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I do this, without Tidal.. if I want to listen t an album to check it out i just use spotify free on my phone (or get my GF to airplay it to the hifi on her premium)..
if i like it, i buy it and add it to roon.
rogan-
I used to do my auditioning with YouTube. The Qobuz/Tidal integration means you can add the track or album to your library and consequently playlists so it appears in your library almost as if you own it. I've found that means a few albums that ultimately don't get played also don't get bought. It's worth noting that you can limit Roon Radio to library only so you get to hear some of the tracks you don't yet own in rotation with the rest of your library.
It's a small change in the auditioning process but I've found it's really effective for the way I buy music.
It's also good at handling multiple versions of an album if you like to compare mastering/format of the same album. You can assign a primary version and decide whether only primary versions are shown.
Airhead
This discussion has lead me to investigate Tidal and Roon and now I have a bit of a dilemma.
I currently use JRiver MC which is fine to play files from my NAS and stream stuff from the internet. It's a decent piece of software and costs very little (one off licence payment).
There is something like 300 Gb of FLAC files on my NAS (all ripped from CDs which I own); I don't use any streaming services other than internet radio.
I could get Roon and Tidal HiFi for about £30 / month. This would give me:
A much nicer user interface from what i can see of Roon on their website, with additional features that would make it really easy, particularly when coupled to Tidal, to explore new music;
A pretty much complete library which would negate the need to buy and rip CDs, keep various storage places mirrored etc;
Largely negate the problems of transporting music around;
Enable simple second systems with e.g. just a set of wireless speakers.
I'm kind of tempted to try it out.
Any views on this? am I over stating the benefits? Any views on how good the Tidal catalogue is?