Apple GarageBand Latency, Would Amp Solve?

SONOS is not designed to be used as “studio speakers”. If your computer offers an HDMI-ARC output, this connection path to AMP will reduce, but not eliminate the latency.

Oh, understood @buzz. Thanks for your time and input!

Just have a sunk cost in the Sub-mini / One SL pair at my desk, where I’m futzing with GarageBand and trying to bend Sonos to the studio production use case. Wasn’t anticipating moving into GarageBand when I got the Submini and One SL pair.

I got the Sonos Amp and with the RCA Mac/Out - Amp/in I was able to eliminate the delay in S2. Haven’t tried HDMI yet (Mac Studio has the port), as I was thinking the analogue signal path would give me the best shot.

One thing I don’t understand is that in the “Music Production” Sonos Room (Amp, Submiini and pair One SLs) S2 only adds the One SLs as “surrounds” leaving the EQ L/R balance not working. Why isn’t S2 adding them as a stereo pair, as that is how I have the Sonos Amp settings, set up.

In my previous Sonos Room “Desk” (One SL pair and Submini), they were added as a stereo pair in S2 and the L/R balance worked as did Trueplay. Evidently, Trueplay is not supported in this Sonos Amp configuration.

I’m psyched that this works, as I can keep my form factor at my desk and not have to get into a wired set up (even if it did cost $1,400-ish, lol). 

Now, I’m wondering if there is a less expensive way than sticking a $700 box (Sonos Amp) between my Mac and the Sonos speakers?

I think the difference is that AirPlay 2 doesn’t allow for adjusting delay, whereas, the Sonos Streaming protocol does, in S2.

I’m able to group the “Music Production” Room with another Sonos Room in Roon Labs, too - both using Sonos Streaming and not AirPlay 2.

Totally psyched!

The SONOS latency is an issue only when you are attempting to synchronize live with recorded, HDMI with analog, or online. An additional 75ms latency to a decades old recording is not significant.

A SONOS “Room” is a single speaker, pair, or surround components. A SUB can be part of a Room. If speakers are “Bonded” as a  surround system, they become part of the surround Room and cannot be separately addressed. Room names must be unique.

Latency through the HDMI-ARC is 30ms to surround speakers and 75ms to Grouped speakers. Minimum analog input latency is 75ms.

I’m not much of an Airplay user, but I can imagine that there is some latency.

If speakers are “Bonded” as a  surround system, they become part of the surround Room and cannot be separately addressed. Room names must be unique.

@buzz - thanks again for all the input!

How do I get S2 to add the One SL pair as stereo speakers and not surrounds as detailed in the “Desk” room above; and not in the manner S2 adds them in the “Music Production” room detailed above? This seems automated and I don’t think I have a choice. It’s how S2 is adding them in the Room with the Sonos Amp.

Thanks!

If the ONE SL’s are Bonded as surrounds, outside of the surround room context they cannot be individually addressed.

First, remove the ONE SL’s from the surround room. Now, you can set them up as a stereo pair and give them a unique Room name. The initial Room name might not be to your liking, but you can change this to another unique name.

This new Room can be Grouped with other rooms and audio in the Group will be time aligned, unless Grouped with the surround Room. The surround system Room latency will be 30ms, but the Grouped Rooms will be at 75ms. You can adjust the audio delay in the surround room to somewhat compensate for this -- at the expense of lip sync,

Ok, got it on the One SLs. How do I remove the Amp from it’s room to start all over? 

Ultimately I want to end up with a Room comprised of (don’t care what it is called):

• Sonos Amp
• One SL pair (stereo not surrounds)
• Sub mini

Thanks @buzz!

Also, would the older and much less expensive (used unit) CONNECT amp do the same thing as the current Sonos Amp - for my use case? - inputting the Mac computer audio via RCA and streaming to two Sonos Rooms comprised of the below components?

• Room 1: Arc, Sub3, One SL pair
• Room 2: Sonos Amp or CONNECT: Amp, One SL pair, sub mini

I realize I’d probably lose the HDMI signal path with the legacy amp.

Thanks!

Unless the ONE SL’s are part of a surround Room, this cannot be done. You’ll have four Rooms. These Rooms can then be Grouped in any combination.

A very old CONNECT:AMP is not S2 compatible.

Got it on legacy Amp; thanks!

this cannot be done

Let’s just focus on Room 2:

• Sonos Amp, One SL pair and Sub mini
  • This will always be put together, by S2, with the One SL pair as surrounds, then?

Thanks again for your time/expertise on all of the @buzz 

It’s your choice. The ONE SL’s are not automatically configured as surrounds.