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?
· I don't have a System Output available, but I'd like to keep troubleshooting
How is the affected Zone connected to your RoonServer machine?
· Cable (USB, HDMI, SPDIF, etc.)
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)?
· Connected directly to my RoonServer machine
Does the device show up at all in Roon Settings -> Audio?
· No, it does not show up there
Does the device play audio from another source when using the same connection?
· The device has no problems with another audio source
Have you checked that Roon is whitelisted in any firewalls?
· I've checked the firewall and the issue remains
If the device has multiple output options, do the other options work as expected?
· Only one output type is affected while the other output type works as expected
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?
· When I switched from the headphone audio out switch to green audio output jack
What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?
· Ifi Zen Can 3
Describe the issue
Roon not recognizing audio output
Describe your network setup
Router & Modem (Doesn't make a difference, issue only occured when switching jacks)
The iFi ZEN CAN 3 is not a Roon Ready or Roon Tested device, so it will not appear as a native audio output inside Settings → Audio unless your operating system exposes it to Roon as a standard USB audio device.
To better understand what’s happening, could you please clarify a few details:
How exactly is the ZEN CAN 3 connected?
USB directly to your RoonServer machine?
Through a DAC?
Or are you using the analog green audio output jack from the motherboard and feeding it into the ZEN CAN 3?
What output are you expecting to see in Roon?
For example:
“System Output”
“USB Audio Device”
A specific DAC name?
After switching jacks, does the OS still detect the device?
Since Roon relies on the operating system for non-certified devices, if the OS doesn’t expose the output, Roon won’t show it either.
Once we have these details, we’ll be able to guide you more precisely and help restore the expected output in Roon.
Hey,
1.) The Zen Can is connected via a:
3.55mm aux cable from the Zen Can to the PC’s audio ouput slot (green colored circular output).
AND
TRS L/R cable from the Zen Can to the headphones of choice (BeyerDynamic T5).
2.)
I was expecting to see what I see on the volume mixer, which is labeled as “Speakers (4-Realtek(R) Audio)”. I’m not sure how Roon would label it to be honest.
3.) Yes the PC still detects the device when I switch from the green audio output slot to the headphone slots and the audio for Roon works in that slot as well (Albeit its static-y, which is why I switched to the green audio output).
I am afraid that in your case, it means that this 3.5 jack output is not seen on Windows as a digital output.
If you want to play on the device connected through it you might need to select the device as the speaker on windows menu bar and then choose “System output” in Roon.
I tried that, and it did not work.
If I may further describe the problem, its not necessarily that Roon doesn’t recognize the audio output, its just that it won’t play songs. As shown, “Realtek Audio” shows up in Roon, as does System Output, but neither when enabled and selected allow Roon to actually play the songs. They just skip until it says “Too many failures. Stopping playback”
Thank you for the clarification — that helps a lot.
Based on your latest description, this behavior typically occurs in one of the following situations:
The audio device is being held in Exclusive Mode by another application
In this case, Roon is unable to take control of the output, which can result in tracks skipping and the message “Too many failures. Stopping playback.”
Please try the following steps on Windows:
Right-click the speaker icon in the Windows taskbar
Select Sound settings → More sound settings
Go to the Playback tab
Select Speakers (Realtek(R) Audio) and click Properties
Open the Advanced tab
Uncheck both options under Exclusive Mode:
“Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device”
“Give exclusive mode applications priority”
Click Apply and OK
Restart Roon and try playback again
The device is advertising an unsupported or incorrect channel configuration
Some onboard audio devices (including Realtek) may default to surround modes (5.1 / 7.1), while the physical output only supports 2-channel stereo. This mismatch can also cause immediate playback failures in Roon.
