Roon Core Machine
Roon Core on a NUC
Networking Gear & Setup Details
Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro →
Ubiquiti 24-port switch (in a closet ) →
Ubiquiti Light 16-port switch.
All the components that I mention connect by ethernet.
Connected Audio Devices
Marantz surround-sound receiver → Parasound Hint Halo → speakers.
Bluesound Node 2i → Halo 6.
Number of Tracks in Library
Description of Issue
When I play through the Marantz, the Marantz connects to the Halo 6 in the latter’s bypass mode.
When I use Roon to play my music and bypass the Node 2i, I have Roon stream the music (both Qobuz and files saved locally to my NAS) to the Marantz, which outputs the music without any problem.
I also use Roon to output from my NUC (the one running the Roon Core) directly to the Marantz (even in surround sound) without problem.
But, whenever I use the Node 2i, connecting to the Parasound Halo Hint 6, using digital coax, I hear pops, glitches, and static.
When the Marantz connects to the Parasound using bypass, he Parasound isn’t using its DAC, etc. The same is true when the NUC outputs directly to the Marantz (a setup I use mostly to play surround sound).
In the room with the Marantz, the NUC, etc., I used to have a regular Node 2, which died, and then I replaced it with the present Node 2i.
The only other change I made was to move the NUC from my main switch (the one in the closet with the Ubiquiti 24 port connected to the Ubiquiti Dream Machine Pro) to the 16-port Ubiquiti Lite switch, to which the Node 2i is connected, in the same room as the Parasound, the Marantz, the Node 2i, and the speakers.
So it may be that the move of the NUC introduced the problems, but I do not hear those problems when streaming directly from the NUC to the Martinez or directly from the Marantz.
I just tried moving the NUC back to the main closet (with the 24-port Ubiquiti switch and the Dream Machine Pro), but it doesn’t seem to have stopped the static, etc.