Syncronising bridge with core

Support
1

Is it feasible to syncronise playback between a Core and a Bridge running on separate PCs? I just tried it but I am getting an Echo as the two are not in pefect sync:
Roon Core on a Macbook Pro
Roon Bridge on a Win 10 PC.

I assume the two are considered RAAT zones so I tried grouping the two zones. Sadly the playback is not in sync. Tried setting the clock priority (various experiments) but no change.
Is there a setting I am missing or is it indeed beyond current capability to syncronise the above?

Sonos devices controlled by Roon are in perfect sync (sonos connect, Play 1).

Many thanks

2

What is the audio chain for each zone after these two devices?
I suspect one has a different latency than the other.

3

Hi Carl and thanks for the quick response. The chains are different as you point out:

Roon Core (MacBook Pro) -> optical out to Rega Dac -> Amplifier -> Speakers
Roon Bridge (Win 10 PC) -> USB dac -> Powered speakers

I am aware that I can tweak the latency to try and match the playback. Is this the recommended course of action? If so, can I expect that the two will stay in sync thereafter or will i have to keep tweaking?

Many thanks

4

Yes.

[quote=“Yiannis_Kouropalatis, post:3, topic:25206”]
If so, can I expect that the two will stay in sync thereafter or will I have to keep tweaking?
[/quote]If the latency is consistent then if will be fine once compensated for.

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5

Thank you very much for the help Carl,

I will try setting the latency and hope that it will be consistent.

6

Also: after setting to latency to an agreeable level, check Roon Settings > Audio > Device Setup > Zone Grouping. You can try setting Clock Master Priority from Default to 1 (Higest) for the zone you trust best – and from Default to a lower amount for the other zone.

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7

Just a follow up to say that it all works perfectly.

I adjusted the latency on the core to ensure it is in sync with the bridge. Took a bit of effort to get the perfect sync but once achieved it is very very stable. The important thing is that the settings are very stable and there is no need to fiddle with the latency settings since.

Very impressed and happy with the result. Well done Roon! :slight_smile:

1 Like
8

Thanks for the follow up, enjoy.

9

One last question on the issue of synchronization if you don’t mind:

Assuming one runs Roon Bridges (end points) on a number PCs or Raspberry Pis to set up multiroom audio, is it expected / the norm that latency settings have to be manually tweaked on each mini PC separately / individually in order to ensure sync across all end points?

Of course I had to do this between Core and a single Bridge to ensure sync, I am just wondering if it is the norm or the exception when one uses multiple bridges running on PCs / Pis.

Many thanks

10

For linked zones, Roon will keep the digital data being streamed to the DAC in sync, however if there is significant variation in latency after the DAC then manual adjust is required as Roon has no way of knowing what’s after the DAC.

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