diff --git a/spa/plugins/support/loop.c b/spa/plugins/support/loop.c
index ca2ecba5e..457895a3d 100644
--- a/spa/plugins/support/loop.c
+++ b/spa/plugins/support/loop.c
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@ SPA_LOG_TOPIC_DEFINE_STATIC(log_topic, "spa.loop");
 #define ITEM_ALIGN	8
 #define DATAS_SIZE	(4096*8)
 #define MAX_EP		32
-#define DEFAULT_RETRY	(1 * SPA_USEC_PER_SEC)
 
 /** \cond */
 
@@ -66,7 +65,6 @@ struct impl {
 	struct spa_list destroy_list;
 	struct spa_list queue_list;
 	struct spa_hook_list hooks_list;
-	int retry_timeout;
 
 	int poll_fd;
 	pthread_t thread;
@@ -86,6 +84,11 @@ struct queue {
 	struct impl *impl;
 	struct spa_list link;
 
+#define QUEUE_FLAG_NONE		(0)
+#define QUEUE_FLAG_ACK_FD	(1<<0)
+	uint32_t flags;
+	struct queue *overflow;
+
 	int ack_fd;
 	struct spa_ratelimit rate_limit;
 
@@ -172,6 +175,52 @@ static int loop_remove_source(void *object, struct spa_source *source)
 	return res;
 }
 
+static struct queue *loop_create_queue(void *object, uint32_t flags)
+{
+	struct impl *impl = object;
+	struct queue *queue;
+	int res;
+
+	queue = calloc(1, sizeof(struct queue));
+	if (queue == NULL)
+		return NULL;
+
+	queue->impl = impl;
+	queue->flags = flags;
+
+	queue->rate_limit.interval = 2 * SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
+	queue->rate_limit.burst = 1;
+
+	queue->buffer_data = SPA_PTR_ALIGN(queue->buffer_mem, MAX_ALIGN, uint8_t);
+	spa_ringbuffer_init(&queue->buffer);
+
+	if (flags & QUEUE_FLAG_ACK_FD) {
+		if ((res = spa_system_eventfd_create(impl->system,
+				SPA_FD_EVENT_SEMAPHORE | SPA_FD_CLOEXEC)) < 0) {
+			spa_log_error(impl->log, "%p: can't create ack event: %s",
+					impl, spa_strerror(res));
+			goto error;
+		}
+		queue->ack_fd = res;
+	} else {
+		queue->ack_fd = -1;
+	}
+
+	pthread_mutex_lock(&impl->queue_lock);
+	spa_list_append(&impl->queue_list, &queue->link);
+	pthread_mutex_unlock(&impl->queue_lock);
+
+	spa_log_info(impl->log, "%p created queue %p", impl, queue);
+
+	return queue;
+
+error:
+	free(queue);
+	errno = -res;
+	return NULL;
+}
+
+
 static inline int32_t item_compare(struct invoke_item *a, struct invoke_item *b)
 {
 	return (int32_t)(a->count - b->count);
@@ -185,7 +234,7 @@ static void flush_all_queues(struct impl *impl)
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&impl->queue_lock);
 	flush_count = ++impl->flush_count;
 	while (true) {
-		struct queue *cqueue, *queue;
+		struct queue *cqueue, *queue = NULL;
 		struct invoke_item *citem, *item = NULL;
 		uint32_t cindex, index;
 		spa_invoke_func_t func;
@@ -228,7 +277,7 @@ static void flush_all_queues(struct impl *impl)
 		block = item->block;
 		spa_ringbuffer_read_update(&queue->buffer, index);
 
-		if (block) {
+		if (block && queue->ack_fd != -1) {
 			if ((res = spa_system_eventfd_write(impl->system, queue->ack_fd, 1)) < 0)
 				spa_log_warn(impl->log, "%p: failed to write event fd:%d: %s",
 						queue, queue->ack_fd, spa_strerror(res));
@@ -313,7 +362,7 @@ retry:
 	} else {
 		loop_signal_event(impl, impl->wakeup);
 
-		if (block) {
+		if (block && queue->ack_fd != -1) {
 			uint64_t count = 1;
 
 			if ((res = spa_system_eventfd_read(impl->system, queue->ack_fd, &count)) < 0)
@@ -332,15 +381,18 @@ retry:
 	return res;
 
 xrun:
-	nsec = get_time_ns(impl->system);
-	if ((suppressed = spa_ratelimit_test(&queue->rate_limit, nsec)) >= 0) {
-		spa_log_warn(impl->log, "%p: queue full %d, need %zd (%d suppressed)",
-				queue, avail, need, suppressed);
+	if (queue->overflow == NULL) {
+		nsec = get_time_ns(impl->system);
+		if ((suppressed = spa_ratelimit_test(&queue->rate_limit, nsec)) >= 0) {
+			spa_log_warn(impl->log, "%p: queue full %d, need %zd (%d suppressed)",
+					queue, avail, need, suppressed);
+		}
+		queue->overflow = loop_create_queue(impl, QUEUE_FLAG_NONE);
+		if (queue->overflow == NULL)
+			return -errno;
+		queue->overflow->ack_fd = queue->ack_fd;
 	}
-	loop_signal_event(impl, impl->wakeup);
-	if (impl->retry_timeout == 0)
-		return -EPIPE;
-	usleep(impl->retry_timeout);
+	queue = queue->overflow;
 	goto retry;
 }
 
@@ -359,50 +411,11 @@ static void loop_queue_destroy(void *data)
 	spa_list_remove(&queue->link);
 	pthread_mutex_unlock(&impl->queue_lock);
 
-	spa_system_close(impl->system, queue->ack_fd);
+	if (queue->flags & QUEUE_FLAG_ACK_FD)
+		spa_system_close(impl->system, queue->ack_fd);
 	free(queue);
 }
 
-static struct queue *loop_create_queue(void *object, uint32_t flags)
-{
-	struct impl *impl = object;
-	struct queue *queue;
-	int res;
-
-	queue = calloc(1, sizeof(struct queue));
-	if (queue == NULL)
-		return NULL;
-
-	queue->impl = impl;
-
-	queue->rate_limit.interval = 2 * SPA_NSEC_PER_SEC;
-	queue->rate_limit.burst = 1;
-
-	queue->buffer_data = SPA_PTR_ALIGN(queue->buffer_mem, MAX_ALIGN, uint8_t);
-	spa_ringbuffer_init(&queue->buffer);
-
-	if ((res = spa_system_eventfd_create(impl->system,
-			SPA_FD_EVENT_SEMAPHORE | SPA_FD_CLOEXEC)) < 0) {
-		spa_log_error(impl->log, "%p: can't create ack event: %s",
-				impl, spa_strerror(res));
-		goto error;
-	}
-	queue->ack_fd = res;
-
-	pthread_mutex_lock(&impl->queue_lock);
-	spa_list_append(&impl->queue_list, &queue->link);
-	pthread_mutex_unlock(&impl->queue_lock);
-
-	spa_log_info(impl->log, "%p created queue %p", impl, queue);
-
-	return queue;
-
-error:
-	free(queue);
-	errno = -res;
-	return NULL;
-}
-
 static int loop_invoke(void *object, spa_invoke_func_t func, uint32_t seq,
 		const void *data, size_t size, bool block, void *user_data)
 {
@@ -410,7 +423,7 @@ static int loop_invoke(void *object, spa_invoke_func_t func, uint32_t seq,
 	struct queue *local_queue = tss_get(impl->queue_tss_id);
 
 	if (local_queue == NULL) {
-		local_queue = loop_create_queue(impl, 0);
+		local_queue = loop_create_queue(impl, QUEUE_FLAG_ACK_FD);
 		if (local_queue == NULL)
 			return -errno;
 		tss_set(impl->queue_tss_id, local_queue);
@@ -1116,13 +1129,10 @@ impl_init(const struct spa_handle_factory *factory,
 			SPA_VERSION_LOOP_UTILS,
 			&impl_loop_utils, impl);
 
-	impl->retry_timeout = DEFAULT_RETRY;
 	if (info) {
 		if ((str = spa_dict_lookup(info, "loop.cancel")) != NULL &&
 		    spa_atob(str))
 			impl->control.iface.cb.funcs = &impl_loop_control_cancel;
-		if ((str = spa_dict_lookup(info, "loop.retry-timeout")) != NULL)
-			impl->retry_timeout = atoi(str);
 	}
 
 	CHECK(pthread_mutexattr_init(&attr), error_exit);
diff --git a/src/pipewire/keys.h b/src/pipewire/keys.h
index 9ee5de433..2a2ed6035 100644
--- a/src/pipewire/keys.h
+++ b/src/pipewire/keys.h
@@ -74,9 +74,6 @@ extern "C" {
 #define PW_KEY_LOOP_CLASS		"loop.class"		/**< the classes this loop handles, array of strings */
 #define PW_KEY_LOOP_RT_PRIO		"loop.rt-prio"		/**< realtime priority of the loop */
 #define PW_KEY_LOOP_CANCEL		"loop.cancel"		/**< if the loop can be canceled */
-#define PW_KEY_LOOP_RETRY_TIMEOUT	"loop.retry-timeout"	/**< when the loop invoke queue is full, the timeout
-								  *  in microseconds before retrying.
-								  *  default = 1 second, 0 = disable */
 
 /* context */
 #define PW_KEY_CONTEXT_PROFILE_MODULES	"context.profile.modules"	/**< a context profile for modules, deprecated */
@@ -368,9 +365,11 @@ extern "C" {
 # ifdef PW_ENABLE_DEPRECATED
 #  define PW_KEY_PRIORITY_MASTER	"priority.master"	/**< deprecated, use priority.driver */
 #  define PW_KEY_NODE_TARGET		"node.target"		/**< deprecated since 0.3.64, use target.object. */
+#  define PW_KEY_LOOP_RETRY_TIMEOUT	"loop.retry-timeout"	/**< deprecated since 1.3.0 */
 # else
 #  define PW_KEY_PRIORITY_MASTER	PW_DEPRECATED("priority.master")
 #  define PW_KEY_NODE_TARGET		PW_DEPRECATED("node.target")
+#  define PW_KEY_LOOP_RETRY_TIMEOUT	PW_DEPRECATED("loop.retry-timeout")
 # endif /* PW_ENABLE_DEPRECATED */
 #endif /* PW_REMOVE_DEPRECATED */