I’m experiencing intermittent errors when playing 24/192 hi-res songs from Qobuz via Roon. Not all 24/192 tracks are affected, but some result in playback issues. Interestingly, when I stream the same songs via UPnP, there are no errors.
System Details: Roon Core: Mac Mini (M1 chip, 16GB memory) Internet Connection: Wired, connected through a NuPrime Omnia SW-8 Network Switch <- Google Nest router <- Ziply internet provider Endpoint: Weiss 501 DAC (Roon Ready) Network: Both the Roon Core and the DAC are on the same network. Any assistance in troubleshooting this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
Describe your network setup
Internet Connection: Wired, connected through a NuPrime Omnia SW-8 Network Switch <- Google Nest router <- Ziply internet provider
We’ve activated diagnostic logging and identified dropouts with 24/192 content as described. In each case, the download from Qobuz’s servers times out mid-track, and the prebuffer can no longer supply the endpoint with an audio stream in time to keep up with playback. This occurs because RoonServer’s allocated bandwidth on the network is suppressed to 0kb/s repeatedly throughout logs.
There are additional upstream network connection failures and issues attempting to connect to Roon devices and Zones on this network.
Where is the Weiss 501 DAC connected in this network setup?
Do you have any wireless mesh nodes in this setup, or is there WiFi between any of the points mentioned in your topology or elsewhere in your Roon environment?
Try bypassing the managed switch in this environment, connecting RoonServer directly to the main Google Nest router.
Also, verify that no bandwidth allocation restrictions or rules are engaged, if available, in your router settings, as these might be restricting RoonServer’s ability to download large audio files for playback.
Thank you for the suggestions, Connor. I’ve tried most of them, but haven’t noticed any differences so far. I haven’t set up the bandwidth allocation yet, but I’ll give that a try next. I’ll let you know if there’s no change after adjusting those settings.
I apologize for the delay in responding; I’ve been tied up over the past couple of weeks. However, over the weekend, I was able to conduct a series of tests to further investigate the issue.
Here’s a summary of what I tried:
First, I replaced my Google Nest router with a Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine Pro (UDM-Pro). My current internet speed is 897 Mbps for both download and upload.
In my reference setup, the Roon Core is running on an M1-based Mac Mini with 16 GB of memory, connected via Ethernet to a NuPrime Omnia SW-8 Network Switch. The switch is also wired to the UDM-Pro, and the Roon Ready device is a Weiss 501 DAC. I tested the following tracks from Qobuz:
a. Prelude & Fugue in C Major, BWV 846 II Fugue – J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1 (Trevor Pinnock), available in 24/192 stereo
b. Prelude en Re BWV 874 – J.S. Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book Two (Christophe Rousset, Edition 5.1), available in 24/192 Multichannel 5.1
c. Alone Together – Chet Baker, available in 24/192 stereo
During these tests, tracks (a) and (c) played without any issues, but track (b) skipped.
Here are the additional trials I performed over the weekend:
Connected the Mac Mini directly to the UDM-Pro via Ethernet, playing audio through the Mac Mini instead of the Weiss DAC.
Removed the NuPrime Omnia SW-8 Network Switch and connected the Mac Mini directly via Ethernet. Again, I played audio through the Mac Mini, not the DAC.
Replaced the Mac Mini with an Intel NUC as the Roon Core while keeping all other setups unchanged.
Played the same tracks via the Qobuz app on the Mac Mini, bypassing Roon.
Played the tracks using UPnP on the Mac Mini, bypassing Roon.
For trials 1 to 3, the results were the same as the reference trial: tracks (a) and (c) worked fine, but track (b) skipped. However, in trials 4 and 5, where Roon was not used, all three tracks played without issue.
At this point, I’m not sure what else I can try to resolve the skipping of the multichannel track in Roon. Any advice or further troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated.
@CDB, do you have any other 24/192 5.1 tracks to test? If the behavior is identical, then it appears a network issue may be affecting you. This track requires about 28 Mbps sustained throughput, which a typical Ethernet-wired home network should support. However, Roon requires this to be sustained and synchronized within a specific performance window, it does not cache streams similar to video, which an HDR 4K Atmos video player or another audio application may also do.
If you see this with other tracks similar to the 5.1 that is displaying this behavior, it may identify an area to investigate further.
