Spotify Connect sound randomly cuts out

[samtaha]

Device:
Yamaha CD-N301 with latest firmware 1.04 (Spotify Connect enabled)
Operating System Version:
iOS 10.3.2
Spotify Version:
 8.4.3.884 (iOS) - Premium membership.
Description:
 
When playing music using Spotify Connect (either using the Spotify app or the Yamaha NP Controller app), sound randomly cuts out for anywhere between 1/2 second to 3 seconds during playback, with frequency of this happening from a few seconds apart to a minute or two.  I have a solid 48 Mbps broadband internet connection HARDWIRED to the Yamaha network player.
To reproduce:

Open Spotify app
Play any song
Wait for sound to cut out any minute and it always happens in every song at least a few times.
Workaround:
Using AirPlay instead of Spotify Connect eliminates this issue.
 
Additional information:
Maybe related or unrelated, but Spotify Connect is also very slow to respond to commands such as Next, Stop, Play, Previous, etc... I usually have to wait 5-10 seconds after pressing a button (e.g. Next Song) before the next song actually plays. Using the network player's (CD-N301) remote to control playback is faster.  AirPlay is much more responsive but I find sound quality inferior to Spotify Connect.  99% of my music sources comes from Spotify and I specifically bought this network player for it's Spotify Connect feature! Very disappointed so far.
 

[Hubo]

Hey @samtaha! Welcome to the Spotify Community!

That's not cool! Alright, could you try a quick reinstall with these steps? That might help here. Let me know how you get on! 🙂

Have a great day!

[samtaha]

Hi Huib, I've already tried the following with no luck:

• Re-installed IoS Spotify app and restarted my device.
• Changed DNS in my network player to 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 (default is DHCP and 192.168.1.1)
• Re-initialized the network player to factory settings

Additional Info:

In addition to cutouts, casting to Spotify Connect using IoS, the Yamaha App or the Spotify Desktop app all cause very laggy response: 5-10 seconds between button press and reaction (e.g. playing next song), plus the cutouts. 

[Hubo]

Hey @samtaha! Welcome to the Spotify Community!

Hmm, thanks for trying! Alright, could you try to use your Spotify Connect speaker with a different account (e.g. from a friend, family member)? Let me know how you get on! 🙂

Have a great day!

[samtaha]

Hi Huib, I tried a friend's premium account and the sound was still cutting out 😞

[Hubo]

Hey @samtaha!

Alright, thanks for trying! Could you try to restart your modem/router? Let me know how it goes. Also, make sure you've no settings turned on for AP isolation or anything like that. 🙂

Have a great day!

[samtaha]

Hey Huib, rebooted modem and router, still no good. The fact that the player is so unresponsive makes me suspect some kind of buffering problem. For example, if I hit pause, music stops 7-8 seconds later.

Additional info: playing Spotify on my desktop is flawless. It's only when I cast to the Yamaha I get issues.

[Maria_B]

Thanks for the info @samtaha.

Could you check if the same thing happens on other devices using Spotify Connect with the Yamaha? 

Keep us posted.

[samtaha]

Hi @Maria_B, I have the same issue if I cast from my desktop, iPhone or iPad (using Spotify apps).

Using the yamaha's physical remote is much more responsive (almost immediate) but the sound cutting out remains.  Not sure if these are two separate issues or related.

[Maria_B]

Thanks for checking @samtaha!

Could you verify if the same thing happens using Connect with a different device? e.g. between your phone and the desktop. Also, can you try with a different connection?

Keep us in the loop. 

[samtaha]

Hi @Maria_B,

I tried using Connect between my phone and my desktop and vice versa, and it worked perfectly.  Instant response and no cutouts.  By contrast, casting to my Yamaha takes up to 10 seconds to respond to my command (e.g. next song, pause, etc) with occasional cut outs.  It's really unusable.  I suspect responsiveness and cut outs are related to the same underlying issue.

By different connection I assume you mean taking my player to someone else's home / network.  Will try that as soon as I can.  In the mean time let me know if you have any other ideas!

Thanks for your help!