Core Machine (Operating system/System info/Roon build number)
HP pavilion laptop, Intel Core i5-7200U CPU @ 2.50GHz 2.71 GHz. Windows 10 64-bit.
Network Details (Including networking gear model/manufacturer and if on WiFi/Ethernet)
Core server is a connected directly to router.
Google WiFi Core connected with ethernet to one of the 3 wifi points
Audio Devices (Specify what device you’re using and its connection type - USB/HDMI/etc.)
Sonos speaker system via wifi network.
This is all networked to my Sonos speaker system. Also have a MicroJukebox NAS for music on the network.
Description Of Issue
Music will drop off for just a couple seconds about three times an hour
Everything else works with no interruption.
All the Sonos speakers are connected to the network using the SonosNet mesh networking. Everything else work with no drops in the system. I have a TV. Turntable, Spotify, SiriusXM, Amazon Music with no issues. Only drops when listening with Roon.
On the System output zone do you mean listening just from the laptop speakers?
Yes, the “System Output” zone in Roon will play to whatever device you have selected in the Windows Sound Settings. I would expect that your laptop would default to its own speakers as long as you do not have any HDMI or DAC devices connected.
OK so i played for awhile thru the system output zone with no drops. however only a short time so maybe inconclusive. I suspect no issues thru output zone.
Does the same behavior occur if you play to just one SONOS zone individually, or does this behavior occur only when they are grouped? Do you notice any pattern when the dropouts happen, such as right between tracks switching to the next or only on higher resolution content?
I have two zones Family Room and Den. This is only happening in the family room. If I am playing just to the family room alone this will happen. If i am playing to both zones at the same time the drop will happen in the family room and not in the den.
I notice no pattern for the dropouts seems to be random.
On another note I see that I am not able to change zones from family room to den with the Roon software i need to use the Sonos ape for this. Den zone does appear on Roon ape however will not start playing when I choose Den zone.
Can you please try temporarily connecting your Family Room zone via Ethernet and let me know if the behavior is the same?
Roon streams audio in uncompressed PCM, which means that the bandwidth requirements are higher than streaming through the Sonos App, and connecting via Ethernet will help us narrow down this issue.
The problem here is my router is located upstairs and family room zone is downstairs so this ethernet connection would not work out with my set up. in addition I now have the Roon core server and the NAS with music files both in network via ethernet. I was hoping we could check into some of the settings in Roon that may provide a fix. if not I need to consider that the software is just not going to work flawlessly so may not be a good addition.
I understand that this would not be the permanent setup, but we can get some great insight to where the issue lies if you are able to temporarily connect the Sonos via Ethernet to the router, or at least via WiFi to temporarily eliminate the SonosNET from the equation. Can you please give this a try even temporarily and let me know if it changes anything with regard to the issue?
I am unable to connect the Sonos family room directly using Ethernet even temporary again the router is way out of the area. Is there any other tests or settings we can look at? I really do have to make a decision if the Roon is a keeper or not if it is not able to work properly with my system or not.
My current suspicion is that the SonosNET is a limiting variable here, and getting this out of the equation would be the best way to proceed further with troubleshooting.
Ethernet connection is preferable (even as a temporary test) and connecting via WiFi (not SonosNet) would also provide another useful data point. Can you give either of these connection types a try and let us know if it changes the behavior of your Sonos endpoints?
Once we locate the cause, we would be in a much better position to address it, so please do let me know if you are able to perform the setup modifications. Thanks!
Ok so I moved sonos so I could connect temporarily with Ethernet and played for about an hour. It did drop off a couple times but not as frequently. That was just a snapshot though and apparently the issue still exists.
Thank you for giving the Ethernet connection a try. I would like to take a look at the diagnostics from your Core to see if there are any additional clues when this issue occurs.
Can I please ask you to connect the Sonos once move via Ethernet and note the exact local time, date and track which experiences this dropout behavior and then manually send me a copy of your logs after the issue occurred by using these instructions?
last development as follows. I was using my old MacBook Pro as the controller for Roon. It was an old 2009 that I just replaced with a new one. I have been using the new MacBook most of the day and so far no pauses drop outs or interferance with playing Roon. problem hopefully is cured. Have you ever heard of something like this before where the controlling devise was causing a similar issue?
No, I haven’t heard of the Roon controller in use cause such behavior. The audio processing is happening on the Core, not the controller so it’s very strange that changing the controller helped. Just to clarify, you only switched the controller or did you move the entire Core over to the new Macbook? Is the system still stable even at the present time?