Very Poor Ethernet Performance

[arjayh]

I'm having difficulty playing anything through my Expert Pro via Ethernet.  For the past 2-3 months this has been an intermittent problem which I put down to an issue with my network, now I fear the problem may be with my Expert Pro.  My system comprises a Windows 10 Desktop (AMD Ryzen2 2600; 16GB Ram) which runs Roon as a core.  The setup is:  PC > Router > Ethernet Switch > Expert 220 Pro.  The system used to work fine then it started becoming less reliable.  This week I have struggled to play anything.  I finally found time to investigate what was going on, and spent more hours on this over the past couple of days than I would have hoped for.

I've been through the usual thing of powering everything on/off; reloading, formatting and trying different configurations with the SD card; swapping out ethernet cables (I have a network cable tester too); changing switches and trying a fixed ip address.  The closest I came to getting it working was with a fixed IP address, which would give one or two seconds of music then stop.  On checking the Devialet Air settings I could watch as it cycled through 'Not Available" to 'connected' every 3-4 seconds.  That cycling went on for ages, and would still be happening if I didn't switch off.  Pinging the Devialet with fixed address demonstrated the problem: I never once got 4 packets through, it always timed out with one or two packets sent/received and the remaining packets lost.  I should add I tried pretty much the same combinations above using Roon with and without Devialet AIR.

I have an old Raspberry Pi 3 and I set that up using Ropieee with USB over the exact same network (cables, switches, router etc.).  Everything worked straight out of the box, and has been solid for the past few hours.  I have a bunch of DSF files and they are playing away quite the thing as I type this.  Elsewhere on my network I have other equipment such as a Samsung HD TV an Oppo Blu Ray player and a printer, plus the usual plethora of wifi stuff.  They all see the network and work fine.  (I also have a networked HIKVison security camera system???)

I don't know what to make of this.  In my mind I believe the problem lies with my Expert Pro, but I really don't know enough about networking to feel confident I have tried everything I should have?  If I can play music from Roon over my wired network to a Raspberry Pi3 > USB setup, but the same wired setup won't allow me to do so to my Expert Pro does that point to a problem with my Expert Pro?

I want to use Roon Ready over ethernet, but I guess I would compromise if I had to.  However, now it is niggling me that I might have a hardware problem or such like with my Expert Pro.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Bob

[Pim]

Hi Bob,

Welcome to the forum.

There are many threads here about network issues and it seems like you have tried just about everything. One thing to know is that if you use Roon AIR, you need to delete Devialet AIR off your computer.

Also, try it without the SD card. You might find it will just work on it's standard configuration. If that's the case, maybe try a new SD card and a brand new configuration.

Cheers,

Pim

[petrik]

Please try unplugging your Devialet from the mains. Let it be *at least* 30 seconds without power. Then plug it back to mains. I have experienced similar troubles with the Ethernet connection if the Devialet was plugged in to mains too early.

I would also recommend removing the Devialet AIR software from your computer and using Roon's built-in AIR or RAAT instead.

[thumb5]

Does the switch port that your 220 Pro connects to have an LED to tell you whether the Ethernet link is up (independently of whether there's traffic on the port)? If so, can you see whether the link staying up steadily or cycling between up and down?

One other thing: do you have wi-fi enabled in your 220 configuration? If so, it might be worth disabling that. I understand that the wi-fi and Ethernet interfaces are in effect mutually exclusive so if the wi-fi was periodically linking to an access point it might knock out the Ethernet (speculating wildly) - best get that out of the equation in any case.

[mdconnelly]

Given the issues a number of us have seen with Roon RAAT, are you running your network at gigabit speed or fast ethernet (100 mbps)? If the problems are occuring on a gigabit network, try reseting it to run at 100 mbps. That has certainly resolved the issues I was having at gigabit speed.

I'd also strongly encourage you to open a ticket with Devialet about the problem.

[arjayh]

Hi Bob,

Welcome to the forum.

There are many threads here about network issues and it seems like you have tried just about everything. One thing to know is that if you use Roon AIR, you need to delete Devialet AIR off your computer.

Also, try it without the SD card. You might find it will just work on it's standard configuration. If that's the case, maybe try a new SD card and a brand new configuration.

Cheers,

Pim

Many thanks Pim,

I took on board your suggestions and also those from the others who replied.  I've had no success and I'm starting to fear an issue with the amplifier.  I've raised a ticket with Devialet, but also I'll take it to my dealer and see if they can diagnose the problem.  I've had a response from 'Kenshiro' at Devialet, but like all initial responses he's eliminating the obvious which hasn't yet moved me forward.

For your information, or in case anyone else has a similar problem, in addition to the things I tried above, I also tried the following:

• formatted an SD card (full format not a Quick Format) and installed new DOS and configuration files
  
• tried to connect with direct ethernet connection following this guide:  https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Direct-c...rnet-Cable
  
• Connected direct to my modem/router thereby avoiding the intermediate switch
  
• tried another switch which was more expensive compared with the barebones TP-Link one I'm using
  
• tried using ethernet over power (I have no idea why that would work but I'd tried pretty much everything else and thought why not)
  
• tried another PC using Roon Core (my laptop which is setup as a Roon control was temporarily setup as a core)
  
• along the way, I unplugged everything (speaker cables and all) left the machine for more than an hour and tried a 'fresh install'
  

and by this time I'm well past the stage of frustration with switching things on/off; pulling cables, etc.  so I've given up for now.

It works fine with USB and it probably sounds as good, but beyond how it sounds, the itch I have is because my amplifier may be faulty and I'm not happy with that.  I'll get the matter resolved in time.  If I find out what's behind it I'll update the post.

I bought the Devialet imagining it to be plug and play, which it nearly is, and I never imagined I'd be needing the support of a forum, but here I am.  I appreciate your thoughtfulness and that of the others who replied.

FYI, I use Tannoy DC10i's which are SAM speakers, and I also did a room measurement and use the EQ facility in Roon.  I've got a pretty flat response from 20Hz to 20kHz, not that I can hear 20kHz, but the bass is something to behold, and the Tannoys easily go down very low.  I don't know if I need SAM as well as room EQ, but when I measured my room it was with SAM applied.

[arjayh]

Does the switch port that your 220 Pro connects to have an LED to tell you whether the Ethernet link is up (independently of whether there's traffic on the port)?  If so, can you see whether the link staying up steadily or cycling between up and down?

One other thing: do you have wi-fi enabled in your 220 configuration?  If so, it might be worth disabling that.  I understand that the wi-fi and Ethernet interfaces are in effect mutually exclusive so if the wi-fi was periodically linking to an access point it might knock out the Ethernet (speculating wildly) - best get that out of the equation in any case.

Many thanks for your reply.  From what I can see the link is up, i.e. it is solid green, but it blinks intermittently (but in amongst all of the other checks I'm doing, I don't spend all my time looking at ethernet ports).  When I have Devialet AIR installed it tells me the status of the connection, and even if it shows a connection I still can't play music.  I also noticed that whenever I tried a fresh configuration (which has been quite a lot these past few days) I could see 'Roon Ready' in Roon which filled me with anticipation.  On switching the input to Roon Ready, Roon lost it, and I was back to Roon - ETH, or whatever it is.  I've got gremlins somewhere, I'm sure.  I'm mindful it could be me and the famous 'user error', but I'm inclined to think not, since I've gone away and come back fresh to the problem more than a few times.  Also I've had wi-fi enabled and disabled in my various permutations.
I'm a big David Bowie fan, so I've been listening quite a lot to the 'Welcome to the Blackout' live album on Tidal.  Despite my frustrations, and when I got USB going, I was able to enjoy that, so it hasn't been all bad.

[arjayh]

Please try unplugging your Devialet from the mains. Let it be *at least* 30 seconds without power. Then plug it back to mains. I have experienced similar troubles with the Ethernet connection if the Devialet was plugged in to mains too early.

I would also recommend removing the Devialet AIR software from your computer and using Roon's built-in AIR or RAAT instead.

Hi Petrik, 

Many thanks for your reply.  I usually get round to switching off and unplugging things somewhere around an hour into problem solving.  I tried that and left it completely disconnected from everything for a good long time (3-4 hours).  In effect, I did a fresh install.  No joy.  Also, Devialet AIR has been installed and uninstalled too.  If you look at my reply to PIM above, I think I've tried just about everything else too.  I've got USB, which isn't a disaster, but I'll get the thing fixed eventually.  I appreciate your concern and advice.  Very often the simple straightforward things do the job, but not this time.

Regards,

Bob

[Jean-Marie]

Does the switch port that your 220 Pro connects to have an LED to tell you whether the Ethernet link is up (independently of whether there's traffic on the port)?  If so, can you see whether the link staying up steadily or cycling between up and down?

One other thing: do you have wi-fi enabled in your 220 configuration?  If so, it might be worth disabling that.  I understand that the wi-fi and Ethernet interfaces are in effect mutually exclusive so if the wi-fi was periodically linking to an access point it might knock out the Ethernet (speculating wildly) - best get that out of the equation in any case.

Many thanks for your reply.  From what I can see the link is up, i.e. it is solid green, but it blinks intermittently (but in amongst all of the other checks I'm doing, I don't spend all my time looking at ethernet ports).  When I have Devialet AIR installed it tells me the status of the connection, and even if it shows a connection I still can't play music.  I also noticed that whenever I tried a fresh configuration (which has been quite a lot these past few days) I could see 'Roon Ready' in Roon which filled me with anticipation.  On switching the input to Roon Ready, Roon lost it, and I was back to Roon - ETH, or whatever it is.  I've got gremlins somewhere, I'm sure.  I'm mindful it could be me and the famous 'user error', but I'm inclined to think not, since I've gone away and come back fresh to the problem more than a few times.  Also I've had wi-fi enabled and disabled in my various permutations.
I'm a big David Bowie fan, so I've been listening quite a lot to the 'Welcome to the Blackout' live album on Tidal.  Despite my frustrations, and when I got USB going, I was able to enjoy that, so it hasn't been all bad.

Did you try to uninstall Air and leave it uninstalled as well as disabling Roon Air in Roon?

As far as I remember, when my Devialet became Roon ready, I could not make it work with both the Roon Air and Roon RAAT zones enabled at the same time. 

Jean-Marie

[Confused]

@arjayh - I cannot solve your problem, but I can make a suggestion. It might be useful if you experiment a little to see if you can identify where the problem is, a case of information gathering and eliminating potential issues.

For example, have you tried running your amp using the Devialet's AirPlay mode? If you have (or access to) an iPhone or iPad, you could try playing something from a 'phone. If this works, it at least indicates that you can play music over Ethernet and maybe indicates the issue is with your PC set up or similar. You can also use the Devialet remote app to play music, this will also indicate if your network is working as it should, or not.

Sometimes experimenting like this can lead to that "lightbulb" moment and discovery of the issue. It should be easy enough to try at least.