Line-In Latency/Delay Disable PLAY:5

Another vote here for the zero latency line-in when playing to local speaker feature. Bought myself a DJ controller and you’d think the £500+ Amp you got for the living room would be able to handle playing it without a delay huh?

Standard disclaimer: I know the delay is there for a reason for all the regular out of the box users and 95% of use cases. All we’re asking for is an advanced option squirrelled away in the settings area where only the most determined will find it to cut out the delay. After all Sonos is for music lovers right… and who loves music more than a DJ?

I think Sonos should just add a disclaimer to their marketing pages that says “Sonos do not recommend use for live music sources such as DJ or karaoke, or with projectors that lack eARC” which would save us all a lot of time here on the forums reading through enormous threads like this that will never change anything.

”Warning: Crunchy, raw, unboned real dead frog”

I too had purchased Sonos products with the specific intent of playing records and making music assuming it would be in real time or at least in a way that would not obstruct performance.

After discovering the latency I realized that going forward I couldn’t scratch, mix records or make beats.

While we may not be a large enough contingent to approve a feature implementation it should be noted that there are multiple threads regarding this issue and many of us are professional DJs, producers and audiophiles who are simply looking to monitor music the old fashioned way (I for one am willing to have a dedicated, hard-lined input if necessary) forgoing the internet and it’s networks to do so.

We will still use the Sonos system to stream the ever growing sources of online services, it would be ideal if the controller software also allowed for certain products to be a standalone amp or powered speaker if offered as an option.

In my opinion, this latency is a design flaw. I assume it is a defect unless responded to by a Sonos help team. I would like to add that the logic behind Sonos’ decision here is not clear to us.

What might be beneficial is to raise it, collectively, as a bug or ticket. 

I will be calling their helpdesk frequently, as this design flaw has rendered my setup almost useless. For those so inclined, the number Call Us at (800) 680-2345

I realize complaining in a forum is both deeply satisfying (heck, I’m doing it right now!) and builds a sense of community. I think both are super valid and this is a great place to share progress. I will be reporting back with any updates. 

And yes, I am not expecting much to happen. But at the very least a response from Sonos on policy could be some progress.
Just thinking maybe if we do act together through their helpdesk channel, it possibly could make a difference...
 

I suggest you read the thread. The design principles have been gone over multiple times. 

Sonos is a multi-room wireless networked audio system. This requires a modicum of buffering to sync reliably, hence the delay.

So buy something more appropriate to your needs…

Personally, I have no strong feelings about it, and certainly don’t object to it being made available, but criticising Sonos for not doing something that they never, ever said that it  could do is unreasonable.

‘Design flaw’?  Bug?  It is absolutely key to the design of the Sonos system.  I imagine you only have Sonos in one room?  If you are going to be calling the helpdesk frequently about this, prepare yourself for repeated disappointment.

Yep! Totally correct Ratty, thanks! The design flaw is in the communications design. That is, none of us here knew that this ‘feature’ would disable needed functionality at purchase. That means it is a design flaw since it is not clearly stated, and a design flaw in that it is unnecessary for standalone speaker setups with line in being used. 

As I see it, Sonos needs to own this ‘feature’ and state it clearly, or fix it for a substantial number of users. In that sense, it is a design issue. At the very least, it needs to design its communications to serve its users. 

I never would have purchased my sonos 5  (nor perhaps would many on this thread, I assume) had I known of this design ‘feature’. 

I have checked the product FAQ here, and nowhere does it state Aux line in has latency. Confusingly, it does state it for TV. https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/five.html

What Sonos could do is simply change their FAQ. Or perhaps fix the issue. Sorry if the above was confusing. 

 

Also, John B, 

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and Ratty. 

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I see that I am dealing with some serious Sonos fans. Sorry to wade into that, I’ll certainly learn to keep my opinions to myself, leave it to the authorities here. thanks y’all. 

The latency applies to all Sonos sources, not specifically the line-in.  And it doesn’t matter for listening to music, on one speaker or 20.  It only matters when it is noticeable because referenced to something it was never designed for - like to sync with a TV picture, or as a musical instrument speaker.

If all you are doing with your Play:5 is listening to music, the latency ia completely irrelevant.

I followed your link, and opened the FAQ section. It says:

The line-in isn't designed for use with a TV and will result in some latency or lip sync issues while the audio is converted from analog to digital.

@n-ron .  I am entirely happy for you to express your opinion.  Allow me to express my opinion that you understand nothing about the Sonos system.  Just out of curiosity, what use do you want to make of the speaker which is impacted by the latency?

Ah we are on familiar territory here.  DFTT.

@ ratty 
Thanks for that, yep, as I mentioned, TV is not line in specific in the FAQ. 

This is what is written for Line in:
Will Five connect to my turntable?
Yes, you can connect your turntable to Five using the line-in port and an auxiliary cable.
https://www.sonos.com/en-us/shop/five.html

This is the issue for DJs, live performers and others. I understand that Sonos has TV specific products with 30ms latency. The use cases on this thread are often performer specific, where latency is an issue. All, including myself, understand this is likely an edge case for most sonos users. Still, would be nice to communicate in the above 

@john. You are totally right! I don’t understand! As a note, I am a working professional sound designer who has 20+ years experience. I have built DACs, speakers, and sound systems for professional environments. I have had Sonos as my client multiple times, and have worked with their teams over the years in various capacities.
But it is true! I do not fully understand why line-in would require latency. So to your point, thanks for clarifying. Maybe you have some insights? I would assume that with your enthusiasm that you may at least have contacts there? Maybe you can ask them directly?

I’d like to understand more, so that’s why I am calling. Seems like a pretty good idea to ask, but again, it seems that my curiosity has somehow sparked some feelings, so @john, I’ll be sure to add the caveat that I know nothing about Sonos when I report back. 

thanks!

I really do suggest you read the thread from the top.

You’re changing your argument.  No where in your previous post did you imply that the issue was with communicating product features.  And referring to communication as a ‘design’ is just trying to bridge the gap from your old argument to the new.

While I understand that people want to know everything that a product does or does not do before purchase, it’s not exactly fair to expect a company to provide a list of everything that their product doesn’t do.  Even if they did provide such an extensive list, people would still complain that the company should have done a better job of dispelling their assumption.

There also the fact that communication is marketing, which should be about putting your product in a positive light, rather than highlighting everything the product can’t do.  I personally would be turned off by an extensive list of things a product can’t do, even if it wasn’t a feature I don’t need.  I end up playing the ‘what if’ game, when reality is that I really don’t care about latency issues in 99% of my uses...like 99% of other customers (not real statistics here).

If you spend any amount of time on here, you will see that people make assumption about what Sonos, as well as other AV equipment, can and cannot do, often highly inaccurate.  The good news is that we live in an age where you can easily do some research and ask questions through the internet before making a purchase rather than relying on assumptions or what’s printed on the box. 

And absolutely, make suggestions on product improvements.  There is a big difference between wanted a new feature and demanding it and claiming it’s a design flaw with nothing to back your assertion.

So why didn’t you return it?

Just for reference here are some other common incorrect assumptions that are made:

• Sonos can play in sync with Amazon, Google, or any other smart speaker products
• Because Sonos has WiFi, and so is your PC, Sonos can play any audio on your PC
• You can pair different speaker models to form a stereo pair (example - Sonos Five and Sonos One)
• You can use a Soundbar as a center channel and add speaker to the front left and right.
• You can do 7.1 or 9.1 home theatre audio
• Sonos can play any home theatre codec
• When you connect  2 pairs of speakers to the Amp and they will play 4 different audio channels.
• All Sonos speakers have bluetooth, because bluetooth = wireless
• Other speaker makers support their products forever.
• Sonos voice assistant (Alexa and Google) has all the features of echo and minis
• The Sonos app plays the audio and sends it your speakers.
• The hardware on old Sonos speakers is irrelevant, because all the processing can be done on your phone or other speaker.
• Sonos decides what features are available for streaming services in the Sonos app, not the streaming service provider.
• Surround sound is the same audio coming from the front and the rear.
• HDMI and HDMI ARC/eARC are the same thing.
• You can stereo pair Move and Roam over bluetooth