What’s happening?
· Other
How can we help?
· I am experiencing freezes or crashes
Other options
· Other
Describe the issue
Drop outs from Mac Server to Clients
Describe your network setup
Google Wi Fi, hard wired modem to switches
Hi @Sal_Marano,
Thanks for reaching out to us about this issue. We will need some more details in order to assist you with troubleshooting. Did only audio stop or did the clients lose the connection to the server. When the dropouts happen are you still able to play music from the Mac server’s system output? If possible can you please reproduce the dropouts and let us know the date and time that it happened? That would help us locate the event in your logs which will be useful for troubleshooting.
these drop all clients no matter if its the computer or Ropiee, or Wiim devices.
It appears the server drops the clients and then has to reconnect.
all the devices are hardwired including the server, it doesn’t matter. I have no issues with any other devices such as Apple TV or such disconnecting from the internet either Wi-Fi or wired. It has happened at least six time today and at 8:30 9:30 7:30 on various clients. And I have rebooted the server and the clients with no luck the Mac m1 is only serving the Roon, and it is not used for other tasks. The Clients and the server have static Ip addresses as well.
Hey @Sal_Marano,
Thanks for the additional information. Based on a recent diagnostic report, we saw the following errors repeating throughout playback:
Trace: [Worker (1)] [Studio WiiM] [zoneplayer/raat] too many dropouts. stopping stream
As a next step, please test out bypassing any switches and any additional network gear, and setup a direct ethernet connection from your Roon Server machine to your router, and let me know if run into the same issues.
It may be worth reviewing your router settings as well, and check to see if you can allocate network priority to your Mac running Roon Server.
We’ll be on standby for your results 
I am unable to bypass the switch, as it is located in the lower part of the house. I believe that the reliability of the connection will remain the same, regardless of whether I use a switch or not. I am not experiencing any issues with the other connections I have. I have a static issue on all the clients and the server that connect to Roon through the Mac server. I have managed to reduce the dropouts to a lesser extent since an update to the Mac server, but the connection is still not reliable. Additionally, Arc is ineffective, as it has only worked once since its introduction.
Hi @Sal_Marano,
Server diagnostics indicate network-related errors during playback. While other network connections may seem stable, streaming hi-res audio is much more sensitive to network conditions than even 4K video streaming.
Unlike video, which buffers ahead and can adjust quality on the fly, hi-res audio relies on real-time playback with a constant bitrate. This means even minor network delays, packet loss, or jitter can cause dropouts or interruptions. Additionally, some routers prioritize video traffic over other data types, which can further impact performance.
If you’re able to temporarily simplify your network setup—such as bypassing extra switches or testing a direct connection—it could help rule out potential bottlenecks. Otherwise, I’d recommend checking your router settings to see if you can allocate network priority to your Roon Server. Let us know what you find!
I have not been able to do this requests not possible where the switch is all are hard wired and have static Ip address. Including the Mac server
Hi @Sal_Marano,
Thank you for your patience. We’ve closely examined diagnostic logging from the affected RoonServer machine. Here’s what we’ve found:
Packet loss is accumulating as RoonServer attempts to distribute audio to networked Zones. This packet loss most severely impacts two networked Linux endpoints (Ropiee), but nearly every networked Zone reports sample dropouts at some point. Most Zones receive the missing samples after re-request before the buffer overruns the audio stream.
Upstream requests from RoonServer to ICY servers for internet radio occasionally encounter generic network errors or time out without response. On the control side, RoonServer occasionally loses sight of Roon clients and re-initiates a handshake.
Concerning ARC, there’s no indication that port forwarding has failed to automatically configure, so we want to clarify the particular symptoms you’re encountering. Does ARC connect via cellular data (not home WiFi) at all, or do you encounter error messages in the app UI?
Roon’s uncompressed audio protocols have a tendency to reveal latent network interference. It’s totally understandable that you don’t want to tear up this network and move equipment around the house, but we will need to ascertain the nodes in this network that are failing to pass samples correctly to your endpoints.
If you’re willing to share the precise arrangement/topology of your mesh network and the switches, this will greatly expedite our ability to troubleshoot. If not, I at least recommend verifying that multicast forwarding and IGMP snooping are enabled in any managed hardware components on this network.
We’ll watch for a response. Thank you!
Thank you for the response! So if I move the roon server from the Mac M1 to a lynx server on docker would that help improve the situation I can move the server to the studio close to the end points I use most often ! I have used my qubuz account directly from internet to the Wiim and no dropouts at all bypassing Roon totally! My network is as such xfinity modem in bridge mode to Google nest network to a switch that is hardwired to those various end points. Google nest supplied the WiFi and is using the Google servers I have a 1 gig internet connection!
Hey @Sal_Marano,
Unfortunately, we’re unable to support Roon in a docker setup at this time, so if you test it, we won’t be able to do much.
Were you able to give the above router settings a try?
When you stream Qobuz directly to your WiiM device (via the WiiM app or another direct integration), the WiiM pulls the stream independently from Qobuz’s servers. This means:
- The audio data flows directly from Qobuz to the WiiM, without any involvement from another device.
- The WiiM handles all playback processing.
- There is no dependency on a Roon Core, network relays, or additional data handling.
When using Qobuz via Roon, the audio takes a different path:
- Your Roon Server first pulls the Qobuz stream from the internet.
- Roon then processes and sends the stream to the WiiM over the local network.
- If DSP (such as volume leveling or upsampling) is enabled in Roon, additional processing occurs before sending the audio to the WiiM.
- The WiiM receives the processed stream and plays it.
Because Roon is acting as an intermediary, network stability and local processing factors can influence playback performance. If there are network bottlenecks, high CPU usage, or Wi-Fi interference, it can lead to dropouts.
Again thanks for reply, I have moved my server to a docker installation, and I have to tell you that I have not had a single drop out since, and its on the same network, same switch same clients… I have it running on a lynx server and it is working. I think your Mac software is an issue, not the network. I worked prior to the last updates and then it stopped. So I will run this way to see if I continue to have success and maybe move it back to the Mac once I see new updates to see if it has improved. At this point I have spent too much time trying to use the software and its not worth all the hassle, and if it continuies to be a problem I will discontinue using Roon and cancel the subscription… I hate to do that but let’s see if this works for now.
Hi @Sal_Marano,
Have you had any problems with the new set up since your last comment?
This topic was automatically closed 14 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.
I know you don’t support a docker install but since I did install Roon on Docker on Lynx server I have had NO drops on any client, I am convinced the Mac server was the issue.
I am using the same network connections and same clients and no issues. Just thought you wanted to know that.