Does the issue happen with local library music, streaming service music, or both?
· *Both streaming and local* *library* music are affected.
Do you encounter any playback errors with the "System Output" Zone?
· The System Output has the same problem as my other Zone.
Do you have a complex network setup?
· I have a *mesh network* with devices connected to multiples points
Your local network might need some re-arranging to support Roon.
· None of the suggestions have helped me. I'd like to submit a support request.
Do you have an approximate timestamp of when the issue last occurred?
· This has been going on for >1week, including around noon PST today. Eat for Two - 10000 Maniacs
What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?
· Premium Falcon Northwest desktop with 96GB RAM, SoundBlaster AE-5plus, solid state C and D drives, 18 TB E: HD, 90 TB Synology NAS
Describe the issue
Roon Server has been installed on my Windows 11 desktop, and it had no problem accessing and all of my mp3 and flac files on my local machine, attached USB HD, and NAS. It found all of my Sonos speakers, and my local speakers, and my SoundBlaster card. When I click on a track, either mp3 or flac, it shows that it is playing on the chosen speaker, but there is never any sound heard on any speaker. I am using eero 7+ wifi, and I have turned off my NordVPN.
Describe your network setup
eero 7+ wifi router, mesh network with 4 total nodes
Thanks for reaching out. It is odd that you mention that this issue happens across multiple zones, and they all look like they arep laying. This is happening to your System Output (internal laptop speakers) as well? Was Roon working as expected before this issue? If you wish, you can try a full reinstall of Roon to see if this helps:
I have been unable to get any music to play from any of my speakers, and have even reinstalled Roon as you instructed above. I have top end equipment and have no other problems with my network. Roon apparently can’t find the Roon server, even though Roon server found and displays all of my music. I can’t play on Sonos, I can’t play on my desktop speakers, and no music can be played from any of my local or plug-in drives, or my NAS, even though the meter shows music is playing. I am still within my trial period, and I wish to cancel. I need a refund of my one-year subscription fee, which I have already paid.
Thanks for your patience while we investigate this.
I completely understand the frustration. With high-end equipment like yours, the experience should be flawless.
Before we proceed with a refund, I’ve analyzed your logs. The fact that Roon shows music is “playing” (progress bar moving) while there is no sound across both local and network zones (Sonos) usually points to a communication blockage rather than a software failure.
Could we try one last targeted check to see if we can resolve this?
Isolate System Output:
If you select System Output (your desktop speakers) as the only active zone, does the progress bar still move without sound? If so, this confirms that something on the Windows 11 machine is intercepting the audio stream.
Firewall Check:
Windows updates or VPN remnants (like NordVPN) can sometimes reset firewall rules. Please ensure that Roon.exe, RoonAppliance.exe, and especially RAATServer.exe are all manually added to the Allowed Apps list in your Windows Firewall for Private networks.
Network Topology:
Since you are using an eero 7+ mesh, could you clarify if your Roon Server is connected via Ethernet to the maineero node? Also, do you have any unmanaged switches between your server and the eero nodes?
eero Features:
Do you have eero Plus or Advanced Security enabled in your eero app? These features can sometimes treat Roon’s local synchronization traffic as a security threat and silently drop the packets.
We want to make sure we’ve exhausted these possibilities, as your setup is definitely capable of running Roon perfectly. However, if you would prefer to cancel immediately, please let us know, and we will assist you with the next steps regarding your subscription.
Most gaming soundcards will default to 5.1 or 7.1 instead of stereo, which can cause precisely this symptom in Roon. Please double-check that both Windows Sound Settings and the Creative app are set to stereo and not 5.1 or 7.1
Diagnostic logging from your RAATServer indicates that the Soundblaster won’t initialize due to an unsupported format error. This occurs at 44.1Khz and 24-bit depth.
In other words, when Roon (via WASAPI) asks the Sound Blaster AE-5 to open 44.1 kHz / 24-bit / 2-channel PCM, the Creative driver is rejecting that format.
Please also try the following steps:
In your Windows Sound Settings, navigate to Control Panel → Sound → Playback → Sound BlasterX AE-5 Plus → Properties. Click on the Advanced tab and set the following:
Set Default Format to 24-bit, 48 kHz
Check Allow applications to take exclusive control
Check Give exclusive mode applications priority
In the Sound Blaster Creative App:
Disable SBX, Surround, Crystalizer, EQ, and any DSP effects
Can you please share a screenshot of your Signal Path within Roon under any of the Zone configurations that won’t play audio?
