Sonos CONNECT unit(s) keep pausing - incredibly annoying

Well, it may be a while as I am headed out of town, but sure...I’ll do this. Again. I did it just about a week ago and no one in chat support could help me; they were not even reading half of what I was saying as indicators, data points and so on. Why they had me mess about with the WiFi settings (when I don’t even use wifi) was beyond me. Whether the wifi is on or off this keeps happening.

I should clarify one thing that I stated erroneously: when I say “pauses playback” I don’t mean that it actually toggles between PLAY and PAUSE. No, it INDICATES that it is playing but playback halts from anywhere between 3 and maybe 7 seconds before it resumes. This is where one would insert the Price is Right sad trombone sound effect...

I *DID* discover one thing that might be salient: I had assumed that when I saw the incompatibility message (with S2) that it was for both of my Connect units. So I did some more digging and found that one my two Connect units (the one in The Subterranean Playground) is NOT S2-compatible (even though the two units seem to be identical, visually) but the Whole Lotta House unit IS compatible with S2 (Whole Lotta House Connect feeds the analog distribution system to the whole house as the name implies). It turns out that SOME connect units work with S2 and some do not. Yikes. That’s a nasty surprise. I believe both units have the same firmware as well. Remember, I’m running S1 because one of the units doesn’t play nice with S2.

Another morsel for you...the unit in The Subterranean Playground doesn’t seem to do this AT ALL. I ran all manner of playlist, short, long, as well as albums on it for days...never one single interruption. Since it’s not compatible with S2 it’s probably safe to say that it’s an older unit while the other Connect is newer (upstairs...the one that saps joy from my very existence) as it is S2-compatible. Strange...newer hardware yet less stable with S1. Apparently.

I never group the units (party mode) because the one unit feeds the analog distribution system in my house, so I use the one unit to have music throughout the house yet pull only one stream from the drive, and I never have to worry about compression being invoked due to net bandwidth Connect issues; the unit in The Subterranean Playground feeds only that space (recording studio / hang space) so basically it only operates with a different queue than that of the other connect, but never are they grouped with the same feed. The interruption happens irrespective of whether one or both units are streaming data from the library.

I thought that maybe the issue was hardware - I use the optical out and thought maybe there’s an issue there but my preamp/processor never loses sync when the pause happens, so the TOSLINK stream is present. Now, whether there’s something upstream of the optical / SPDIF output I can’t say. I didn’t bother to check the analog outs as they logically must be downstream of the DAC while the TOSLINK and SPDIF must be native digital.

It’s ironic. I’ve got two units and the OLDER unit is more reliable running the OLDER control software but the newer one can’t seem to play nice with the older software. Replacing the older S2-incompatible unit with one that IS compatible seems like a big gamble for me, because it sure feels like the newer unit (Whole Lotta House) has a hardware issue. I have spent HOURS and hours on this, and every time that I think I have it sussed I hear the unit interrupt playback and it’s like a dagger to my heart.

Another “fun” anomaly? I could swear that when my girlfriend so much as MOVES her Galaxy S9 phone (after the system has been seemingly stable) the unit temporarily halts playback. We’ve tried everything...logging out, uninstalling the software (phones, PCs) abut that doesn’t get it.

I’ve turned the wireless on and off. No change.

ALL units (PCs and Connect) are on the same switch, which I even dropped $45 on the replace with a Linksys gigabit switch thinking that my Netgear GS108 v3 and v4 units might still be incompatible (as the v1 and v2 variants are)...but after swapping out that switch, the problem persists.

When I return from this trip I will swap the units just to see, but my gut tells me that the one that WAS in the subterranean playground will continue to be stable (the one that’s incompatible with S2) and the other one that’s newer (and S2-compatible) will continue to interrupt playback.

Absolutely maddening. I am already looking for alternatives to the Connect units because I cannot stand having the music halt and then continue when it wants. I’ve pretty much tried everything that I can think of (yes, hard reset on the router as well). I don’t want the unit that hiccups doing that in the subterranean either as those interruptions really kill a vibe in a room.

The last ditch option will be to remove the unit from the network (temporarily) and see if the problem stops when running S1.

So disappointing.

I tried creating this as a new post but apparently there were issues with it; I can’t seem to find it.

Anyway...PROBLEM SOLVED!

See below:

OK,

At the end of this post I will list (or try to) everything that I did before arriving at a solution. Hopefully, this  list will help save time for you, the reader, should you be having a similar issue.

THE PROBLEM REVISITED:

In a nutshell, the unit works fine when using a streaming service (Amazon Prime music etc), however, when streaming from my flac library the unit experiences what appears to be bufffer underrun (the player(s) act as though they are playing but the sound is absent).

If you grab the track progress bar on the S2 app and move it back into the track by 30 seconds or so the rest of the track is audible (almost always - sometimes it takes two attempts). I have verified with various audio programs (I am a recording engineer) that there is nothing wrong with any of the files on which this problem occurs (and besides, it’s almost never the same track twice).

THE SOLUTION:

There is no solution I have found with S2 and the gen 2 Connect units running, However, what I WAS able to do was to install Plex and Plexamp, and build my music database (IMPORTANT: the Connect et al use on-board memory for a great many things, including storage of the music library database. However, Plex creates and stores the database on the server rather than the client. This means that the Sonos-suggested limit of 65,000 songs no longer matters - I suspect I could have twice or three times the number of tracks (I’m in the 50,000 range) that I now have and still, the database would be OK. I guess we’ll see about that.

I digress...so I set up Plex Servers on two machines and Plexamp on all machines of interest. Guess what?

Not one single track ever experiences what I was observing with either / both of the Sonos units when streaming flac music from a share.running under S2. Yep, zero instances of buffer underrun. None. Zilch. Nada. With the CONNECT units I might have one, five, or ten songs hiccup as described.

IRONY:

Plexamp can see and yes, even operate the CONNECT units; they show up as players in the list. I was initially psyched because I thought “cool, I get to run S2 as I have...surely PLex will fix the issue within the CONNECT units”. However, whether I run the CONNECT units from S2 OR from Plex, the buffer underrun happens. Persistently

Running Plex server and Plexamp UI? The problem never persists; I merely pointed my two servers to local copies of the flac library (and gave each a few hours to chunk through all of the metadata).

Even if (in this mode) the Sonos Library Services is not used (which I thought might be the culprit) it appears that it’s something within the S2 app / the firmware on the two Connect units.

Before you assume it’s something wrong with my network, any of the O.S. on my computers, my gateway, or my switches, I assure you that it is not - I even enlisted a certified I.T. specialist to check my network for anomalies. None were found.

I should also mention that yes, the gateway has even been replaced, and all switches are Sonos-approved (NETGEAR GS108 v3 (or higher)). In short, there is nothing wrong.

I even put the CONNECT units, along with the host PC on its own network (facilitated by a stand-alone router) and the bufer underrun problem persisted when using the S2 app. This tells me that the problem is not related to my network; the router that I used was sent to me by Sonos support, so I know that it’s fully compatible with Sonos.

The downside is that Plex will not stream Amazon Music (only Tidal, and I’m not paying for that) so for now, I have to use the Connect units to stream Amazon, but at least with such a stream the buffer underrun problem never (and I do mean never) occurs - it’s only with the flac library.

NOTE: If you look at the event viewer log in Windows you can see that the sonos library service throws an error whenever the buffer underrun occurs, as well as when the track is advanced etc. When running the CONNECT units via Plex the Sonos library service throws no errors (because it’s not in use), but the buffer underrun issue persists. Again, when running Plex none of the tracks ever exhibit the error that one or both of the Connect units exhibit.

WHAT WAS TRIED (WITH NO POSITIVE RESULT) BEFORE ARRIVING AT THE CONCLUSION:

1. verified all network switches are sonos-approved
2. replaced the existing GS108 switches with a different vendor’s gigabit switch (money out of pocket)
3. checked every LAN cable for pin-integrity (every cable) whether in the walls, or “jumpers” (from wall to device etc). there are 26 drops in my house and I have checked every.single.cable. no errors.
4. verified that gateway is compatible (and later, gateway was replaced)
5. tried using wifi exclusively with either / both units; tried using LAN only with either / both units
6. operating system on host PC was rebuilt (out of desperation)
7. operating system on two additional PCs rebuilt (still more desperation)
8. flac library temporarily moved from one machine (as host) to the other two to test; sometimes on-chassis, other times as a USB device
9. pcs and CONNECT units placed on one network switch. pcs and CONNECT units spread out between switches (distributed)
10. a smaller version of flac the library (about 25,000 songs) was temporarily used on all three machines
11. updated S2 software (every time prompted)
12. S2 app uninstalled and reinstalled...at least 10 times on three different machines
13. an mp3 “mirror” of my flac library was tried; whether the full library or a truncated version of the library the buffer underrun occurs. attempted on all three machines with te drive as internal or USB
14. problem occurs on CONNECT units with albums, playlists, and at times even individual tracks; problem NEVER occurs when playing Amazon music (web stream) in either / both CONNECT units
15. set sonos library service to auto-restart (3 instances) if an error is generated.
16. I tried running sonos with either or both CONNECT units online (wired or wifi). problem always persisted.
17. the problem never existed while running S1 controller (I ran the connect units for years) but began a short while after the forced S2 rollout
18. originally I had a gen1 CONNECT and a gen 2 CONNECT running under S1, but had to replace my gen 1 unit with a gen 2 unit when S2 was mandated (more out-of-pocket expenditures)
19. This is only a PARTIAL list. I have tried too many things to count (I’m not joking), and each time, in the end, the buffer underrun problem occurs when using S2 and Connect

I do NOT have a NAS as so many have urged me to do, and many out there will wag their fingers at me for this. However, having two Plex servers set up now (one machine with a win 10 / 64 built and a Western Digital USB drive and the other a win 10 / 64 computer with an on-chassis western digital hard drive) has resulted in error-free playback. All three machines machines feature rebuilt operating systems (from several months back)) results in hiccup-free playback, and absolutely zero instances of buffer underrun but ONLY when running Plex. One machine has MANY audio applications on it while the other is just a sort of “bare bones” PC. Whether I stream from either machine, the buffer underrun problem has vanished via Plex but persisted with S2 + CONNECT.

WORTH NOTING: If you are having similar issues you might want to look at the windows event viewer, specifically the WINDOWS LOGS → SYSTEM; I used to see hundreds and hundreds of anomalies whenever I ran S2. Now? I see 5% (maybe) and in fact, I have not seen the sonos library service error since I started to stream my flac files via Plex.

Also, note the APPLICATIONS AND SERVICES LOGS → OPEN SSH → SERVICE, which is the “SonosLibraryServiceLogs”; with S2 running the connect THIS error is like a rash all over the log:

Error writing full file to output stream: The I/O operation has been aborted because of either a thread exit or an application request

Absolutely every time the buffer under-run happens, this error is generated in the log. It is also generated when one interacts with track progress etc.

OK, IT WORKS...BUT WHAT’S THE DOWN-SIDE?

I don’t like everything in the Plex UI.

That said, it plays music. Reliably. Always...from my flac library (the same one that I have maintained for years)...sitting on an internal SATA drive on a ten year-old machine (no expensive NAS etc...just a lowly SATA drive). While I’m not anti-NAS (I DO undertsand their utility) I refused to buy a NAS a “test solution” on principle; Sonos is ostensibly sold as a system that can find all of your music on whichever devices it happens to reside. If a NAS a required for reliable operation in all cases, then it should be sold as such (i.e. not sold “asterisk-free”).

That said, I am somewhat of a unique position in that I have main and “spare” computers that act as clients (and yes, you can even stream to your phone if you wish). This means that the computers supplant the CONNECT units when I want to play tracks, albums, or playlists from the app - at least for tracks from my flac library. Regrettably, Plex doesn’t support Amazon so for now I’ll use the CONNECT units when I want to stream from the web.

HOWEVER, this also means that the three computers replacing the CONNECT units need (for guaranteed good signal to noise ratio) their own audio interfaces. I use one very simple one (a ten year old Lexicon low-budget Alpha interface on my T5500 computer), a nicer and slightly more modern Roland Quad Capture USB, and on the third, I use a TASCAM US1800 interface (that I use in my recording space (where I track clients’ work as well as my podcast)). These analog signals are what’s sent to my whole-house balanced analog transmission system (I pulled the lines years ago upon purchasing my present home), or down to the critical listening space.

So, I am fortunate in that I hold onto things like old(er) computers and associated audio gear, but truthfully, my only out-of-pocket expense for the Plex solution is the monthly fee (I paid for the first month to evaluate if the problem could be fixed (and it HAS been fixed) but I will likely buy a lifetime license if this performance stability persists). That said, you can buy those small form-factor PCs these days for a few hundred dollars (not more) that would be sufficient as CONNECT replacements. However, the CONNECT was envisioned as something for people not wanting to deal with network issues etc.

Is this a solution for you? I can’t say. I only arrived at this point because I was absolutely desperate to fix the problem, and thus far (and still) S2 + CONNECT has this buffer underrun problem that appears to have no solution.

CLOSING REMARKS:

I know there are going to be haters out there.

Please don’t say unkind things about me or my troubleshooting skills. I have perused countless threads, spoken with tech support, submitted numerous diagnostic logs...I have fought this battle for over a year, at least, and absolutely nothing that I have done has fixed it. I bought the CONNECT units because I liked them, and indeed, under S1 (and for a short while under S2) they were so, so reliable - and I LOVE the UI in S2. I genuinely do, but I am getting used to the quirks in Plex.

NAS...I know, more elegant. I agree, That said, a) I don’t have a NAS and everything now runs flawlessly under Plex (like it USED to under S1, and for a while, under S2), b) the system is sold as not requiring a NAS. I just can’t see spending money on a NAS to *potentially* fix the problem when in fact the CONNECT was marketed as being able to assimilate all of one’s music on any (shared) drive. I’ve already spent money on new hardware in an attempt to fix it, and I am not exactly keen on spending money on a NAS when it may not fix the issue. Again, if it DOES, then Sonos are obligated to state “...able to find all music on your machines (note: playback consistency is not guaranteed without use of a NAS)”. To me, that’s fair.
 

As I have stated elsewhere, were Sonos willing to send me a NAS with at least 4TB of storage I would have been willing to try it, but the number of hours I have tried to painstakingly diagnose and remedy the fault got to be too much; when the car you drive keeps breaking down by the side of the road, eventually you just have to buy a new car. Fortunately, for me, I had the additional computers and sound cards sitting around (and yes, in use), so this feels like getting a few used cars rather than two new cars. Mind you, had Sonos said “this type of NAS with this type of drive is GUARANTEED to fix the issue” but I never got that - instead I did get a fair bit of push-back (in the forums) from people more interested in telling me “just get a NAS...I never have problems” rather than helping to work through the isuse. That said, some of the people in the forum were EXTREMELY helpful at various stages of troubleshooting, and I sincerely thank all who tried to get me to a solution.

As it stands? I once more can play albums, playlists, tracks, etc, and not have the music unexpectedly cut out due to buffer underrun.

This “feels” to me like as Sonos have elected t add features these have come at the cost of core functionality. Remember, there’s only so much memory in these units, and less-than-tight code eats up memory as do added commands and instances in the software (and subsequent firmware updates) 

All that I know is this:

I am now able to play whatever I want from my flac library as I had done for years with S1, and for a while, with S2. It’s a pity that the functionality couldn’t last.

Regrettably, playback of the flac library can’t be reliable via the CONNECT units (whether I drive them with S2 or with Plexamp). Just as with Sonos I can control them from any PC, any phone, and my tablet. As long as I refrain from using the CONNECT units for playback the music no longer goes silent toward the end of a track (computer-based playback is required, rather than a computer-appliance (CONNECT).

Have I missed something? Quite possibly, but I grew weary of having the music cut off, especially during parties and such - total buzz kill.

Was the swap to Plex necessary? Maybe not. Maybe I missed something. Maybe. However, what I now have is something that works as it is supposed to; S2 and CONNECT have driven me crazy, and that well has run dry.

Will it continue to be stable into the future? Who knows? For now, I’ll keep using the alternative to S2 + CONNECT.