Roon stops playing after a few minutes, most often when skipping to another track.

Roon Core Machine

Roon Core on a Mac mini (2022), M1 chip, 16 GB RAM
Mac OS, Ventura 13.2.1

I also use a MacBook Air running Windows 10 as a remote client from a garage apartment on the same wifi network.

Networking Gear & Setup Details

Deco X55 Router, mesh wifi, no VPN. Reliable speeds of 75+ mbs down and 5+mbs up at the core.

Connected Audio Devices

(2) Cambridge CXNv2 network steamers (1 connected by ethernet cable to router, 1 by wifi)
TIC WBP10, outdoor wifi speakers
(2) sets of HP computer monitor speakers
Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max

Number of Tracks in Library

29,904 tracks in library

Description of Issue

My system usually works well for a few minutes, but will stop playing and go into “churn” mode (no music, no progress on time counter, timeline flashing back and forth) until I reboot the core or the router. This is typically triggered by skipping tracks or changing albums. Occasionally, I get a sudden track pause with the message “TIDAL media is loading slowly. This may indicate a networking or connectivity problem.” It may begin to play again briefly or not, before it will go into the churn mode described above.

If I play an album or playlist without changing any tracks, the player may go for hours before becoming unstable.

I use Roon for a zone in my home and one in my garage apartment. Two separate sound systems connected to two separate Cambridge streaming players. Either may be controlled by either computer or most often, my iPhone. Both Cambridge units are Roon Ready (which sounds best, to my ears anyway). Regardless of which remote controls which Cambridge unit, or both, the problem behavior is the same.

I have tried AirPlay and Chromecast as alternatives to the Roon Ready input, with no difference I have connected the core by Ethernet cable directly to the router with no change. I replaced my wifi router with no change. All devices have been repeatedly updated. I am using Roon default audio settings without any DSP.

I find that when the Roon player stops functioning, I can switch my iPhone to the TIDAL app and play to the Cambridge players without any difficulty, so I don’t believe it’s a bandwidth issue. It also occurs on Roon live radio stations, with the message “Unable to play this station. Its address may have changed, or it may be temporarily unavailable.”

Boot the core and/or the network router and everything returns to normal … until the next freeze up. Any guidance would be appreciated. Thank you!

Hi Robert. Welcome.

This is likely a wifi issue.
You’ll find quite a few threads here explaining why this happens technically (and with Roon and not Tidal or Qobuz apps).

To rule out wifi as the cause there are a couple things you could try for troubleshooting purposes:
Does this happen when your core is connected to Ethernet and you’re playing to a zone also connected by Ethernet?

Does it happen if you are playing directly from your Core, Ethernet connected, to the Core System Output? Ie a DAC connected by USB or computer speakers.

Something else you could try is using Cloudflare as your DNS resolver.

https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/dns/what-is-1.1.1.1/

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