Orchard Audio just announced that the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium has received Roon Ready certification from Roon Labs.
The PecanPi+ Streamer Premium is a plug-and-play high-resolution music streamer. Control music wirelessly using your phone, tablet, or computer. The device can also be connected to any digital transport utilizing S/PDIF (COAX).
Precision-engineered to deliver an exquisite audio experience. The PecanPi+ Streamer Premium is designed using the switched resistor flagship DAC chip (AK4499EXEQ) from AKM, this streamer renders every nuance of your favorite music with astonishing detail. Effortlessly stream your favorite tracks in high resolution, while the sleek design and premium build elevate the aesthetics of your audio setup.
Roon is a rich and engaging way to browse, organize, and listen to music. Artist photos, credits, bios, reviews, lyrics, tour dates, and composers are located automatically and then interconnected to build a surfable digital magazine. Roon is also a multi-room, multi-user networked audio platform, it offers features such as bit-perfect playback, DSD and PCM upsampling, multichannel support, and Signal Path display.
Learn more about how to use Roon from Brian Kahn’s article here.
What does it mean to be Roon Ready?
Roon is an incredibly rich and engaging way to browse and organize your music. It is compatible with most Mac, Windows, and Linux PCs, as well as Roon OS devices and some NAS platforms. Being Roon Ready means that the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium transparently discovers and connects to Roon without any configuration, and bit-perfect audio is delivered from Roon to the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium. Together, Roon and Orchard Audio deliver the power, flexibility, and performance of networked audio, with the easiest setup and highest reliability available.
More Details About Roon for the Audiophile Streaming Enthusiast
If you’re serious about your digital music collection and want one of the best ways to browse, organize, and discover your music, Roon is a platform worth diving into. More than just a music player, Roon is a full-on music ecosystem built for audiophiles who love to explore liner notes, session players, and every last detail about the music they love. It’s the closest thing to flipping through a vinyl gatefold jacket—except it’s digital, sleek, and works across your entire home audio system.
So what makes Roon so good?
For starters, it’s the way Roon organizes and enhances your music library. Whether you’re pulling from your local NAS drive, a USB hard drive, or integrating with a streaming service, Roon builds a rich and intuitive experience around your collection. Instead of just listing albums and tracks, Roon connects the dots. You see photos of artists, bios, tour info, credits, reviews, and links between performers and composers across albums—even if the music spans genres or decades. You can easily fall down a rabbit hole going from Miles Davis to Herbie Hancock to Joni Mitchell to Charles Mingus and so on. It’s that deep.
Roon’s use of metadata is really its secret sauce. They license metadata from multiple sources—like AllMusic, MusicBrainz, and TiVo—and then stitch it together in a way no other player does. That means you get composer dates, artist collaborations, discographies, and even high-resolution album art where available. For classical or jazz fans, this level of detail is especially appreciated. You finally get a player that understands the difference between a composer and a conductor, or how to catalog a box set correctly.
When it comes to streaming services, Roon supports TIDAL and Qobuz—both known for their audiophile-quality streaming, including lossless and hi-res options. If you’re already using one of these, the integration is seamless. You can browse your streaming favorites alongside your personal collection, and Roon treats them the same, wrapping them in its rich metadata experience.
Unfortunately, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music are not supported. That’s a dealbreaker for some, but it’s largely due to those platforms not allowing the kind of deep integration Roon requires. If you’re tied to Spotify’s algorithm or Apple’s ecosystem, you might miss out. But if you’re about quality and exploration, TIDAL and Qobuz paired with Roon are a powerful combo.
Now, let’s talk about cost. Roon isn’t cheap, and it’s not trying to be. It’s $14.99 per month or $149.88 per year if you go annual. There’s also a lifetime license for $829—steep, but for hardcore users, it can be worth it in the long run. That fee gives you access to Roon Core software and updates, but remember, you’ll need a device to run the Core (a dedicated computer, Roon Nucleus, or NUC), plus endpoints like Roon Ready streamers or a DAC.
At the end of the day, Roon is for people who want their music to feel like a curated experience—not just something playing in the background. It’s not for everyone, but if you get it, you really get it
Explaining the PecanPi Platform for Music Streaming and Streamers
PecanPi is a music streaming hardware platform developed by Orchard Audio, a U.S.-based company known for creating high-performance digital audio components. The PecanPi system is centered around the Raspberry Pi single-board computer and is designed for audiophiles seeking a flexible, open-source-based streaming solution with a focus on sound quality. Unlike mass-market streamers, PecanPi is built for users who want more control over their music playback setup and who prioritize high-resolution audio.
At the core of the PecanPi system is a custom-designed DAC (digital-to-analog converter) board that integrates with a Raspberry Pi. The DAC uses Burr-Brown’s PCM1794A chipset, a well-regarded component known for its high-resolution capabilities and balanced output. Orchard Audio pairs this DAC with a low-noise power supply and clocking circuitry to minimize jitter and distortion. This focus on clean signal handling and accurate conversion places the PecanPi platform in a category that appeals to serious audio enthusiasts.
The hardware platform has evolved over time. Orchard Audio offers several versions of the PecanPi, including:
- PecanPi DAC: A standalone DAC HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) for Raspberry Pi users who want to build their own streamer.
- PecanPi Streamer: A fully assembled music streamer housed in a metal chassis with analog and digital outputs.
- PecanPi Streamer Ultra: A higher-end version with additional I/O options, improved power regulation, and wireless connectivity.
One of the key advantages of the PecanPi system is software flexibility. Because it’s based on the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, it can run several open-source music server platforms. Popular choices include Volumio, moOde Audio, and Roon Bridge. This allows users to customize the interface, music library management, and streaming services according to their preferences. The platform supports high-resolution file formats such as FLAC, WAV, and DSD, and integrates with local libraries, network-attached storage, and streaming services.
In terms of connectivity, most PecanPi units offer USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi options. The Streamer and Streamer Ultra models include both balanced XLR and unbalanced RCA outputs, as well as SPDIF digital outputs for those who prefer to use an external DAC. The build quality of the enclosures and internal components reflects the company’s focus on performance rather than mass production.
Another distinguishing feature of the PecanPi platform is its emphasis on balanced audio signal paths. The DAC output stage is fully differential, which helps reduce common-mode noise and allows for cleaner signal transmission over longer cable runs—particularly useful in studio or high-end home audio setups.
PecanPi products are manufactured in relatively small quantities and are sold directly to consumers. This direct-to-user approach allows Orchard Audio to maintain tight control over component selection and quality assurance.
