Can anyone tell me the working model of Roon, as compared to Tidal and jriver.
Roon consists of three components all of which will run off a single machine.
For best results though Roon recommends the modules to be installed separately.
See
Roon Architecture for full description.
Roon uses a slightly different description which I will try to explains as follows:
Roon Core - This is as the name suggests the core of the Roon platform consisting of the heart of the Roon software. You can have only one core per licence.
This handles the database management and software that interfaces your media collection with Roon's online metadata database. This is responsible for the rich data experience synonymous with Roon. On your local machine this installs in the Roon Server folder and functions as the server software handling all requests from different
Controls you have installed. It also handles playback to different
Zones which is one of the unique features of Roon. Users can handle their own playback to different zones.
Roon Remote - This is what Roon calls their
Control software that is installed on your control PC, tablet or phone. This is the client/GUI that controls Roon. The big thing about this module is the no lag operation on diverse platforms and hardware.
Roon RAAT - called
Output by Roon these are essentially software transports that handle playback to your different devices. By separating these modules, Roon achieves an efficient way to handle the different hardware options available.
Roon recommends installing the Core and Server on separate machines but one can install both on a simple NUC or generic assembled machine without any issue provided your hardware can handle the load. Media can sit on a network drive(s) or NAS and will get mapped by Roon Server.
One of the benefits of the Roon Architecture is that one doesn't need to have the silent low noise computer that has been the norm for computer audio in recent times. One can install the Core in a separate room on a powerful machine and not worry about it again. Just place a small form factor device (NUC, Allo or Raspberry Pi) on your audio rack and it will serve up bit perfect signals over wifi or ethernet. Put another way Roon allows you to leverage networked (older) hardware for outstanding playback quality.
As has been said earlier the sound quality of Roon is another discussion.