Is the affected network Zone connected with Ethernet or WiFi?
· WiFi
Does the issue affect all file formats?
· The issue *only affects one file *format.
Which format is giving you trouble?
· WAV
Is your device connected directly to the Roon Server via cable or over the network, or is it chained through another device (such as a streamer, Roon Bridge, or Roon Remote)?
· It is connected through a different device (e.g Rasberry Pi)
Does the device play audio from another source when using the same connection?
· The device has no problems with another audio source
Is the device using the latest firmware as per the manufacturer?
· Firmware is up-to-date but the issue remains
Do you have an approximate timestamp of when the issue last occurred?
· 2/15/2026 3PM ET
What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?
· Rotel RAS5000 suddenly started getting the "too many failures" error. NAD379 still works okay.
Describe the issue
Hello. I am getting "Too many failures stopping playback" when trying to play on Rotel RAS-5000 over WiFi from Roon core running on MacMini connected directly to router via ethernet cable. It has been working fine for at least a year. Roon clients and Roon core still work fine when playing on NAD 379.
Describe your network setup
Modem and router have been working fine for at least a year. They still work find with NAD 379 zone. Broken only with Rotel RAS5000 zone.
I think the next step here is to enable some diagnostics on your account so our technical staff can get some more insight into what’s going on here.
However, before I enable this feature, I’d like to ask for your help ensuring we gather the right information.
First, can you please reproduce the issue once more and note the time at which the error occurs. Then respond here with that time, and I’ll make sure we review the diagnostics related to that timestamp.
While I was trying to fix the issue I did a factory reset and a wifi reset on the Rotel. Now the new Rotel setup will not connect to my wifi. It just keeps timing out. I will need to get that resolved before I can try and reproduce the Roon end of things again. I had been reproducing the Roon errors on 2/15/2026 around 2PM to 3PM ET before I put in this support ticket. At this point, I will need to get the Rotel connected before I can attempt the Roon connection again and will let you know.
I just tried again now. 12/17/2026 12:37 - 12:38 PM ET. Roon sends the song title and the album artwork but no audio data. The same Roon core works fine for NAD “zone” but fails for Rotel.
Thank you for providing those timestamps. According to your description, there are timeout issues during the WiFi connection on your Rotel.
While your NAD 379 is working fine, different streaming modules have different sensitivities to network latency and packet loss, especially over Wi-Fi. The “Too many failures” error you’re seeing is often a direct result of the connection dropping mid-stream or failing to maintain a sufficient buffer.
To isolate whether this is a hardware issue with the Rotel or a local Wi-Fi interference problem, we need to perform a quick test:
Could you please temporarily connect the Rotel RAS-5000 directly to your router via an Ethernet cable?
Please let us know if the playback stabilizes while hard-wired. This will help us determine if we need to look into the Rotel’s firmware or if we need to focus on optimizing your Wi-Fi environment (such as changing channels or checking for IGMP issues).
Yes. Roon is behaving normally with the ethernet cable connection.
The bad behavior returns as soon as I go back to WiFi. The song title and artwork displays but no sound. Also no “Speaker” node displayed on the signal path diagram. (I have not seen the explicit “Too many failures" or timeout messages for a while.)
The Rotel display shows the normal WiFi icon as if it is connected to WiFi successfully.
Thank you for the update. While it’s encouraging that your NAD 379 is performing well, the “Too many failures” error on the Rotel RAS-5000 typically indicates a network throughput or stability issue specifically at the endpoint’s location.
Even if other devices work fine, high-resolution playback (especially WAV files, which are uncompressed and require more bandwidth) is very sensitive to network “jitter” and interference.
Here are a few points to consider and steps to try:
1. Signal Strength vs. Signal Quality
A “strong” Wi-Fi icon doesn’t always mean a stable stream. Digital audio requires a consistent, uninterrupted flow of data.
Your router might have automatically switched to a Wi-Fi channel that is now “crowded” by neighboring networks.
New electronic devices or even physical changes in the room can create “dead zones” or reflections that affect the Rotel’s specific Wi-Fi module.
2. The Ethernet Test
When the “Too many failures” error disappears over Ethernet, we know the issue is strictly related to the Wi-Fi environment or the Rotel’s wireless reception.
3. Router/Access Point Refresh
Since the system worked for a year, it’s possible the network stack on either the router or the Rotel has reached a state that requires a hard reset:
Power cycle the Rotel (unplug from the wall for 30 seconds).
Check if there are any settings in your router like “Smart Connect” or “Band Steering” that might be forcing the Rotel between 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.
Next Step: Could you please try the Ethernet connection test and let us know if the WAV/FLAC/DSD files play correctly? This will help us decide whether to look into your network configuration or focus on the Rotel hardware itself.
Well when Roon works using the ethernet cable with the Rotel that was FLAC. The only source I have when using Roon are the Tidal and Qubuz services and they always seem to be FLAC. How do I get Roon to send a WAV or DSD file? Is there a way to search the services based on the file format to find the different formats to test with.
I’m not sure how to check the router settings. Do you mean log into the router or the system settings on the Mac that I am using for the Core server?
Bye the bye, the Tidal Connect app works fine on the Rotel over WiFi. Does Roon do something different than Tidal Connect as far as the connection goes?
Thanks for the reply! Tidal and Qobuz do not stream in WAV or DSD.
Tidal: Primarily uses FLAC (Lossless) and is phasing out MQA in favor of high-res FLAC.
Qobuz: Streams exclusively in FLAC (ranging from CD quality to 24-bit/192kHz).
If you want Roon to "send" a WAV or DSD file to your Rotel from these services, Roon has to transcode it on the fly. You can do this in the DSP Engine:
While a track is playing, click the Signal Path (the glowing dot) or go to Settings > Audio.
Select your Rotel and look for DSP.
Enable Sample Rate Conversion.
Set the "Output Format" to DSD or PCM (if you want WAV-equivalent). Roon will then take that Tidal FLAC file, turn it into DSD in your Mac’s brain, and "beam" it to the Rotel.
[quote="Eric_Horn, post:12, topic:315600"]
Is there a way to search the services based on the file format to find the different formats to test with.
[/quote]
Roon doesn’t have a “Search for DSD on Tidal” button because those files don’t exist there. However, you can use the Focus tool to find high-res content you’ve already added to your library:
Go to Albums or Tracks.
Click the Focus button (top right).
Scroll right to Format. Here you can select "DSD" or "44.1kHz," etc.
Note: To truly test DSD, most users download "DSD Sample Tracks" (like those from Blue Coast Music or NativeDSD) and add them as local files to their Mac.
[quote="Eric_Horn, post:12, topic:315600"]
I’m not sure how to check the router settings.
[/quote]
We’re referring to the Router’s Admin Portal (the “brain” of your home internet), not your Mac’s system settings.
The Mac: You only need to ensure the Firewall isn't blocking Roon and that the Mac isn't "sleeping" (which kills the music).
The Router: Roon uses a protocol called RAAT (Roon Advanced Audio Transport). It is much "fuzzier" about network quality than a standard app. If your router has a setting called "IGMP Snooping" or "Multicast," these sometimes need to be toggled to help Roon "see" the Rotel consistently.
We’ll be on standby for your reply and results, thanks Eric! 🙌
I unplugged the ethernet cable between the Roon core server machine and the router and then plugged it back in. That appears to have joggled something and now Roon connects to the Rotel over WiFi.
