Roon supports Devialet AIR

[Hifi_swlon]

It's interesting to note...  While Devialet most certainly must have collaborated with Roon on AIR specs and requirements, this must have been entirely Roon's implementation since no new Devialet firmware was required to support it.    

Just to be clear, AIR is an audio streaming protocol Devialet came up with and the built into the Experts.

What we know as 'AIR' is Devialet's 'virtual soundcard' device, that lets you stream through a computer - selecting it as the audio output - from any source on the computer. It talks to the Devialet using the AIR protocol.

Up until now this was the only option, so we just all called it all AIR.

Roon have 'simply' written their own way to communicate to the Devialet in the same way they talk to all devices - but this time written some code to talk using AIR rather than their own RAAT. Providing Roon got the specs right, there would be no need for new firmware - nothing changed Devialet's end.

I think Devialet made a big deal out of the driver doing something clever, but actually I just think it was as simple as above, and sadly not executed very well.

Roon have of course built other protocols into Roon, like the Meridian one (which I assume if they didn't invent it they know it very well from their time together, and I believe Meridians is also based on UDP). Roon have made it look easy of course because they are experts in their field of computer audio streaming development, and have done this for much of their careers - I'm sure knowing lots of the pitfalls and best practices makes the job somewhat easier. They obviously seem to have a different attitude to QA and customer satisfaction too.

I did read a comment somewhere by one if them saying what Devialet were doing with their virtual driver was much harder to get right due to the realitime streaming elements and other things involved. Still, others seem to have done it successfully.

I'm just glad Devialet finally saw sense and let someone else 'in'. Clearly they chose the right people/company to do it with.

I hope the relationship brings RoonReady to the Core Infinity, that way there will be another option for those of us that like to group things. I believe they have plans to add some other very exciting exclusive features to the RAAT/RoonReady ecosystem in the future.....