Issues with BLUESOUND and NAD audio gear After Firmware Update 4.8.17

Audio Gear Talk BluOS: NAD & Bluesound
1

In my bedroom, I have a Bluesound Home Theater system installed, consisting of the following components:

  • Philips 48” OLED806 Series TV
  • Bluesound Pulse Soundbar+
  • Bluesound SUB+ Subwoofer
  • Two Bluesound Pulse M as rear speakers

The speaker system is configured as a fixed Home Theater group in the iOS BluOS 4.8.1 app, which was recently updated.

On January 30, 2025, I installed the latest firmware version 4.8.17 on all speakers. After successfully installing it on all four speakers, I attempted to play music from Roon, but nothing played. In Roon, I could see the playing trying to start, but the timeline never go beyond 0:00. After about 10 seconds, on the same timeline position 0:00, without playing, it skips to the next track, and the same thing happens again. This repeated continuously.

From the BluOS control app, the speaker system appeared connected to Roon, displaying the album artwork, and the time cursor was advancing, but no sound was coming from any speaker.

I performed a factory reset on all the speakers, reinstalled them, and, for the moment, kept them as independent speakers, without configuring them as a fixed group, except for the SUB+, which I paired with one of the PULSE M speakers to leave the PULSE SOUNDBAR+ as an independent unit. After this, both the SOUNDBAR+ and the two PULSE M appeared as Roon Ready devices in the Roon app, correctly connected to my Roon Core, which is installed on an Intel NUC i5 with everything up to date and working flawlessly.

I confirmed that both PULSE M speakers played music perfectly from Roon Core when used independently, but the SOUNDBAR+ still had the same issue, it did not play anything. The time cursor in Roon remained static, and after 10 to 15 seconds, it skipped to the next track.

I want to emphasize that all speakers are connected via Ethernet. Despite having a strong 5 GHz Wi-Fi signal in my room (around 45 dB) with virtually no interference from neigh boring networks, provided through a Unifi AP6 Long Range, the performance of the speaker system over Wi-Fi was a disaster with constant dropouts, lag between speakers, etc.

At this point, I must warn anyone considering purchasing a Bluesound system with similar characteristics that using it over Wi-Fi is not a viable option. Even in my case, with a dedicated Wi-Fi network created specifically for this function, it did not work properly.

Finally, I created a fixed Home Theater group with the Philips TV. The system now works correctly as a Home Theater setup with the TV, but it still does not play music via Roon, just as before. Now, since all the speakers are grouped as a fixed group, none of them play music, even though the system still appears Roon Ready.

I have restarted my Roon Core multiple times, but without success.

I have also looked for a way to roll back to the previous firmware version before 4.8.17, but it is impossible due to the fact that Bluesound does not provide any way to do so, which is very frustrating.

Is anyone else experiencing this issue after updating to version 4.8.17 with the PULSE SOUNDBAR+?

I don’t want to end this post without expressing my deep dissatisfaction with both Bluesound and NAD. In addition to the issues I mentioned and other past problems, I own an NAD T778 since September 2023, and the experience has been disastrous. This device has spent more time in the repair shop than in my home.

I have had to send it in twice, and they still haven’t fixed the issue with the display, which does not turn on, leaving the entire device completely dead and non-functional. As of today, it is still in the repair shop, and neither the reseller, the importer, nor NAD itself has offered me a replacement or a refund in all this time.

Unfortunately, I must say that my investment in Bluesound and NAD equipment has been the worst purchase I have ever made. I wouldn’t recommend these products to anyone, no matter how appealing their advertised features may seem. A complete waste of money.

And it is quite disappointing that Roon Labs, despite being such a great product, presents and endorses these devices so positively, because they do not deserve it.

3 Likes
2

This is very timely. I just purchased a Bluesound Soundbar+ and installed it last night. It automatically updated the firmware so I don’t have a baseline experience. However, I’ve had the exact same issues which are very frustrating.

I’ve done factory resets on the soundbar, restarted: my network, modem, Roon, and etc. I even connected the soundbar with the Cat6/RJ45 to be sure it wasn’t a WIFI issue. I’ve also made sure that only the “Roon Ready” version of the soundbar was active in Roon’s audio settings to avoid any IP address conflicts with the Airplay version.

I can play Tidal directly from BluOS to the soundbar. I can also toggle from BluOS to Roon. Roon see’s the soundbar and allows me to change the volume. BluOS will act like the speaker is actively playing but there’s no sound and the song progress within Roon itself remains at 0:00.

I’m frustrated / nervous because I have a Bluesound Node Icon on order which is due to ship in a few weeks. So if I cannot get Roon to work on the Soundbar I will likely return it and cancel the Icon order and avoid integrating Bluesound and NAD for that matter into my home.

I’d love input from others as well. So thanks for starting the topic.

1 Like
3

I have got the exact same issue since the latest firmware. The soundbar simply doesn’t play anything anymore, radio or Tidal. Before the latest update from Bluesound I have had issues with the live radio, but that started after the latest update from Roon.

My NAD M66 has no issues at all, but it wasn’t included in the latest BluOS firmware update. But the response from Roon has been pretty slow lately so I am using the Bluesound app more and more. That app has been working flawless.

1 Like
4

Hi,

Thanks for you cooperation explaining your experience with Bluesound and even NAD equipment. I just sent the following message to both companies that I want to share with you and those are going through similar situations. This is the message:

Dear Team,

It has been four business days since I submitted my request, and I have yet to receive a solution to the problem. I own several Bluesound and NAD devices, and all of them have experienced issues, which is far from normal.

The SOUNDBAR+, along with the SUB+ and two PULSE M speakers, never worked properly when connected via Wi-Fi, despite having a UNIFI AP-6LR access point with a strong 45 dB signal on the 5 GHz band, free from interference. The issues included dropouts, lag between speakers, poor sound quality, etc. I had to wire them to get stable performance.

Another issue occurs when switching sources—for example, stopping playback on Roon and then trying to play audio from my iPhone via AirPlay. This only worked after rebooting the SOUNDBAR+. While this has improved with recent updates, there are still issues.

Additionally, your products are advertised as Alexa-compatible, yet they only support English and German. Why isn’t this clearly stated in your marketing or product descriptions?

Now, following the 4.8.17 update, the SOUNDBAR+ and the rest of the Bluesound devices configured as a fixed home theater group no longer play audio from Roon. Everything appears to function correctly—the connection noise from the speakers can even be heard when playback starts, and Roon displays the full signal path as usual. However, the Roon timeline does not progress, staying at 0:00 both in Roon and in the BluOS Controller, until after 10–15 seconds when it skips to the next track. Frustrating—extremely frustrating.

To top it all off, I purchased a NAD T778 a year and a half ago. In September 2024, the display began to fail, staying off, making it impossible to control the device or play anything. Still under warranty (three years in the EU), in October 2024 I sent it back to the retailer in Germany where I purchased it. They returned it to me in December 2024, but it only worked for a few hours before the same issue reappeared. I had to send it back to Germany, and it’s still there. It’s been five months without my AVR, and I still don’t have a solution.

I’ve submitted multiple requests to both NAD and DALI, the European distributor, but all of them have disregarded the issue. Either the problem has been passed around within the chain, or my requests have been closed without any response.

Put yourselves in my shoes. I’ve invested thousands of euros trusting your brand—what’s the result? Poor performance and no solutions. My money feels wasted so far. This has been my experience with Bluesound and NAD.

For better or worse, I am not alone. There are many users in the same situation, both in Europe and North America. At this rate, we should join forces and file complaints with the relevant regulatory bodies responsible for ensuring companies meet their contractual obligations with customers. These authorities can impose fines or even restrict companies from continuing to violate their promises.

It’s a regrettable situation, but it shouldn’t be tolerated.

This is not just my opinion—it’s shared by many others. This is not a threat; it’s a warning for you to finally address these issues.

Sincerely,

JI Labiano

I believe we should all file claims with Bluesound and NAD to have this situation resolved. If you know of other users experiencing the same issues, please inform them and encourage them to submit their claims before the end of February.

Thank a lot!

1 Like
5

Mathesis, thanks for sharing your frustration and how you intend to proceed.

Does anybody know if Roon has ever pulled their certification from a product or brand? I purchased my first Bluesound device based on the fact that it was certified “Roon Ready.” However, as I mentioned I can only get it to play nicely with Roon through Airplay and not as the “Roon Ready” player.

Looking deeper in all these various forums I see other complaints about BluOs compatibility / reliability with Roon whether it’s Bluesound or NAD.

I understand being certified “Roon Ready” provides cross promotional opportunities for both Roon and the manufacturers. However, as rigorous as the initial Roon certification process may have been, I believe Roon needs to stick by their users to be sure manufacturers keep up their end. Firmware updates shouldn’t break Roon and lock us out of that functionality.

My 2cents but I’d love to know if Roon has ever pulled certification after the fact.

6

No they have never removed anything to my knowledge. They don’t test past firmware giving it the RR status. Bluesound seem to break it often with their updates and tbh don’t really care much after the fact as it has its status regardless. They broke it for loads of devices a few years back when I had my T778 which itself was a lemon and went through 4 units. I would never recommend any NAD or BlusOS products as QC isn’t their strong point .

7

I bought 2nd generation NODE about 2 years ago. It was ok, soon updated to a better designed streamer/DAC- Orchid Audio PecanPi+. The NODE went to a friend. 4 Pulse speakers were purchase, which would only work if hardwired. The company Lemberg technical support was/is terrible. Friend recently paid a lot of $$$ to get a tech savvy individual in her area to get ROON to work again with NODE and speakers.

8

I don’t have a Soundbar+, but I’m having the same issue with both my PSB Alphas, and my Pulse Mini 2i since updating both last week. Not sure if its the same issue, as mine both work with the native BluOS controller, and both Tidal and Radio Paradise apps. Just not Roon. In Roon, they only show up as available via AirPlay2, but obviously that doesn’t work via wifi.

Following this thread in case a soundbar+ fix also resolves the issue I’m having.

9

Here’s my latest response from Bluesound.

I have forwarded your concerns to our Quality Assurance team, who is working closely with Roon’s Quality Assurance to address such issues.

In addition to your post on Roon’s forum, I strongly recommend reaching out to Roon’s support team directly by submitting a support request. This ensures that you are communicating directly with Roon’s support staff, who will be able to escalate the issue to us if it is determined to be on our end.

We appreciate your patience and understanding while we work through this. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to assist.

1 Like
10

I submitted a support request today. Haven’t heard anything back yet. Will update if I hear anything useful.

11

I believe the best solution is to contact Roon’s support team through this same forum by going to the support section, where a banner like the one shown in the screenshot I’ve included will appear. After clicking on “Get Help,” a long questionnaire opens, but it is worth filling out.

That’s exactly what I did on February 9. Within 24 hours, yesterday, Roon support reached out to me, asking me to repeatedly attempt to play music on my SOUNDBAR+ from Roon and then send them the Roon logs. They provided clear instructions on how to do this, along with a link to upload the files to their servers. The process is straightforward.

Today, I sent the requested logs. I checked them and this is where the key to the problem should be, as one of the logs shows the following sequence of errors:

“RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport) fails to establish a connection with the Soundbar+”:

• Error: “Failed to prepare Bluesound PULSE SOUNDBAR+ in 15000ms. Giving up”

• Error: “Teardown” and “Lost” appear repeatedly in the logs.

• Error: “Failed to setup any endpoints… giving up.”

These indicate that Roon is attempting to establish a connection, but the SOUNDBAR+ is not responding properly, possibly due to a compatibility issue introduced in BluOS 4.8.17.

I don’t know whose responsibility it is to fix this issue, but since the problem occurred immediately after updating the Bluesound firmware to version BluOS 4.8.17—and it had never happened before—it seems logical that the issue should be resolved by the party that caused it: Bluesound, rather than Roon.

Following this reasoning, a week ago, I submitted a request to Bluesound. After a week, they finally responded with: “Since the issue occurs with the ROON software, I would highly suggest that you reach out to Roon support.” From this, I understand that they are washing their hands of the problem.

I am still perplexed and regret having purchased multiple Bluesound speakers—five in total—as well as a NAD T778, which is still under warranty but has already been in the repair shop for five months, where it remains to this day. Despite this prolonged period, I still haven’t been given any solution, and NAD’s central office is completely washing their hands of the issue. The unit has made multiple trips between my home and the service center, which is several hundred kilometers away, and yet there is still no resolution in sight.

Regarding the NAD, since it is under warranty, I have demanded that they either replace it or refund my money in accordance with EU Directive 2019/771, but they are ignoring me, leaving me with no choice but to take legal action.

In summary, the best course of action seems to be to seek Roon support through this same forum, where you will see the banner pop up.

Good luck to everyone, and thank you for your support.

Ignacio Labiano

Roon Support banner
Roon Support banner1280×696 87.3 KB

1 Like
12

Are Bluesound Pulse speakers “truly” ROON endpoints? Anyone have success using these speakers without Bluesound NODE or NAD equipment. If on a wired network wouldROON (nucleus) play? After latest BLUOS update, ROON not working, cannot find server. Suggested to friend uninstall ROON Remote and reinstall.

13

Oddly enough, all other Bluesound devices appear in Roon settings for Airplay2 with correct icons, except for pulse sound bar +. It is correct icon for RAAT though it doesn’t work

It may be that there is a problem with Room not recognizing sound bar + anymore, at least not correctly. Funny thing is airplay 2 works correctly.

1000009416
10000094161080×2400 230 KB

14

I am having the exact same problem with my Bluesound soundbar+. Since the update. Will not play but just skips though songs. Hoping for a fix soon. Sounds like I am not alone.

15

I recommend that you post your complaints either directly to Roon support or in the one that I personally initiate. It is important that both Roon and Bluesound and NAD realize that there are a significant number of users affected by this problem created with the last update.

Roon Support usually responds within 24 hours, but Bluesound and NAD take days or even weeks, something intolerable in products of such a price level.

Roon must be aware of this when providing his recommendations. I personally acquired several NAD and Bluesound devices after reading Roon’s opinions about them, and it has turned out to be one of the worst acquisitions made in my entire life.

This is the ref number of my request: ref#XECOVD

1 Like
16

I am having the same issue. I just submitted a Help request before I saw this.

I hope they get it resolved soon. I purchased the soundbar because it worked with Roon. It’s in my den where I do most of my listening. Without Roon working, it’s just an overpriced sound bar for me.

17

After 10 days of waiting for an answer from Bluesound support team I received this from them:

”Hello

I have forwarded your feedback to our quality assurance team and development team for future update consideration.

Unfortunately, due to company and security policy, we are unable to provide older versions of BluOS firmware.

Regards,
The Bluesound Support Crew”

This was my reply:

”Hi,

When do you expect to have a new update that solves the issue? The Roon Ready feature is the main reason I purchased your equipment, as is the case for many other users experiencing the same problem. And that feature it is gone!

You can’t simply say it’s been submitted for “consideration in future updates.” How long are we talking—two weeks, six months? This is unacceptable! I paid $4,000 USD for something that does not work. Incompatible with Roon. When using Airplay as a workaround, there are intermittent crackling sounds. Managing my library via BluOS is unbearably slow and limited.

Please urge your team to create at least a patch to resolve this issue. Otherwise, delist this device as “Roon Ready,” as it does not meet that standard—a fact that could be reported to consumer courts.”

Do you want to know what their replied to me for urging them to solve the issue? Here it is:

IMG_1682

This is The Bluesound Support Crew!

18

I noticed that my NAD M66 is also having the same issues and have submitted a support ticket about this. BluOS works fine for me but Roon provides a lot more information and it should work (like it always has). It will probably get fixed in a new update, but it is very annoying.

19

I have exactly the same problem and have factory reset all 3 components of my home theatre setup and reconfigured. All bluesound, soundbar pulse + with 2 pulse flex 2i rear speakers, also my ROCK server. This worked fine until the last updates.
I have a Powernode 2i with Wharfedale diamond speakers in the bedroom which has the best sound in the house.
I Curse buying the soundbar as my TV sound is average at best with fuzzy voices. No DTS sound either while a lot of my blu ray DVDs use it.

20

Just replying to this in order to receive updates and notifications from this thread, it’s the same thing for me with a NAD M10 version three and two Bluesound pulse 2is as surrounds, as soon as I set them up in a fixed group they disappear from Roon Ready entirely.