Intermittent TIDAL Playback Pauses on Roon with i5 6500T (ref#7FXNL1)

Support
1

What best describes your playback issue?

· Music doesn't start when I press "Play"

What type of Zone is affected by this problem?

· *Network Zones* are affected.

Is the affected network Zone connected with Ethernet or WiFi?

· Ethernet

Does the issue affect all file formats?

· The issue affects *multiple/all* file formats.

Does the issue happen with local library music, streaming service music, or both?

· *Only streaming* music is affected.

Please select the streaming service(s) with which you're encountering playback problems.

· TIDAL

Have you tried logging out and back in again to your streaming service in Roon Settings?

· Logging out and back in had no impact, the issue remains

Do you have an approximate timestamp of when the issue last occurred?

· about 2-3 months ago

What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?

· Raspberry PI 4 Ropiee XL streamer iFi Zen Dac v2 Rock i5 6500T 8 Gb Ram 2 Tb 2,5" SATA SSD mini PC

Describe the issue

Dear Roon Support,
I am an annual subscriber and truly enjoy using your software.
Configuration:
- Network: 1 Gb internet connection, 1 Gb Ethernet wired network (Netgear Nighthawk router + 8-port switch).
- Roon Core: Running on an i5 6500T with 8 Gb RAM and 2 Tb 2.5” SATA SSD. The Rock hosts approximately 3,000 albums:- 60% FLAC 44.1 kHz 16-bit
- 10% MP3
- 30% high-resolution and DSD albums

- Streamer: RoPieee XL running on Raspberry Pi 4 with 4 Gb RAM.
- DAC: iFi Zen DAC v2 connected via USB with analog output.
- Control Devices: Primarily controlled via a networked PC, occasionally via phone.
- TIDAL Subscription: Integrated with Roon and configured at MAX settings.
- DSP Settings: Using Headroom and EQ DSP in MUSE, no conversions except for compatibility purposes.

Issue Description:
This setup has worked flawlessly for approximately two years, but since early this year, I have been encountering problems with TIDAL streaming within Roon.
- When streaming from TIDAL, playback pauses for 30–40 seconds during track transitions after 4–6 songs, as if buffering, before continuing with the next track.
- Local files (192 kHz 32-bit content with a 7-band parametric EQ, Headroom, and no conversion) process seamlessly at 70x–90x speed, while DSD 256 under the same settings reaches a maximum speed multiplier of 2.7x.
- TIDAL streams perfectly at MAX settings on my car's Android Auto, and works flawlessly through the TIDAL web player and desktop application. My internet connection and other applications are functioning without any issues.

Troubleshooting Steps Taken:
- Checked router settings and firmware—no new updates available.
- Reset and reinstalled Roon Rock.
- Tried both fixed IP and DHCP settings.
- Verified Roon Rock and client software are the latest versions (2.50 build 1528).
- Directly connected the DAC to Roon Rock, but the issue persists.

Next Steps & Request for Assistance:
As the issue began appearing early this year and persists despite troubleshooting, I am considering purchasing a new NUC to replace my current ROCK mini PC (used HP G2).
Potential NUC options:
- ASUS NUC 12 Pro NUC12WSHI3 Tall
- ASUS NUC 13 Pro NUC13ANHI3 Tall
- MSI Cubi NUC 1M-074BCZ

I would appreciate your guidance on resolving the TIDAL playback issue and your recommendation on NUC selection, if a hardware upgrade is advisable.
Looking forward to your assistance.
Best regards,
From Central Europe, Hungary
János

Describe your network setup

1 Gb internet connection, 1 Gb Ethernet wired network Netgear Nighthawk router +TP-Link 8-port switch.

2

Hey @Micsinai_Janos,

Thanks for writing in and providing such a detailed report! Welcome to the community as well, we’re excited to have you here.

We were able to review a fresh diagnostic report from your Roon Server, and saw multiple corrupt media warnings when playback of Tidal content as attempted. Roon tried to play a track but determined that the media file was either unreadable or failed internal validation for playback.

We can see that the file was downloaded completely to Roon’s cache.

Warn: [zoneplayer] Corrupt Media Detected

This appears immediately after attempting to open/play the file, suggesting Roon detected something structurally wrong with the media file (headers, codec format, missing or invalid data).

You mention no issue when playing from the Tidal app directly, are you able to play the same specific tracks, through the same endpoint you use in Roon?

Lets see if clearing your Tidal cache may help:

  • Stop Roon Server from running
  • Find and open your RoonServer database
  • Navigate to RoonServer/Cache
  • Move the contents of the /Cache folder elsewhere, like your desktop
  • Try restarting Roon Server via the WebUI and verify if the issue still occurs

We’ll be monitoring for your results! :+1:

3

Thank you for your help!
There is still no change for now. I have carried out the suggested actions accordingly.
Additionally, I read on the forum that the DNS server IP address might need to be changed, as TIDAL reportedly prefers Google’s DNS IPs. So, I adjusted the settings in both my router and the ROCK server.
ROCK settings:

  • Fixed IP address: 192.168.100.26
  • Gateway: 192.168.100.1
  • Netmask: 255.255.255.0
  • DNS server: 8.8.8.8

Router settings:

  • DNS server: 8.8.8.8
  • Secondary DNS server: 8.8.4.4

Unfortunately, this did not resolve the issue.
Here is a brief summary of my observations:

  • When launching Roon, the first track sometimes takes 4-5 seconds to start.
  • If I skip to the next track after about 20-30 seconds of playback, the transition happens instantly.
  • However, if I skip earlier, the playback timeline blinks faintly, and it takes 20-30 seconds for the next track to start.
  • When this buffering delay occurs, I can skip through 5-6 tracks with only a one-second preview of each. I know this is not a common scenario, but it can happen.
  • The same issue occurs when I manually adjust the parametric EQ curves, except that Roon may even freeze in these cases.

I would appreciate any help or suggestions.
Thank you,
János

4

I tried setting up the NAS Synology 920+ as the Roon server, but the issue persisted. Then, I configured a PC with a Ryzen 9 9950X and 32GB of RAM as the Roon server, and the problem still occurred.
After that, I started reviewing the log files and found the following details. It seems to me that there is some issue with TIDAL synchronization. I will insert the relevant section of the log file here

05/03 18:18:05 Warn: [easyhttp] [6283] GET https://api.tidal.com/v1/tracks/92082115/playbackinfopostpaywall?countryCode=HU&audioquality=HI_RES_LOSSLESS&assetpresentation=FULL&playbackmode=STREAM web exception without response: socketmsg (TimedOut): The connection attempt failed because the remote partner did not respond within the specified time, or an error occurred in the established connection because the remote partner was unable to respond. (18.172.242.88:443)
The connection attempt failed because the remote partner did not respond within the specified time, or an error occurred in the established connection because the remote partner was unable to respond. (18.172.242.88:443)

05/03 18:18:05 Warn: [tidal/http] GET https://api.tidal.com/v1/tracks/92082115/playbackinfopostpaywall?countryCode=HU&audioquality=HI_RES_LOSSLESS&assetpresentation=FULL&playbackmode=STREAM => UnexpectedError System.Net.WebException: A kapcsolódási kísérlet nem sikerült, mert a kapcsolódó partner nem válaszolt a megadott időn belül, vagy a létrehozott kapcsolatban hiba történt, mert a kapcsolódó partner nem volt képes válaszolni. (18.172.242.88:443)
—> System.Net.Http.HttpRequestException: A kapcsolódási kísérlet nem sikerült, mert a kapcsolódó partner nem válaszolt a megadott időn belül, vagy a létrehozott kapcsolatban hiba történt, mert a kapcsolódó partner nem volt képes válaszolni. (18.172.242.88:443)
—> System.Net.Sockets.SocketException (10060): A kapcsolódási kísérlet nem sikerült, mert a kapcsolódó partner nem válaszolt a megadott időn belül, vagy a létrehozott kapcsolatban hiba történt, mert a kapcsolódó partner nem volt képes válaszolni.
at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.ThrowException(SocketError error, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs.System.Threading.Tasks.Sources.IValueTaskSource.GetResult(Int16 token)
at System.Net.Sockets.Socket.g__WaitForConnectWithCancellation|277_0(AwaitableSocketAsyncEventArgs saea, ValueTask connectTask, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.<>c__DisplayClass216_0.<b__1>d.MoveNext()
— End of stack trace from previous location —
at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.ConnectToTcpHostAsync(String host, Int32 port, HttpRequestMessage initialRequest, Boolean async, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
— End of inner exception stack trace —
at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.ConnectToTcpHostAsync(String host, Int32 port, HttpRequestMessage initialRequest, Boolean async, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.ConnectAsync(HttpRequestMessage request, Boolean async, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.CreateHttp11ConnectionAsync(HttpRequestMessage request, Boolean async, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.AddHttp11ConnectionAsync(HttpRequestMessage request)
at System.Threading.Tasks.TaskCompletionSourceWithCancellation1.WaitWithCancellationAsync(CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.GetHttp11ConnectionAsync(HttpRequestMessage request, Boolean async, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Http.HttpConnectionPool.SendWithVersionDetectionAndRetryAsync(HttpRequestMessage request, Boolean async, Boolean doRequestAuth, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Http.DecompressionHandler.SendAsync(HttpRequestMessage request, Boolean async, CancellationToken cancellationToken) at System.Net.Http.HttpClient.<SendAsync>g__Core|83_0(HttpRequestMessage request, HttpCompletionOption completionOption, CancellationTokenSource cts, Boolean disposeCts, CancellationTokenSource pendingRequestsCts, CancellationToken originalCancellationToken) at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.SendRequest(Boolean async) at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.EndGetResponse(IAsyncResult asyncResult) --- End of inner exception stack trace --- at System.Net.HttpWebRequest.EndGetResponse(IAsyncResult asyncResult) at System.Threading.Tasks.TaskFactory1.FromAsyncCoreLogic(IAsyncResult iar, Func2 endFunction, Action1 endAction, Task`1 promise, Boolean requiresSynchronization)
— End of stack trace from previous location —
at Base.EasyHttp.HttpWebRequestEasyHttp.QueryAsyncInternal(HttpMethod method, Params p, CancellationToken canceltoken, IAuthProvider auth, Int32 nestedrequestcount)
05/03 18:18:05 Warn: [tidal/media] could not get playback info for 168:0:92082115: Result[Status=UnexpectedError]
05/03 18:18:05 Info: [IfI Zen DAC v2] [zoneplayer] Queueing: https://sp-pr-fa.audio.tidal.com/mediatracks/CAEaKwgDEiczMjcwNDNkZDQwNjIyNDUwNjdjMGI2ODEzOWZiNjhmNF82MS5tcDQ/0.flac
05/03 18:18:05 Info: [zone IfI Zen DAC v2] OnPlayFeedback StoppedEndOfMediaUnnatural
05/03 18:18:05 Debug: [zone IfI Zen DAC v2] _Advance (Track)
05/03 18:18:05 Info: FTMSI-B new FileCache ti/F74F17CD

C:\Users\gagyi\AppData\Local\RoonServer\Cache\smc.db\bfc\32.cache
https://sp-pr-fa.audio.tidal.com/mediatracks/CAEaKwgDEiczMjcwNDNkZDQwNjIyNDUwNjdjMGI2ODEzOWZiNjhmNF82MS5tcDQ/0.flac

5

Hello @Micsinai_Janos.

Thank you for reporting the issue. Based on the logs and tests, it appears that the request to the TIDAL API is being blocked by CloudFront, which suggests that the problem is not with your local network but with how the request is being handled upstream.

Here are three steps you can take to help verify and isolate the issue:

  1. Login to TIDAL and verify functionality
    Please log in to the TIDAL application or website directly using the same account and verify that playback is working as expected. This will help confirm that your account is active and not facing any restrictions.
  2. Check authentication and session state
    Ensure that your application or integration is correctly authenticated with TIDAL. Some API calls require a valid access token or session credentials. A missing or expired token can result in the request being blocked by TIDAL’s content delivery network (CloudFront).
  3. Test from another network or IP address
    Try accessing the same content from a different internet connection (such as a mobile hotspot) to rule out the possibility of IP-based restrictions or temporary blocks from your current ISP or network.

If the issue persists after these checks, please let us know the results and we can continue investigating further.

6

Dear Vadim,
It looks like someone at Tidal heard my desperate plea, and for the past two days, everything seems to be working fine. When you posted your response, I immediately tried logging into the Tidal web interface on my work computer, but it showed a network error. On my way home, I also tested it in my car using the Android Auto app, and it didn’t work there either. However, when I got home and turned on my system, playback was running beautifully and seamlessly—even with 5-10 second skipping.
Thank you very much for the advice and help. I hope everything stays this way. In a few days, I will confirm whether the solution remains effective

7

Hi @Micsinai_Janos,
That’s great news! Thanks for letting us know. Let us know if anything changes over the next few days.

8

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