Khadas Tone Board - Song Skipping Issue

[Skorrn_]

Plan

Premium

Country

United States

Device

Desktop PC

Operating System

Windows 10 Pro

My Question or Issue

I have been facing a frustrating issue ever since I started using Spotify. When I use my default sound device "Khadas Tone Control" (Khadas Tone Board), Spotify will rapidly skip every single song. The only way I can get it to work is to select a different playback device first (my Bose desktop speakers), clicking play, and then reselecting my Khadas Tone Board.

Spotify Settings (Windows 10 Application):

Streaming quality = Very High

Normalize volume = True

Volume level = Normal

Show Local Files = False

Autoplay = True

Crossfade songs = False

Allow smooth transitions between songs in a playlist = True

Enable hardware acceleration = True

Khadas Tone Board sound properties:

Khadas Tone Control - Windows Driver (June 20, 2019 - latest driver)

Default Format = 32 bit, 384000 Hz

Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device = True

Give exclusive mode applications priority = True

Spatial Sound = Off

Connected to Desktop via USB-C and connected to JDS LABS ATOM AMP via RCA

Bose desktop speakers sound properties:

Bose USB Audio - Windows Driver (July 17, 2020 - latest driver)

No Enhancements enabled

Default Format = 16 bit, 48000 Hz

Allow applications to take exclusive control of this device = True

Give exclusive mode applications priority = True

Spatial Sound = Off

Connected to Desktop via USB 2.0

What I have tried so far:

1. Reinstalling Spotify - Failed
2. Reinstalling Khadas Tone Board driver - Failed
3. Restarting PC - Failed
4. Disconnecting/Reconnecting Khadas Tone Board - Failed
5. Running Spotify as Administrator - Failed
6. Changing Spotify settings (restarting Spotify each time):
     - Disabling hardware acceleration - Failed
     - Changing Streaming quality (Automatic/Low) - Failed
     - Disabling Normalize volume - Failed
     - Disabling Autoplay - Failed
7. Changing Khadas Tone Board sound properties/Default Format (16/32 bit - 48k, 41k, 192k, etc) - All Failed
8. Choosing a different Playback device entirely - Literally the only thing that works (most times)
     - Selecting Bose speakers in the playback device menu
     - Clicking the "Play" button in Spotify
          - Sometimes this doesn't work and keeps skipping, so I usually have to close/reopen Spotify first before clicking "Play" again
     - Clicking the "Pause" button after seeing the bar move a few seconds forward on the song (not skipping)
     - Selecting "Khadas Tone Control" in the playback device menu
     - Clicking the "Play" button again in Spotify - Success

This is an immensely annoying ritual that I go through every time I start up Spotify. There is no way that I am the only person dealing with this issue.

Does anyone have any idea of what is going on/what I should do next?

[Elena]

Hi @Skorrn_, 

Welcome to the Community! Thanks for reaching out about this and letting us know all the steps that you've tried. We'll do our best to help you sort this out.

Would you mind letting us know if this is only happening when Spotify is playing? Can you replicate this issue with any other programs or system sounds? 

Also, could you try using the web player to see if the songs keep on skipping?

Lastly, we'd recommend taking a look at this post. There, you'll find some troubleshooting steps that are worth trying.

Let us know how it goes. We'll be on the lookout for your reply.

[Skorrn_]

Hello, and thank you!

This specific issue only applies to the Spotify Windows Application. I am able to utilize VLC without issue along with every other application on my computer (notifications/Firefox/Chrome/video games/etc). For instance, I am able to open up a fresh Chrome, navigate to the THX deep note (https://www.thx.com/deepnote/), and the sound play instantly through my DAC/AMP without issue.

This issue does not apply to the Spotify Web Player when I used it through Firefox.

The only testing the entire post did differently was the odd workaround for changing the dedicated output sound device for specific applications. This failed in all 3 instances that I attempted:

1. Changing Spotify's output device to the Khadas Tone Board and clicking play - Failed

2. Changing Spotify's output device back to Default (system settings) and clicking play - Failed

3. Changing Spotify's output device to the Khadas Tone Board, closing Spotify, reopening Spotify, and clicking play - Failed

Otherwise, I already attempted what the posters were suggesting (reinstalling/hardware acceleration settings/running as admin/etc).

Based on all testing results, I 100% believe this is an issue with the application itself.

[Katerina]

Hi again @Skorrn_, 

Thanks for keeping us in the loop.

Just to confirm, have you downloaded the app from the Windows Store? If so, we'd recommend uninstalling and then trying to download it instead from here.

In case you downloaded it directly from our web page, would you mind trying the Windows Store version to see if it makes any difference?

Keep us posted! We'll be right here.

[Skorrn_]

Hello, Katerina!

I did not download it from the Microsoft Store. I specifically downloaded it from the Spotify website.

I downloaded the Microsoft Store version of Spotify and ran into the same issue as before.

[Skorrn_]

I'm on Spotify version 1.1.47.684.g136419d9

[Sebasty · Accepted solution]

Hey @Skorrn_ 

I noticed your Khadas supports 384k kHz.

Spotify doesn't work with anything above 192kHz, so I'd suggest keeping it at that and restarting Spotify after you've done toggling the settings.

If it still doesn't work though, then I'd suggest disabling the onboard audio ( in Device Manager) to see if this does anything. I didn't find anything about Khadas' drivers though, but try to ensure everything you need is installed ok. : )

Let me know how you get on!

[Skorrn_ · Accepted solution]

Hey @Sebasty
Wow - What a simple yet completely annoying "fix". For anyone finding this thread later on - changing to 32 bit 192kHz and reopening Spotify "fixed" the issue for me.

I actually ran across a thread where you responded here talking about how 384kHz has been broken since at least 2017. It absolutely blows me away that Spotify folks decided to label that 2017 thread as "not an issue" with a recommendation of not using anything above 192kHz - how is that a fix? How is it that literally every other application can work fine even by sending a lower sample rate, yet Spotify can't figure out a different way to just send a lower quality rate? This is beyond annoying.

I really don't want to have to adjust my settings every time I want to listen using my headphones. I guess it's time to cancel my Spotify subscription and try to find something more reliable.

Thanks for your help. I'll mark yours as the solution.