Contributor I

Line-In Latency/Delay Disable PLAY:5

Forum|Forum|10 years ago
May 7, 2016
193 replies
32092 views

Hey Sonos Engineers!

I know this has been touched upon. I previously submitted this request to support and they encouraged me to share here to keep the conversation going.

Is there any chance we could implement a soft switch for line-in audio to bypass the computer for "delay disable" functionality.

I understand and appreciate the reason for the delay.

However, I'm running turntables through a mixer and into the line-in of the PLAY:5. Can't teach my son to mix records with that delay, and since we're set-up in a communal space, my wife is not too keen on bringing out the old mix monitors. Can you dig it?

Can we figure out a way to manually disable the delay on an individual speaker basis?

Otherwise love the gear!

Thanks!

Here's quote from customer support. Hope it isn't too heavy handed or out of school to post:

"I'm not on the development team, but I personally think that it wouldn't be too hard to implement some kind of soft switch to bypass the computer altogether and pipe line-in audio directly to the amplifiers (something like a computer-controlled solid state IC relay network)."

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Show previous replies

ratty

I do not fully understand why line-in would require latency.

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

melvimbe

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.

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.

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’.

So why didn’t you return it?

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.

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

Danny

James L.

Retired Community Staff

Hey folks,

This is a 5-year-old topic that’s been discussed at length, and not just here. There’s plenty of information about the merits and demerits of line-in latency on Sonos products on previous pages with many users chiming in on their experiences. I’m going to close this topic for further responses as it feels like this thread has run its course.

Mark good posts by pressing the like button, and select the best answer on questions you've asked to help others find solutions.

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