Crackling distortion when using Roon to play Tidal tracks on M10 V2

[RoonFan (CP)]

Roon Core Machine

Mac Studio

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Gigabit Ethernet

Connected Audio Devices

NAD M10 V2

Number of Tracks in Library

40,000

Description of Issue

When playing Tidal tracks via Roon Ready or Roon’s AirPlay to NAD M10 V2, crackling distortion would be heard in specific sections of tracks.

But when playing same tracks via Tidal app itself, whether on mobile app, desktop app or native app via Airplay to NAD M10 V2, no distortion is heard, so problems with speakers can be ruled out.

Update: However, if playing directly from Tidal Desktop app to M10 V2 via Tidal Connect, then the distortion is heard again – this seems to show Airplay works, but Tidal Connect and Roon don’t.

Final test, when the same tracks are played via Roon to other devices other than NAD M10 V2, eg. AVR, phone, Sonos, no distortion is heard, so track mastering problem can be ruled out too.

Based on these tests, the problem can be isolated to bad interaction between Tidal Connect and Roon to NAD M10 V2 when playing Tidal tracks.

Other streaming platforms have not been tested.

Example track with distortion: “Quiet” by Milck between 2:20 - 2:50.

[RoonFan (CP)]

Nevermind, this distortion is caused by inter-sample peak clipping.

Once “Headroom Management” with -3dB is enabled in Roon, then the problem goes away.

But it still begs the question why would this happen when no DSP or room correction is enabled?

[Fernando_Pereira]

@RoonFan

But it still begs the question why would this happen when no DSP or room correction is enabled?

Intersample clipping happens in the DAC, independently of DSP or room correction, if the DAC is fed successive samples very close to the maximum PCM sample value, as the DAC upsamples the PCM stream to its internal operating sample rate and the reconstructed peaks between the original samples overflow the maximum PCM sample value. Backing off the DAC input in Roon or other preprocessor, something like -3dB, solves the problem. Maybe the Tidal app is doing this automatically. Headroom management in Roon automates the process.