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why I can’t disable sound delay on the Sonos Port line input?

Forum|Forum|2 years ago
March 5, 2024
42 replies
1395 views

Please tell me why I can’t disable sound delay on the Sonos Port line input? Minimal settings is 0.75 sec. Why you cant add a zero settings?
In some cases this is absolutely necessary. When I bought your product, I didn’t know that I couldn’t remove the sound delay.

Moderator edit: changed output to input

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pilot715Author

Trending Lyricist I

Thank you, I read everything carefully. But I don’t really understand your slightly irritated tone.
I would like to know why there is a delay. Is this done specifically at the software level or is it a hardware limitation related to analog-to-digital conversion.

The delay is to allow for buffering for multi-room streaming and sync. What is so hard about that (and where was it not explained, several times already, in those linked threads)?

As to software vs. hardware limitation, why does that matter? It’s a necessary function of a core capability of Sonos (and other) multi-room streamers. Knowing if it is software based or hardware based is just so you can argue that a software based buffer means Sonos should compromise that core functionality for your anecdotal case, something they are not going to do (and haven’t done in the going on 20 years that people have been asking for it).

I understood that you are very irritable.
but I never heard an answer to the question.
Why can't Sonos just turn off the delay by adding another point equal to 0 seconds?
Sonos can even set it to 0.75 seconds by default, but it seemed to me that 0 seconds should be present in the settings.

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pilot715Author

Trending Lyricist I

Bluesound also will have a delay?
Wait, maybe I don’t fully understand the reason for the delay?
It seemed to me Sonos for some reason did this on purpose and did not want to made a settings equal to 0 seconds.
To be clear, we're talking about the delay of analog audio that is sent to line input of Sonos Port and passed through output.

Good Lord, what is it that you do not understand?????? The analog line-in source is real time. In order to stream that source to multiple rooms in perfect sync, that real-time source must be buffered, so any transmission problems; dropped packets, interference, sync adjustments, can be corrected and processed before the buffer runs out and a dropout occurs. This goes for every real-time source streamed to any multi-room synchronized streamer, including Bluesound.

I'm talking about delays on line input.
I have an additional device connected to the Sonos port via an analog input and the sound from it comes with a noticeable delay.

jgatie

I understood that you are very irritable.
but I never heard an answer to the question.
Why can't Sonos just turn off the delay by adding another point equal to 0 seconds?
Sonos can even set it to 0.75 seconds by default, but it seemed to me that 0 seconds should be present in the settings.

Because once the analog source enters the Port Line-In, it is digitized in order to stream/sync it to other rooms. And if you switch the buffer to 0 seconds, any errors in the stream; dropped packets, WiFi interference, synching cues, network errors, bandwidth problems, etc. cannot be corrected before they are supposed to be played, and the stream will cease streaming until those corrections are made. This is why any digital processing which can be affected by network anomalies (and that is all of them) is buffered.

jgatie

I'm talking about delays on line input.
I have an additional device connected to the Sonos port via an analog input and the sound from it comes with a noticeable delay.

It’s been explained, many, many times, specifically for your analog line-in source. If you can’t understand it by now, I would honestly just give up and realize it is a fact that cannot be eliminated.

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pilot715Author

Trending Lyricist I

I understood that you are very irritable.
but I never heard an answer to the question.
Why can't Sonos just turn off the delay by adding another point equal to 0 seconds?
Sonos can even set it to 0.75 seconds by default, but it seemed to me that 0 seconds should be present in the settings.

Because if you switch the buffer to 0 seconds, any errors in the stream; dropped packets, WiFi interference, synching cues, network errors, bandwidth problems, etc. cannot be corrected before they are supposed to be played, and the stream will cease streaming until those corrections are made. This is why any digital processing which can be affected by network anomalies (and that is all of them) is buffered.

I don’t argue with this, it’s obvious, but I don't really understand why analogue passthrough without delays cannot be implemented on such devices, since they have a line input.

jgatie

I don’t argue with this, it’s obvious, but I don't really understand why analogue passthrough without delays cannot be implemented on such devices, since they have a line input.

Because there is no analog passthrough. Everything is digital, including the Port volume control, so there’s no way of bypassing it. Also, as stated, if you simply want an analog passthrough to your speakers, why bother using a multi-room streamer to accomplish this? Use an analog speaker, there are thousands of them on the market.

melvimbe

Maybe I'm wrong and there will be a similar delay on all devices, which means I will need to reconsider my installation scheme.
The fact is that in the pool I have a smart speaker with a voice assistant, but at the same time it must transmit sound to the ceiling speakers. Therefore, the second speaker combined into a group is located in a rack and is connected to the sonos via the linear input, which is connected to the parasound amplifiers. But when I listen to music through a smart speaker, the sound from the ceiling speakers is delayed and it is very noticeable. I can’t completely turn off the sound of the smart speaker in the pool because through it I listen to answers to voice commands and questions. (synchronization of voice responses with the second speaker in the group is not provided)
And the systems should also provide the ability to stream from a smartphone via airplay, which is why I install Sonos.

In a word, everything is complicated and confusing.
I'm not sure that anyone could even understand what I wrote in my poor English.

Which voice assistant are you using? Amazon Alexa? If so, then you won’t be able to get them to play in sync as they are not designed for that. You can have Alexa setup via Alexa groups to always play music on a Sonos speaker(s) rather than it’s own speaker. That would effectively completely turn off music on the smart speaker with voice assistant, assuming it’s an echo, but still allow Alexa to speak through the echo.

I believe something similar exists for Google Assistant, but I have used GA in quite some time.

edit:

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/control-sonos-with-amazon-alexa

https://support.sonos.com/en-us/article/control-sonos-with-the-google-assistant

Danny

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nik9669a

Senior Virtuoso

I think I shall draw a line here and not contribute further.

An installer, on these community forums for well over 10 years, doesn’t understand the technology he’s installing and can’t understand what lots of us are telling him.

Either he should get training from Sonos, or take up his issues direct with them.

We on these forums are mere users, not Sonos staff. I think we’ve reached the limit of what we can say; already we’re repeating ourselves.

I’ll probably continue to read this thread, for its entertainment value. But I shall contribute no more. Have fun, folks!

jgatie

I agree with @nik9669a. I’ll only add that the reasons for my irritated replies are twofold:

It has been asked and answered dozens, if not hundreds of times before. The fact yet another poster comes on here and thinks they can outthink or out-argue the previous dozens to hundreds of posts that well and truly answered the question before is frustrating at best, and annoying at worst.
The bargaining that ultimately happens in these threads defies all logic and physics. “Why not just make it zero passthrough for one device”. Well then, why buy a multi-room device that only streams to one room? “Well, it should do both” So what happens when the user want to switch from standalone to multi-room on the fly for the same stream? “Uhh, just make it work! I need it!!” <*bangs head*>