Does the issue happen with local library music, streaming service music, or both?
· *Both streaming and local* *library* music are affected.
Do you encounter any playback errors with the "System Output" Zone?
· The System Output has *no problem*, it's only my other Zone.
How is the affected Zone connected to your RoonServer machine?
· Network - WiFi
Which network audio protocol is the Zone using with Roon?
· RoonReady
Does the device show up at all in Roon Settings -> Audio?
· The Zone is listed under the wrong protocol
Does the device play audio from another source when using the same connection?
· The device has no problems with another audio source
Have you checked that Roon is whitelisted in any firewalls?
· I've checked the firewall and the issue remains
If the device has multiple output options, do the other options work as expected?
· Only one output type is affected while the other output type works as expected
Is the device using the latest firmware as per the manufacturer?
· Firmware is up-to-date but the issue remains
What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?
· Astell & Kern Kann Max Digital Audio Player (Roon Ready certified).
Describe the issue
I'm connecting to Roon with an Askell & Kern Kann Max player with Roon Ready switched on.
The audio frequently stops mid track and, instead of then continuing, it skips to the next track, sometimes after only a few seconds play, sometimes not at all.
The problem occurs when playing both tracks from my library or from Tidal. If I play direct from Tidal without streaming through Roon, there is no problem.
I'm only able to connect to Roon with the A & K player by selecting it via my Mac (my Roon server), unlike my iPhone with which I can connect using the installed Roon app from anywhere in the house. I tried to get around this by installing Roon Arc on the A & K player through its download menu, but the installation failed owing to "parse error".
Hi @Johannes_Smit,
Thanks for reaching out to us about this issue. I think the next step here is to enable some diagnostics on your account so our technical staff can get some more insight into what’s going on here.
However, before I enable this feature, I’d like to ask for your help ensuring we gather the right information.
First, can you please reproduce the issue once more and note the time at which the error occurs. Then respond here with that time, and I’ll make sure we review the diagnostics related to that timestamp.
Thanks for your prompt reply. I’ve reproduced the issue by playing 5 tracks this morning, some from Tidal and some from my library. Each track stopped playing part way through, some in as little as a few seconds. The maximum duration was 20% of the track. The times when the errors occurred were 0857, 0901, 903, 0906 and 0908 (Australian Easter Standard Time - Sydney).
Oddly the problem doesn’t occur when I play through my iPhone, only with the Astell & Kern player. It doesn’t happen when I bypass Roon and stream direct from Tidal. Should I raise an issue with Astell & Kern as well, or wait for you to complete your investigation?
A&K Kann Max WiFi is 2.4GHz only. Your iPhone can also do 5GHz. In general, 2.4GHz is a lot more congested, far fewer channels. I experienced similar issues with A&K SP1000M and Chord Hugo2+2go, which are also 2.4GHz only, until I did major upgrades of my WiFi setups.
Thanks for your explanation Fernando - much appreciated. Although I like to listen to my music in hi-res, my understanding of the technology involved is limited. Considering the reputation of A&K players I expected that the sound quality would be superior to the iPhone, but hadn’t considered the limited WiFi capability. As it was promoted as “Roon Ready” I wasn’t anticipating this type of problem.
Thanks for your message. I enabled diagnostics for your account and based on your logs, it looks like your Roon Server has a buffer of 100% when this issue occurs, suggesting that the issue is between the Roon Server → A&K device. I suspect that the ISP provided router/modem combo unit is having difficulties with maintaining a stable connection.
ISP routers are often underpowered, so my suggestion here, while it may sound a bit drastic, is to replace the router with a proper consumer-grade one, and ensure that you don’t have overlapping WiFi channels with your neighbors and is as far as possible from any potential sources of interference.
As I can successfully stream hi-res music from Tidal to my A&K device anywhere in the 2 storey house from the same router/modem combo connected to the Roon Server, does that mean that the Roon Server itself requires a more powerful router?
Question: how is your Roon server connected to your router? Wired or WiFi? If WiFi, there’s a simple explanation for what you observe. For a track to get from Tidal to your Kann Max via Roon, it has to 1) travel from Tidal to the Roon server, and then 2) from the Roon server to the Kann Max. Connections 1 and 2 would contend for WiFi bandwidth if they are both on 2.4GHz (something you can check on the Mac). In contrast, direct connection from Tidal to Kann Max uses WiFi just once.
Thanks Fernando. It is connected by WiFi so what you suggest is probably correct. I tried connecting the Roon Server to the router with a cable, but then couldn’t get it to “find” the Kann Max. As I have quite a large library of hi-res music (purchased over a number of years) installed on the Kann Max and all my other audio zones are working fine, I’ve decided to settle with that for now and perhaps revisit the problem sometime later. Thanks again for your advice and explanations.
Following my earlier reply to your message Fernando answered the question I posed to you, so no need to reply to that one. Thanks for your explanation and advice.
That may be because your router puts wired and WiFi connections on different subnets (some routers do that for whatever reasons). If you can configure it to use the same subnet for both wired and WiFi, your Roon server should be able to see your Kann Max.
