with lots of bells and whistles. You can think of it as a "Wikipedia for music," with detailed metadata that includes things like extensive artist information, reviews, and song lyrics! The Roon apps on your devices will serve as "remote controls" for your Roon Core (more on that in a moment). You can install the free Roon Remote on as many devices as you want. It’s available for iPad, iPhone, Android tablet and phone, Mac, and Windows.

Audio devices

Finally, you have your audio endpoints, the audio devices throughout your home or office. Roon boasts compatibility with a huge number of audio products. There are Roon Ready products that actually have Roon software embedded in them. There are also Roon Tested devices that don't contain Roon software but work very well with Roon. Beyond these, Roon also plays to thousands of USB, AirPlay, and Chromecast devices.

What is Aurender?

The basic Aurender setup starts at a wireless router that is then connected to your Aurender via a wired LAN connection. The router provides both a gateway to the Internet for your Aurender as well as the wireless connection to your tablet that hosts the Aurender Conductor app. A wired LAN connection to your router is always the most reliable connection for your Aurender. If you don't have a wired connection, we would recommend a wireless access point to connect your Aurender to the router. Depending on the type(s) of Aurender you have and the rest of your setup, connections will vary; for example, you'll be connecting to a DAC if your Aurender doesn't have a built-in one. For an Aurender with a built-in DAC, you would use normal interconnects to go to your preamplifier, amplifier, or headphone amp. You can read about various Aurender connection scenarios here.

Optional Storage

With high-res streaming becoming the norm for many audiophiles, the need for hard drive storage has lessened. Aurender developed a solution that satisfies the needs of both the file collector and the streaming enthusiast: optional storage. Some Aurender models come with internal storage (up to 12TB), while others allow you to add storage (traditional hard drive or solid state drive) to best meet your budget and intended use. And all Aurender models allow the user to add external USB hard drives or networking storage. Aurender lets you output any format at any resolution, and its servers come with an array of digital outputs.

Conductor App

Perhaps one of the best things about Aurender is its award-winning Conductor app. Aurender is one of the few hardware companies that have gotten it right in the software department, with a well-thought-out and powerful app that controls your music library. After all, the way you browse for and catalog your music is part of the experience. The Conductor app was designed and developed exclusively to control Aurender music servers. The Conductor app allows swift and easy access to your music with an interface that is free of complexity and visual clutter. The Conductor app incorporates the whole experience of browsing for and discovering new music and ensures easy access and swift browsing of your file-based or streaming music, handling even the largest libraries with ease. The Aurender website has videos and manuals for setting up and using the Conductor app on your iOs or Android device. Note that there is no computer interface with Aurender; everything is done from your tablet or phone.

When you create a playlist in Conductor, it will look like everything — your personal files and your streamed content — is coming from one integrated library. You can save recordings that you discover while streaming, and you can easily create playlists. And it's easy to add/edit/remove content from your library.