Any differences in sound quality?
Roon is getting a refresh!!!
- Thread starter S0und Dragon
- Start date
I feel it's snappier too
I am finding no difference in sound quality. But I am starting to warm up to the new interface(?) or layout if you will.
The Fire tablets are perfect remotes for the Roon, especially when you can grab a Black Friday deal (or similar). My HD8 was $59. If it falls inside the recliner or hits the table and cracks the screen, no big deal. Share with visitors? Take it into the kitchen while making dinner? No problem worrying about it being knocked around. I save my main tablet that way.
My only modification was to run a batch file to disable most of Amazon's bloatware. I have to rerun it each time there's an update but it gets rid of a lot of things I'll never use. (The batch file is as easy as connecting the HD8 via USB to the laptop, and 30 seconds to run the batch file with all the
adb commands.)Battery life is amazing, especially with the crap turned off. It can sit for four or five days and only lose a couple percentage of battery life. I set my screen time out to 30 minutes and can use it four or five evenings without it needing a charge. Since these were designed to be "readers," it doesn't surprise me, as the screen in a Kindle is typically on quite a bit.
I also have a Recast, nice I can also use it to watch Live TV or stuff on the OTA DVR. Not sure how it would work if removing the bloat. Spent a little more for the 10", no ads and 64 memory.
The bloat is mainly all Amazon apps, even the ads on the lockscreen which go away after running the commands. So anything third party like Roon, Qobuz, Pandora, etc. are not affected. Most of it are Amazon features I'll never use like the news and weather, the Kindle reading app (I have a Kindle Paperwhite to do that with), email, Goodreads, the ads, the Amazon app store, and even the Amazon launcher (the home screen).
To replace the Amazon launcher, I can use any of the good Android launchers out there like the Nova Launcher or the Microsoft Launcher (which I use). I wanted to dump the FireOS and install "pure" AOSP Android but there wasn't a ROM available to accomplish that. (A ROM is just an OS installation.) And there is a way to install the Google Play Store (it's done in four steps, in a specific order) so I get access to all of the apps I need, not just Amazon's limited selection. That's done right after purchasing the tablet or doing a factory reset on it. Works perfectly!
I just like customizing things the way I like them, and don't like any walled-off proprietary environments. If I weren't able to do this with the HD8, I'd never have purchased it. Hardware-wise it's not all that great, and it's based on an outdated Android version (heavily customized by Amazon) but it's certainly adequate, especially for the price. No complaints!
To replace the Amazon launcher, I can use any of the good Android launchers out there like the Nova Launcher or the Microsoft Launcher (which I use). I wanted to dump the FireOS and install "pure" AOSP Android but there wasn't a ROM available to accomplish that. (A ROM is just an OS installation.) And there is a way to install the Google Play Store (it's done in four steps, in a specific order) so I get access to all of the apps I need, not just Amazon's limited selection. That's done right after purchasing the tablet or doing a factory reset on it. Works perfectly!
I just like customizing things the way I like them, and don't like any walled-off proprietary environments. If I weren't able to do this with the HD8, I'd never have purchased it. Hardware-wise it's not all that great, and it's based on an outdated Android version (heavily customized by Amazon) but it's certainly adequate, especially for the price. No complaints!
Agreed. I am starting to like the new interface.
Wanted to follow up a bit here. I haven't used the HD 10 in a while as a Roon Remote. Still working fine, except when I go to Tidal. It hangs up then drops out of the Remote app all together. Browsing my library or radio stations, no issue. Tried to remove and reload. Same issue. Anyone experiencing the same this?
An update to roon 1.8 was released today. I'm excited to try out the lockscreen control.
community.roonlabs.com
Roon 1.8 (Build 831) is Live!
Roon 1.8: September 2021 Release In our latest 1.8 release, we’re rolling out one of the Roon community’s most requested features: native control of Roon from your phone, even when the screen is locked. Alongside this…
community.roonlabs.com
For a limited time roon is offering 3 months for $1.
land.roonlabs.com
Black Friday Deal: Get 3 Months of Roon for $1
There's never been a better time to try Roon, the ultimate music player for music fanatics. Offer ends 30th November 2021
land.roonlabs.com
I will throw in my approval and mostly enjoyable use of ROON.
I am just glad they aren't screwing it up. I remember the horror when i realized ITunes was designing towards Apple owning the music. I had spent years optimizing my music for that system.
After a bit of struggling with set up, I will say the ROON is very intuitive to get comfortable with... Finding music, tagging music, setting up playlist and a pretty good radio that plays like music, interface with streaming music cos is excellent, etc... But getting to the next level of sophistication has been slow for me. I'll eventually get there as long as they dont changre it too much.
The design issues I've read about seems like easy fixes and doesnt bother me... if I didn't read about it I would have never noticed the flaws.
One thing for new users- if you dont own a bunch of digital music, I dont think you need ROON. Save your money and get multiple streaming services.
BTW... I'm thinking about setting up a 22" (approx) touch screen at my listening position but am working through the ergonomics and tables etc.. The tablet thing is a bit awkward but maybe if I could set up a stand that would hold it just right. Anyone else thinking about this?
I am just glad they aren't screwing it up. I remember the horror when i realized ITunes was designing towards Apple owning the music. I had spent years optimizing my music for that system.
After a bit of struggling with set up, I will say the ROON is very intuitive to get comfortable with... Finding music, tagging music, setting up playlist and a pretty good radio that plays like music, interface with streaming music cos is excellent, etc... But getting to the next level of sophistication has been slow for me. I'll eventually get there as long as they dont changre it too much.
The design issues I've read about seems like easy fixes and doesnt bother me... if I didn't read about it I would have never noticed the flaws.
One thing for new users- if you dont own a bunch of digital music, I dont think you need ROON. Save your money and get multiple streaming services.
BTW... I'm thinking about setting up a 22" (approx) touch screen at my listening position but am working through the ergonomics and tables etc.. The tablet thing is a bit awkward but maybe if I could set up a stand that would hold it just right. Anyone else thinking about this?
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