If you're experiencing audio delay issues, read this

So now I'm reading that the new consoles won't have an optical out port. This somewhat scuppers me as my current setup is my devices connected to an optical splitter and then to the beam. Going through Arc adds a delay so that's not really an option for me. I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to AV stuff, does anyone have any suggestions? 

Incredible to me that 3 YEARS LATER this is still an issue. What’s the deal, Sonos?!

My situation… I have an LG 55C7P OLED TV. I have three peripheral devices connected to it via the C7’s HDMI inputs -- a DirecTV box, 4K AppleTV and a 4K Blu-Ray player. 

My Sonos Arc Soundbar (along with Sonos Subwoofer and two Sonos Ones as rears) is connected using the HDMI-ARC port on my TV. I continue to have major audio sync issues with all three peripheral devices when they’re playing content with Dolby Digital or Dolby Atmos audio. There are no sync issues when I use the LG TV’s internal apps. The only way I can get rid of the sync issues is by switching the peripheral devices to PCM, but that, of course, defeats the purpose of having this INCREDIBLY EXPENSIVE SOUND SYSTEM I BOUGHT THAT DOESN’T WORK WITH A TOP LINE TV!

I may try the HD Fury Arcana, although they tell me I need to also purchase one of their 4K HDMI switchers, which isn’t an ideal solution because, 1) it means I can’t adjust the video for each device since they’ll all be going into the same input on the TV, and 2) between the Arcana and the HDMI switcher we’re talking another $600!!!

So, two questions for SONOS, or for anyone here who might be able to help me solve this.

1. Is Sonos planning on FINALLY, at long last, providing some sort of firmware update to the Sonos Arc soundbar (and their other soundbars) to fix this audio sync issue? I’m assuming the answer is no, but hey, I’d love to be wrong.
2. Short of that, I’m considering upgrading my TV to a 65”. What TV’s, preferably an OLED type, work best with the Sonos sound system. I.E., they have ZERO audio sync issues? Can Sonos provide a LIST of TV’s that work best with the Arc Soundbar? Or, how about a list of TV’s that DON’T work with the Arc Soundbar? That feels like a reasonable request. (A Sonos rep I spoke to told me, on the sly, that the new Samsungs do not have issues. But then I read about all kinds of Samsungs that do. Has that changed?)

Thanks so much in advance for any help and thoughts on what I should do next. -- Ian

I’m actually curious if Sonos can actually do anything about this at all. If the sync is being added because the tv is processing the audio by decoding and re-encoding it, I’m not sure how they could fix that.

I have a TCL s403 which is a Roku tv. Just a couple of weeks ago it got the roku 9.4 update, which adds the option to pass through the audio without processing it. This fixed the sync issues I had there so I assume this will be the same on any TCL tv that can get that 9.4 update (which should be everything that is from 2017 and up, if not a little older).

I can tell you what does have audio sync issues and that is the Sony x750h that I just took back to Best Buy. It does not have an option to not process the audio and seems like even when outputting to PCM through optical (from the back of the Tv) it had sound delay when I was using my Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, both the new consoles no longer have optical ports so it’s pretty imperative to get something that works through the HDMI-ARC, so at this rate I kind of want to upgrade to a 6 series TCL. Unfortunately it’s a little bit more than I was hoping to spend (was hoping to get a deal during black November or whatever the sales are called now).

Does anyone know if the Vizio m-series has this issue? I see some good deals for a 65 and the hdr brightness seems ok. The instruction manual shows audio options of setting to output bitstream so I don’t know if that means it will process it and add the lag.

I hear you. Thanks for the response. Nice to know I’m not screaming into the void. To your point, this is why Sonos should make it clear which TV makes/models work with their soundbars. OR, work with the TV manufacturers to solve this problem already. Because it’s making them all look bad and leaving a lot of their best customers - people who want a high quality audio solution - super frustrated and feeling ripped off.

Hello there!

So i had Xbox One X with Samsung TU8500 and Sonos Beam: same audio delay issue we’re discussing here.
But today i bought Xbox Series X and that’s bad but the problem is identical and Series X doesn’t have an optical output

Any updates/news/taken actions, Sonos?

It might be easy just to switch to other vendor and get rid of Beam, but i wouldn't do that if fix arrives

Hi there,

Same problem for me with a OLED 55GX from LG and Sonos Beam+Sub+2play:3. All outputs set up in HDMI Dolby Digital 5.1. With gaming it becomes a bit difficult to play when you have half a sec delay on door opening sounds and etc…

Problem does not happen on streaming services, I did not notice a major issue with lip synch. The Air play works well via the TV or directly to the Sonos environment. (then I loose the 5.1). 

Solution for me was to put a headset on the PS4 controller.

All set up is up to date.

Any news from LG?

Regards,

Eric

Joining the thread with my Xbox Series X, Sonos Arc + Sub Gen 3 + LG 65 CX.

Suffering from audio sync delays occasionally, since I’m new to this setup, I still can’t describe exactly when it occurs.

LG NanoCell 85, Xbox Series X, Sonos Beam.

Sync issues using built in apps, external apps, and Series X. Have tried all the settings and recommendations (HDMI Arc, Optical out, tried all settings on both TV and Series X).

Seems like this has been an issue for multiple years so will likely never be resolved, kind of a joke that this product is even on sale. Wish I had done more research before purchasing, but luckily I can return it with no issue.

Were there any recent official Sonos replies to this issue?

We are in the Official Sonos community page, aren’t we? 

I have lip sync issues using a 2016 Panasoni Viera TV with 5.1 audio from an external source. Interestingly, when I output sound via the TV speakers and lower my Sonos Beam volume, the audio delay is still present. Also, when I use built-in TV apps with 5.1, and output audio over Sonos Beam, there is no delay.

In summary, it is an issue with the TV and nothing to do with the Sonos.

There is so much discussion on this topic that I’ve covered and I’ve come to the conclusion that there are two solutions.

1. Use a TV that supports 5.1 pass through over ARC/Optical with no delay (best).
2. Use a HDMI splitter with audio extractor (workaround).

I’m going for option 2 in the short term, option 1 longer term.

There is an interesting post above whereby a user describes how a recent Roku TV update has fixed the issue, I may look to TVs supporting that.