Initialization failure on macOS 26 after sampling frequency change in Roon (ref#6IKCUU)

Support
1

Hi! What’s not quite right with Roon?

· None of the above quite fits

None of the above quite fits

· None of these quite match

Tell us what's going on

· macOS 26 - latest, Roon latest: device initialization failed after change of sampling frequency.

Tell us about your home network

· BT router, MacMini within 1m. Reported this issue before - also happens with playback from local storage

2

HI @Wouter_Kolkman,

Thanks for taking the time to write in! Sorry to hear you’re experiencing this issue. We’ve recently released a fix for this specific issue - so I’m even more sorry to hear it didn’t help you.

A few follow-up questions for you:

  1. Does this happen no matter the endpoint you use? Even the system output of your Roon remote device?
  2. Does this happen no matter the Roon remote device you use?
  3. If you enable Resync Delay and test out adjusting the timing, do you still encounter the same issue?
Thank you!
3

iPad is fine - converts everything to PCM
After changing delay from 0 to 100ms my Mac with Denafrips DAC is OK too! I tried 4 albums with different sampling rate.
Thanks!

4

1.34 pm U.K. time it gave again the same error, despite the delay.

5

Hey @Wouter_Kolkman,

Thanks for the update and additional information! The good news here is that the issue youre facing isn’t linked to the known bug we’ve recently released a fix for.

From a fresh Roon Server diagnostic report, we can see that the critical transition is here:

StartStream ... StreamFormat(... samplerate=96000 ...)
...
SENT {"request":"teardown"}
...
SENT {"request":"setup","format":{"sample_rate":96000,...}}

This is Roon doing a proper RAAT teardown + setup because the stream changed from:

  • 16/44.1 → 24/96
That requires the DAC to:
  1. Drop the existing clock
  2. Reconfigure PLL / FPGA
  3. Re-lock USB async clock
  4. Report ready within RAAT timing expectations
We then see RAAT reports long RTT sync + clock drift: 
long rtt sync DENAFRIPS USB Audio V3.12
rtt=43500us
drift=1159us in 20.471s (56.651ppm)

This means the DAC is slow responding during clock sync and RAAT is having to compensate in real time.

We’re also seeing exclusive mode active during this - if you disable exclusive mode, do you experience the same issue?

One option/test to perform - Avoid sample-rate switching altogether.

In Roon:

  • Enable DSP → Sample Rate Conversion
  • Convert everything to:
    • 96 kHz or
    • 192 kHz
This keeps the DAC locked to one clock family and eliminates re-initialization entirely.

I’d also update Denafrips USB firmware. Check with Denafrips for:

  • Latest XMOS firmware
  • macOS compatibility notes
Many users report improved rate-switch behavior after updates. We’ll be on standby for your reply! 🙌
6

Thanks for detailed response!
DAC has been updated with latest firmware. This issue happened when switching user in Roon.
My setup for Roon was chosen to always support native sample rate for highest fidelity.

7

@Wouter_Kolkman,

Thanks for confirming that.

In that case, it would indeed make sense to follow @benjamin’s advice or lock the DAC to the highest sample rate possible.

Please let us know if that solves the problem.

Thanks.

8

As an audiophile, that would not work for me. I have many different formats including DSD as well as CD lossless RIPs, which I would not like to convert on playback. It would also take more processing power on playback, which defeats the object of my setup. I chose Roon for supporting all sample rates including DSD natively:-)

9

Hello @Wouter_Kolkman ,

How is the Denafraps conneced to your RoonServer? Is it using USB or Ethernet? Although it would be strange, have you tried using a different cable yet? Does the issue only happen on this zone (if you have other zones to test)?

10

Hi Noris,

Thanks for prompt follow up.

As recommended I use 1 MacMini m1 as Roon server. A 2nd MacMini connects over a 50cm cat8 cable direct to my Roon server and configured as Roon bridge which connects to a Denafrips DDC over a high end USB cable. The DDC is clocked by the Denafrips DAC and connected over RJ45 I2S.

I still wonder if the last blackout was caused by the change of the user on Roon combined with a change in bitrate.

Wouter

11

Hi @Wouter_Kolkman,

Can you provide a bit more information around the above? Changing Roon profiles won’t have any effect on playback - if you changed zones, that would be one thing, but swapping profiles doesn’t touch playback.

Can you try using non-audiophile-grade cables here? A simple Cat5/6 cable, along with a normal USB cable, may help here.

Thank you!

12

I had just one further blackout - no user account switching. Further checking needs to wait until the weekend. Thanks once again for your suggestions.

14

@Wouter_Kolkman,

Thanks for describing your topology.

Could you please try the following two tests to help isolate the issue?

  1. Network Configuration: Instead of connecting the two Macs directly to each other via Ethernet, please connect both of them to your router (or switch) and test the playback.
  2. Simplify the Chain: Try bypassing the Roon Bridge Mac Mini entirely. Connect the DDC directly to the Mac hosting your Roon Server.
Additionally, we recommend increasing the Resync Delay to 500ms to see if that improves stability.

Please let us know the results of these tests.

Thanks.

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