I have now managed to install the new device and connect the Sonos system to it. The result is: even in the new configuration, the problem persists (today at 9:51 for the first time). Apparently, Roon has a major problem with all network devices. Which is a bit strange for software whose purpose is to play music over the network. Right?
Just the second time today: 9:57
And again: 10:23
And again: 10:36
And again: 10:44
And again: 11:01
And again: 14:26 (The time interval does not mean that it was fine in the meantime, but only that I did not use Roon. Whenever I use it, the problem reliably occurs after a short time.)
And again: 14:46
And again: 15:11
And again: 15:18
I’ll stop here, because it’s not my job to test the software I pay for; that’s the manufacturer’s job, and they’re clearly not doing it properly.
If Roon were an open source and freeware programme, I wouldn’t say anything. But that’s not the case at all. And since I’m paying money for it, I can assume that someone will take care of this issue and I won’t just get stalling messages. Or am I wrong?
Perhaps this too: in the last few minutes, the problem has occurred with every track change (22:00). Perhaps that’s not entirely clear: the problem is that almost every new track is either partially or completely skipped. When I then jump back to the beginning of the track, the file plays without any problems. When I play the album or list again, there are other files that cause problems. So it’s not the files. Since the configuration of my network obviously doesn’t play a role either, that can’t be the cause either. So what else could it be?
This seems to be similar to what I’ve experienced (ticket ref#P7CVHA) - which has been changed to a ‘Personal Message’ (rather than a visible thread) - and which is getting zero attention.
Recent Roon updates have broken functionality for dozens of users - the evidence is clear due to the recent number of new threads / complaints about similar problems - and there does not seem to be any co-ordinated reponse to get it fixed, or any understanding of what’s been broken.
Sadly, I think it’s probably time to ditch Roon & seek an alternative - which is both difficult for me to say & do as I was one of the very first Roon users, I have a lifetime subscription, and my system is entirely dependent on and designed specifically for Roon for my music playback.
Well, yes. In this respect, I’m in a slightly better position: I’ve received quite a few answers to my questions (this has been going on for a long time), but so far none that have been of any help. And at some point, the conversation tends to break off without comment.
It’s true: the problem is that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to find an alternative. Roon seems to be relying on that…
Every now and then, devices on my network disappear from view. This means that I cannot select this zone for playback, or (which is particularly annoying) that I cannot pause the music that is currently playing. I then have to shut down or restart the Roon server, which is not easy, as we all know.
Is there anything that can be done about this? (It seems to me that there is a connection to the constant interruptions, a problem that apparently cannot be solved, which is why I am not optimistic here.)
For several days now, devices have been disappearing from Roon. It usually starts with the lovely message “Roon has lost connection to the device,” and then after a while, the device is no longer visible in the Roon app. You can’t activate it either, because it’s simply no longer there. Sometimes it reappears after a while, but sometimes it doesn’t reappear for hours, as is the case right now, for example.
Before I finally say goodbye to Roon (which can’t be long now), I’d like to know what can be done about this.
Once again: nothing has changed in the configuration, which has been working fine for a long time (apart from the occasional skipping of the beginning of a track or an entire track, which seems to be normal). It’s just that a device suddenly disappears in the morning, then reappears, then disappears again, and so on.
Is there anything I can do?
(By the way: has anyone ever tried to use this form for support? If so, it would be nice if instructions on how to use it were included. Because surely it can’t be serious that you first have to send a message with no content in order to then edit it and fill it with content. Or can it?)
Another thing that is certainly related to this (and definitely contributes to my slowly growing tired of Roon): When I want to group two devices, I can select them, but when I press the corresponding button, I get a message saying that Roon has lost connection to the device. This can be reproduced 100% of the time. (At least that’s one thing Roon is reliable about.) That wasn’t the case two or three days ago when I used the function.
Do zones reappear fast when you lose them in Roon ?
Sometims fast, sometims not so fast.
Are all of your zones disappear at the same time, or only some specific ones ? Which ones?
No. Not all. I can’t say which ones. I didn’t take a note.
Can you please share with us the time stamp (time + date) of when do you face this problem the next time (when zone disappears from you) ?
When it happens the net time, I try. Although I don’t hope that this helps more as in the case with the fropouts.
You stated that you “cannot pause the music that is currently playing” . Do you mean that zone disappears from Roon but still playing music ?
Either the zone diappears or the buttons have no effect.
But this is not the main problem. It might become one once the other issue has been resolved. Since I never know what will come next when a track changes, it is not possible to listen to music with Roon anyway, unless it is coming from the radio.
I apologize that internal progress on reproducing this issue has been slower than we’d like. We’re still working on it, and as I mentioned earlier, we’ll of course keep you in the loop on any progress/updates.
We’re also seeing multiple machines running Roon Server, which machine were you using when sharing the above timestamps?
Hey @rolski, I completely understand your frustration - I know it’s tough when an issue drags on. That said, our team has been responding to all of your messages, and troubleshooting is still in progress.
With that, to keep Support productive, please use this space for sharing troubleshooting steps. If you’d like to share general feedback or vent about your experience, Feedback is the best place for that. Thanks for understanding.
»Die Botschaft hör’ ich wohl, allein, mit fehlt der Glaube.« (Goethe: Faust I, end of the first scene.)
I know this answer by heart by now, I’ve read it so many times. But nothing has changed so far. That’s why I no longer believe in it.
I have two computers on which Roon runs alternately. Since I haven’t had a single day without significant problems with the software (on one computer or the other), I have refrained from taking out a second subscription. Lately, I’ve only been using the Mac Mini, which is in Berlin. The day after tomorrow, I’ll be back at my other house, where I use the other computer (a MacBook). However, I’ve finally drawn the conclusion from this long and frustrating experience and cancelled my subscription. That was difficult for me because Roon actually offers a lot that makes this solution superior to using the Sonos app. and not least because I’ve invested a lot of time in setting up my media library to work with Roon (and also spent a considerable amount of money on a software subscription that I was never able to use properly), but it’s definitely better for my general well-being. If anyone should actually ever deal with solving this problem (all previous experience speaks against it, and as I already said, I no longer believe in it) and actually finds a solution, please let me know, perhaps I will try again then.
Unfortunately, I am unable to do so. I have invested now too much time in such experiments without ever receiving a meaningful response. But it doesn’t matter anymore, because I have ended my (too) long and highly unpleasant relationship with Roon. My subscription will run for another two weeks, then I will have peace of mind. Until then, I can live with the issues, especially since I prefer to use my time to complete my tasks rather than those of the Roon manufacturer.
At the last moment before saying goodbye, I was gifted with a realisation: I played music with Roon and routed it to System Output on the Mac Mini where the server is installed. I then connected my headphones to this Mac Mini, and lo and behold: there were no problems. I then redirected the music to the Sonos AMP in the living room, and immediately the strangest things happened (a few seconds were missing at the beginning of the tracks, sometimes also (this is new) at the end, and occasionally the next track started in the middle of the previous one, while the app indicated that it was still playing, etc.).
The solution to the mystery: The first time, playback did not work over the network, but the second time it did. In a nutshell: the software that is designed to play music over the network cannot play music over the network (or can only do so extremely unreliably) . I find that this is information that makes it much easier for me to say goodbye. It’s nice that I was given this gift just before the end.
One last addition: I had a little time left and decided to have some fun testing two variants: exclusively with Ethernet and exclusively with Wi-Fi. I didn’t even consider what the consequences would have been if one of the two variants had worked, because the result was the same for both. Overall, this means that I can only reliably play and listen to music with Roon if I play the music on the computer where the server is installed and connect a speaker or similar device to it. This result does not do Roon any credit, but at least it gives me clarity and means that I no longer waste my time trying to solve a problem that cannot be solved.
Reoccurrence of Issue as Described in Reference #OFX4M8 (ref#RPGWNV)
Describe your network setup
WiFi and Ethernet
The thread was closed without comment. Am I correct in understanding that this confirms my hypothetical diagnosis in my last post that Roon is not suitable for use in networks (whether Wi-Fi or Ethernet)?
Well, I continued working on it and also reported on the result. And just now, I listened to the entire Art of Fugue without experiencing a single dropout. What has changed? I switched from Sonos Net (which was repeatedly recommended as the solution to all problems) to AirPlay. I am very grateful that no one gave me the tip that this might help (on the contrary).
I can’t test whether this really solves all the problems because I’m travelling tomorrow and have a completely different configuration in my other house (a good 4,000 km from here) – albeit with very similar, as yet unsolved problems. But at least I now have some hope. I think in future I’ll just stick to solving the problems myself and keep poking around in the fog until something happens. At least something will come of it eventually, even if it’s very late.
Hmmm. This is surprising to me. I didn’t follow your saga in detail, and I don’t know much (not anything in fact) about Sonos, but I seem to recall that trouble with SonosNet was common in the distant past and many Sonos users switched to AirPlay instead.
I guess it was on the back of my mind that this must have been fixed by now, so I didn’t think more about this in the context of your troubles. I may well be entirely wrong, anyway.