Hey @ianburton
Time synchronization is crucial for services like Spotify, Tidal, multiroom audio, and bit-perfect playback (just to mention few) because:
- Multiroom Sync: Devices need accurate clocks to stay in sync and avoid audio drift when playing simultaneously across multiple rooms.
- Streaming Services (Spotify, Tidal, etc.): Authentication tokens and DRM often require accurate timestamps to function correctly.
- Bit-Perfect Playback: High-resolution audio playback can be affected if timestamps drift, leading to jitter or potential playback issues.
Additionally, Raspberry Pi lacks a real-time clock (RTC) and relies on a basic crystal oscillator, which is prone to time drift. Without periodic NTP updates, the system clock can skew significantly, impacting time-sensitive applications. And this alone forces VolumioOS to counteract and keep the time tidy.
That said, 20-second intervals seem excessive—normally, NTP should adjust over time and reduce polling frequency. If excessive lookups persist, it might be worth adjusting NTP settings (minpoll/maxpoll in /etc/ntp.conf) to reduce frequency.
Alternative Solution: Add an RTC Module
To avoid dependency on internet time sync, you can install a hardware RTC module like DS3231 or PCF8523 and configure it.
Hope that helps.
Kind Regards,