Raspberry Pi 5 8GB running Roopie over cat8 Lan Cable
PS Audio Direct Stream over Cat8 LAN cable
Number of Tracks in Library
36453 tracks
Description of Issue
Unable to play Tidal via roon as every so g skips after about 20sec with the error message „Tidal media is loading slowly. This may indicate a networking or connectivity problem.“
I have multiple other devices on this network running without problem at rhe same time (eg. Video calls, streaming video) but the network is nowhere near using full capacity. All routers and devices are on latest firmware. The problem persists theoughout the day. Clearing cache, restarting modem and router and logging in/out of Tidal does not help.
Streaming directly from Tidal (ie using Tidal Connect instead of via Roon) is possible without problems at the same tine (ie streaming via Tidal Connect without problem on another device on the exact same network while experiencing the problem trying to stream Tidal through Roon at the same time) - so the issue is not with Tidal or the network but with Roon.
From what you’ve described, the issue is specifically affecting playback when streaming TIDAL through Roon, while TIDAL Connect works normally on the same network. This distinction is important, because Roon handles streaming differently than apps like TIDAL.
Because of this architecture, Roon is more sensitive to network latency or jitter, particularly between the Nucleus+ and your playback device, than apps that stream directly (such as TIDAL Connect, Spotify Connect, AirPlay, etc.), which only need a stable connection from the device itself, not the server.
Even a network that easily streams 4K video may still have micro-latency, multicast filtering, or QoS behavior that affects Roon more noticeably.
To move forward, we need a bit more detail:
Where is your playback endpoint in this chain, and how is it connected to the network?
Can you please confirm which device is currently being used for playback when the skipping occurs?
Please reproduce the issue one more time and let us know the exact timestamp and track name while the issue occurs.
I recently contacted you regarding an issue with streaming Tidal via Roon:
Following your response I made some further changes to my network, replacing my Internet provider‘s router (same model, but a new unit) and upgrading the Lan cables from the router to my home wifi-mesh, from the air-mesh router to the Roon Nucleus, and from the Air-Mesh Router to the streamer endpoint to Cat 8 Lan cables.
Even so, the issue continues to occur. Attached is a screen shot from when the issue just occurred.
Here are the details:
The issue occurred at 19:28CET on 05Dec2025 while streaming song „Passenger of the Dark“ by Artist „Jean-Luc Ponty“ on album „Aurora“.
I am streaming from my PS Audio Directstream DAC MK1 with the Bridge Card.
My home wifi mesh uses the Asus ZenWIFI AX.
And my home modem is a Vodafone Docsis 3.1
Thanks for sharing the above timestamp and additional details! We can see the following errors when playback is attempted:
Trace: [PS Audio DirectStream DAC @ 192.168.50.242:56859] [raatclient] GOT [519] {"samples":20480,"status":"Dropout"}
Warn: [PS DirectStream] [zoneplayer/raat] Too many dropouts (>3s dropped out in the last 30s). Killing stream
Trace: [PS DirectStream] [zoneplayer/raat] too many dropouts. stopping stream
Warn: [zone PS DirectStream] Track Stopped Due to Slow Media
I’m curious - does this issue happen no matter the endpoint/audio device you’re playing Tidal content to?
For example, if you only stream audio from the system output of your Roon remote, do you experience the same slow errors?
Have you tried simplifying your local network setup? Even with temporarily getting a direct Ethernet connection from your PS DAC directly to your primary router, along with your server machine, do you still run into the same issues?
Thanks for the response Benjamin. It happens with other streamers too - a Bluesound Node and a RasperryPi based Iancanada rig. All experience the same problem. Streaming directly from Tidal at the same time works - so the issue happens only when streaming via roon. All are connected via cat8.1 Lan to the same airmesh node.
I also have a Naim Nd5 xs2 which is connected by cat8.1 lan to another airmesh node which in turn has a cat8.1 lan to the modem - i don‘t recall experiencing the issue on that streamer but use it a LOT less.
Running a lan from a modem to the basement where the psaudio and the other streamers are located is not an option. Nor should it be required - my router setup is high speed and way overpowered and nowhere near capacity!
Hi Benjamin - here‘s another Tidal/Roon issue to add. I just had the same „loading slowly“ issue again this time on my bluesound Node. So I decided to restart my Modem and all my routers as sometimes this helps. After completing the restart, Ronn is now failing to even log in to Tidal - after several attempts, including clear cache and restarts in Roon and signing out of Tidal and signing in again. Just to be clear, I am streaming music directly from Tidal at the same time via the same network…
I’d still test out a simpler network setup - especially since you mention rebooting your router seems to help on occasion. I’d even test out using a simple CAT5 cable, plugged directly into the primary router - not mesh node, and see how things perform. Again, this would just be temporary, see if both your server and one endpoint are able to function normally in this simplified setup.
The Tidal API (upon which Roon relies) and the Tidal native service rely on separate content delivery networks.
It’s entirely plausible that one of these network pathways encounters more latency reaching your geolocation. It’s also possible that the DNS server resolving the URLs associated with Tidal media is not functioning reliably, forcing re-requests that take too long and break playback.
We usually recommend users enter their router administration settings page and set a reliable DNS server, like Cloudflare or Google (1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8).
Do you use a VPN with Roon at all?
We’ll watch for your reply. Please give us a ping to prevent this thread from auto-closing; without any new OP responses, threads close due to inactivity after several days.
strong textHi Connor,
I do not use VPN. I will try to use one of those servers. Note I‘ve now also been experiencing the issue on my Naim ND5 XS2 which is connected via lan to the örimary router which in turn is connexted via lan to the modem - in this case I donMt get the „Tidal loading slowly“ message, the playback just stops**. Screenshot attached.
My service provider is Vodafone, via fibreoptic.
Best,
Karsten
Debug: [prebuffer] sleeping in read -- this isn't good
This indicates the Roon Server isn’t receiving TIDAL media quickly enough from the CDN, which leads to buffer underruns and triggers “Track Stopped Due to Slow Media”.
Since you and another user report the same behavior on Vodafone, a peering/DNS routing issue is a strong possibility. As a next test, please try switching your router DNS to 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8, and also test playback once with a VPN enabled (on the Router if possible). If the VPN test improves stability, that strongly points to an ISP routing/peering path issue rather than your local LAN.
This thread is now closing due to lack of response/inactivity. You can reactivate the topic thread at any time by simply submitting a new support request here and our team will pick up the case.
