Roon playback error with Chord Qutest DAC after upgrade (ref#9SQNUU)

Support
1

What best describes your playback issue?

· Music doesn't start when I press "Play"

What type of Zone is affected by this problem?

· *All of my Zones* are affected.

Does the issue affect all file formats?

· The issue affects *multiple/all* file formats.

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 *no problem*, it's only my other Zone.

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?

· The Zone is listed under the wrong protocol

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?

· All day today, 4/24/2026, starting at 11am Pacific time until 6pm Pacific time

What are the make and model of the affected audio device(s) and the connection type?

· I have Roon running on my Win11 PC, USB into Chord Qutest, RCA into a PrimaLuna EVO 200 preamp, PS Audio M700 monoblock power amps

Describe the issue

DAC upgrade
I upgraded from a PS Audio Gain Cell DAC to a Chord Qutest DAC. The Qutest DAC driver is installed in Windows 11, shows up in Device Manager, no errors I can relate in Event Viewer and the Chord shows up in Roon server Audio devices. The PS Audio is still listed in Roon but disabled, AISO. The Chord is enabled shows WASAPI but when I try to play any music Roon starts skipping songs and then gives me an error "too many errors. Stopping playback" Help. I have tried two different computers and replaced the USB cable. The DAC works fine USB using Tidal from my iPad and optical cable to my CD player so I just need to get Roon working. Thanks, Ted

Describe your network setup

I have a new Netgear wireless AP, Roon is running a an AMD 8 physical cores (16 logical processors) 32 GB ram connected to roon over Wi-Fi USB into my Chord Qutest

2

Hello @thebischof

Welcome to the community and congrats on the new Chord Qutest! It’s a fantastic DAC, so let’s get it working with Roon.

Since the DAC works with other sources, the issue likely lies in how Windows 11 handles the “handshake” between the Chord driver and Roon. The “Too many errors” message usually indicates a conflict in the audio stream.

Please try the following steps:

  1. Windows Exclusive Mode Conflict: It’s possible another application has “seized” the DAC in exclusive mode, preventing Roon from accessing it.
  • Go to Windows Sound Settings → More sound settings.
  • Find the Chord Qutest, right-click Properties → Advanced.
  • Uncheck “Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device” and test playback. If it works, you can try re-enabling it later once the initial connection is stable.
  1. Channel Layout Mapping: Sometimes Roon tries to send a channel layout that the DAC driver doesn’t expect.
  • In Roon, go to Settings → Audio and click the gear icon next to your Chord DAC → Device Setup.
  • Look at Channel Layout (as shown in the attached screenshot). If it’s set to 7.1 or something high, try changing it to 2.0/5.1.
  • Also, try triggering “Send stereo/mono content as 5/7.1” to No or Yes
  1. DSP & Sample Rates: Since you are on a Chord DAC (which handles high sample rates easily), ensure that Roon isn’t trying to upsample to a rate that Windows hasn’t “approved” in the driver settings. For a test, disable all DSP in Roon.

One quick question: Since you mentioned the PS Audio is still listed as ASIO, have you installed the specific Chord ASIO driver, or are you only using WASAPI? ASIO is generally more stable for Chord products on Windows.

Try the channel layout and exclusive mode tweaks first, and let us know if the skipping stops!

3

I figured out I had installed the WASAPI driver in Windows and needed the ASIO driver. Both show up in Roon but only the ASIO plays normally. Roon is working again and sounds very good with the new Chord DAC.

4

Hi @thebischof,

Thank you for your post and please accept our apologies that we couldn’t respond before you’d already resolved this yourself.

ASIO generally has more reliable performance than WASAPI in Exclusive Mode.