Network: the Roon server
Music is a large part of our lives. We have a large music collection that we prefer over any online streaming platform. In the past we converted everything to lossless digital format and used Squeezebox, Logitec and Sonos, progressing as they ceased to exist. For the last couple of years Sonos has become bad enough that we have switched buying new equipment to Klipsch, with small powered speakers (that have a surprisingly large sound stage) in the pilothouse and their The Sevens in the main salon, which is about the largest speakers one can have aboard.
On the MacMini we experimented with Plex media server but it didn’t live up to our expectations and I installed the Roon server on a 30-day trial. It is amazing and if you have your own music library it is a no-brainer. Of course there is a catch and that is the cost. We have opted for a single payment lifetime subscription which costs $829.- which is steep but after a couple weeks of testing, we will gladly pay it.
A Roon server doesn’t just work at home: you get your own music streaming service wherever you are in the world! Also, it is fully compatible with Sonos systems, which it considers the same as other powered speakers. It also supports Airplay compatible devices.
Aboard Jedi we haven’t finished our new network yet but in the picture you see my iPhone with the Roon ARC app playing an album from the server at home on the Klipsch The Sevens via Bluetooth Audio. In the 80’s they would have declared you insane if you proposed such a setup 😄
We already have a MacMini aboard as well and soin the two will be linked with a Wireguard VPN to synchronize libraries and enable local streaming. With a Roon license you can have multiple servers but only one active at a time.
The Roon server is the only proprietary software we install on the server, the rest is all open source. This blog runs on Ghost behind a Caddy reverse proxy server.
