If you're experiencing audio delay issues, read this


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I've been living with lip sync issues (audio behind the video) since I got my Playbar about a year ago but I finally decided to do something about it. After multiple conversations with Sonos support and the LG's support people (they kept blaming each other for the audio delay), I decided to email Sonos' CEO about the issue.

After a few hours, I got a reply back from him, CCing a team manager who was going to look into the issue. We scheduled a call and he had me send various diagnostics to him. He said that the engineering team was going to investigate and get back to me.

A week later, I got an update. He told that they are still working on the issue. He also said that only one other person had reported the same issue (I assume that means that only one other person with an LG TV). So, if you're having audio delay issues and you've tried all other troubleshooting, reach out to Sonos support and have them look into it. If it helps you might mention my reference number, which has already been escalated:

Keep in mind that my setup is pretty straight forward (LG C6 OLED TV connected directly to the Playbar via Optical, audio playing from the built-in apps) and every single thing LG and Sonos suggested, including going into the TV's service menu and changing things there.

I know there are multiple post on the topic so hopefully we can solve at least some of the issues causing audio delay.


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I had the same severe sound delay/ lip sync issues. No firmware and no settings fixed it. Just had an LG engineer out who replaced the whole motherboard. All my picture settings were gone but also no more sound delays issues when passing through DD 5.1! Not with my Sonos Beam via arc or other devices via optical and PS4 pro!!

Appears LG has an up to date motherboard and I suggest to contact customer services who were quite good in arranging a swift replacement.

Please don’t bother with firmware etc if you have issues as it will most likely be the motherboard. I purchased my C7 55 in October 2017 if someone needs it.


Azurik777 when you contacted LG Support did you tell them the audio delay issues were present when external devices like Sonos Beam were connected? When I contacted LG Support they told me to take up the issue w, Sonos. Thanks.
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I explained that all my external sound sources (hdmi arc/ optical) including Sonos devices would have severe audio delay when DD 5.1 is passing through the tv to the devices. You have to mention all the buzz words I guess like AV adjustment not working, bypass not working, firmware fully up to date etc. Or just tell them you are aware that motherboards are being switched as a result of the fault and you want that to happen with yours too. Clearly no firmware update will fix this and it’s a hardware fault. The newer c7s might have the up to date board installed hence some people do not suffer with the delay.
Hi there,
I was wondering if anyone had seen this issue with Panasonic devices ? I have tried a lot of the steps dscribed in this thread and the only thing that’s made a difference has been the hdmi/optical splitter - Panasonic are coming to swop the mother board in the next week but Based on this thread suspect that won’t fix the issue
Hi everyone,

I'm having some audio sync issues with my current setup and am looking for any advice you may have to resolve them.

My current setup:
LG OLED C8 65" TV
Sonos Playbase + Sub + 2 Sonos Ones
Apple TV 4K

When playing Netflix, Hulu, and HBO GO content through Apple TV, sometimes I notice audio sync issues ranging from slight to fairly severe audio delays. The issues seem to be content-specific. When I use the LG built-in Netflix and Hulu apps, there are no audio sync issues. Unfortunately, there is no LG HBO GO app, so I am not able to test that content.

Switching to PCM audio when using the Apple TV resolves the sync issues. The LG Audio Sync feature has no impact on the sync issues (since the audio is delayed and not ahead of the video source).

I have read a few comments about a splitter of some kind. Would someone be able to provide me with a little more detail on that and if it would resolve my issues? I'd really like to continue using the Apple TV if I can.

If others have any additional advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.
You can find optical/HDMI splitters of many types on Amazon, just requires a search. And certainly, that would remove the TV from potential issue list. But before I would go that far (since I would consider it a pain to have yet another box that I need to have a remote for to change inputs), I'd suggest looking at the audio settings for the TV set. Make sure that all of the settings are basically turned off. Anything that changes the audio output would add delay. I'm not particularly familiar with the C8, although I'd admit to admiring it, but it's worth double checking that anything in the settings that changes the sound in any way would be a potential issue. And frankly, it's also worth touching base with LG, to see if they have something, like a new beta version of the firmware, etc, that alters the current setup. This issue seems to crop up frequently with both Samsung and LG, and one of the two actually is replacing boards in their TVs due to this issue, although I don't remember which one. I've got a Vizio that's a couple of years old that has zero issue with this kind of thing, but then I've turned off all extra sound processing as well.

I'm 95% confident it's the TV that's causing this issue. Purchasing a splitter might prove that point, albeit as I recall they're somewhere in the $100 area and up. And honestly, I could be wrong....but if so, I'd expect a lot more complaints from other people who purchased TVs from other manufacturers, and I just don't see that at this point. Mostly from LG and Samsung. That might be a reflection of how popular those TVs are, which is why I went with my 95% comment, but still.....
You can find optical/HDMI splitters of many types on Amazon, just requires a search. And certainly, that would remove the TV from potential issue list. But before I would go that far (since I would consider it a pain to have yet another box that I need to have a remote for to change inputs), I'd suggest looking at the audio settings for the TV set. Make sure that all of the settings are basically turned off. Anything that changes the audio output would add delay. I'm not particularly familiar with the C8, although I'd admit to admiring it, but it's worth double checking that anything in the settings that changes the sound in any way would be a potential issue. And frankly, it's also worth touching base with LG, to see if they have something, like a new beta version of the firmware, etc, that alters the current setup. This issue seems to crop up frequently with both Samsung and LG, and one of the two actually is replacing boards in their TVs due to this issue, although I don't remember which one. I've got a Vizio that's a couple of years old that has zero issue with this kind of thing, but then I've turned off all extra sound processing as well.

I'm 95% confident it's the TV that's causing this issue. Purchasing a splitter might prove that point, albeit as I recall they're somewhere in the $100 area and up. And honestly, I could be wrong....but if so, I'd expect a lot more complaints from other people who purchased TVs from other manufacturers, and I just don't see that at this point. Mostly from LG and Samsung. That might be a reflection of how popular those TVs are, which is why I went with my 95% comment, but still.....


Thank you. I checked through my LG TV's settings, and there are no settings that are turned on when the Optical mode is selected for connection to my Sonos. I spoke with LG and Sonos last night. LG suggested connecting my Apple TV to the Sonos Playbase and then connecting the Playbase to my TV - but I don't think that's possible with the connections that are available on Apple TV and the Playbase. They also mentioned something about an MHL converter, but I don't know much about these.

Sonos created a case number for me and mentioned that this is an issue they've been reviewing. They told me the only fix at this point is to switch to PCM - but there is a very noticeable degradation in the audio quality when I do this. Fairly frustrating that this is an issue with devices that are supposedly of such high quality. I think I will have to live with using the built-in LG apps for most content. Unfortunately, LG does not have an HBO GO app, so PCM audio looks to be the only way to resolve the issues with that content.

I brought up the idea of an audio splitter, but Sonos seemed to believe that would drastically reduce the quality of the audio. Any sense if that's really true? Appreciate this community's help.
Interesting.

I'm not terribly familiar with the LG, most of what I know has been gleaned from folks posting here.

While their suggestion to connect the Apple TV directly is a good one, you're right in that there's no simple way to do that. That's where the splitter comes in, though 🙂

I've never heard of an MHL converter, either. A quick look on Amazon suggests it's a device to swap from micro-USB to HDMI, so I'm not sure how that applies here.

What you're looking for is something like this:

https://www.flexson.com/by-sonos-product/sonos-playbase/flexson-3-input-hdmi-switch-audio-converter-for-sonos-playbar

I'm a fan of Flexson, every piece of kit I've purchased from them has been solidly built, although I've not purchased any of their electronic gear. The simple fact is that there are a multitude of similar devices available, pick one that matches your needs.

The audio splitter device should not have any impact on the quality of the audio. It's digital. There's only the potential of lag that you'd be dealing with, in all other respects a zero is a zero, a one is a one. And I've read hundreds of posts in this forum from people who have said that it resolved their issues. I can only assume that the rep that you spoke with was misinformed.
Interesting.

I'm not terribly familiar with the LG, most of what I know has been gleaned from folks posting here.

While their suggestion to connect the Apple TV directly is a good one, you're right in that there's no simple way to do that. That's where the splitter comes in, though 🙂

I've never heard of an MHL converter, either. A quick look on Amazon suggests it's a device to swap from micro-USB to HDMI, so I'm not sure how that applies here.

What you're looking for is something like this:

https://www.flexson.com/by-sonos-product/sonos-playbase/flexson-3-input-hdmi-switch-audio-converter-for-sonos-playbar

I'm a fan of Flexson, every piece of kit I've purchased from them has been solidly built, although I've not purchased any of their electronic gear. The simple fact is that there are a multitude of similar devices available, pick one that matches your needs.

The audio splitter device should not have any impact on the quality of the audio. It's digital. There's only the potential of lag that you'd be dealing with, in all other respects a zero is a zero, a one is a one. And I've read hundreds of posts in this forum from people who have said that it resolved their issues. I can only assume that the rep that you spoke with was misinformed.


Bruce - thanks for all your help and suggestions so far. I looked back in this thread and saw that some folks recommended "forcing" Dolby 5.1 on the Apple TV as a solution to the lip sync issue.

Doing this has resolved my problem for most of the content I watch. I noticed a slight delay in the audio on an episode of Black Mirror on Netflix, but even that is much improved.

Thanks everyone!
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After purchasing Sonos Playbar and some Sonos One's this summer I have experienced the same lipsync issue with LG OLED 65'' B7V. Connecting the Playbar to Xbox One X optical out and chromecast to the Xbox HDMI input solved the sound issue, however, it introduced the no 4K from Chromecast and completely renders webos useless issue. After beeing in contact with LG now for around 3-4 weeks without getting closer to any solution than when I first reached out to them I have now contacted the sales channel for the TV in paralell to my contact with LG and asked for a resolution on guarantee. I want the issue resolved or exhange the TV to one that works correctly with Dolby Digital 5.1 over toslink. My cheap-o Sony office tv works like a charm with the soundbar and has no issues with DD 5.1 over toslink. It's strange how such a good tv can exist with non-functioning dd 5.1. Current status of this issue is completely unacceptable to me. I could just as well have kept my very old FullHD Panasonic plasma for the same experience with great black levels.
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Having lived with the issue since I bought a Sony XE9005 in January (now an XF9005, swapped by Sony) I can report that the recent Sony firmware update (Sept 18) does appear to solve this if you connect via optical out from the TV to the Playbar.

Previously, if I switched Audio Sync ON, it synced the sound but produced a brightness flash on camera changes, but the update has solved this (although it's not directly addressed in the list of issues from Sony).

For the first time in 9 months I have been able to remove the optical switch I've been using to get my Sky Q box audio and video to sync up.
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I had the same severe sound delay/ lip sync issues. No firmware and no settings fixed it. Just had an LG engineer out who replaced the whole motherboard. All my picture settings were gone but also no more sound delays issues when passing through DD 5.1! Not with my Sonos Beam via arc or other devices via optical and PS4 pro!!

Appears LG has an up to date motherboard and I suggest to contact customer services who were quite good in arranging a swift replacement.

Please don’t bother with firmware etc if you have issues as it will most likely be the motherboard. I purchased my C7 55 in October 2017 if someone needs it.


I had the motherboard now changed for over a week. In that time I tried other devices I previously had delays with: Sonos bars, Xbox one x, PS4 pro, Astro mixamp etc. No more delays over optical or hdmi arc.

I can only repeat myself. If you experience delays with your LG tv it’s most likely the motherboard and you have to be persistent with the LG customers team for a replacement. It took the engineer 10 mins to swap it and all problems are solved. Please don’t waste your time with settings and splitters etc.
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LGOLED65C8PUA owner here with PlayBar and an ATT Uverse.

I can confirm that the lip sync delay is still there. The only way the lip sync delay is not there is if i use the built in smart apps or if I directly connect the optical cable to the the source(ps4,uverse box, etc.)

I have called Sonos and they kind of hinted to me its an LG Problem but they wouldn't come out and say it. Kind of gave me the typical run around..maybe its your HDMI cable, maybe its your optical cable, basically low level technical advice.

I have called LG and was supposed to get a call today from LG VIP OLED Tech Team, as you can imagine I never got the phone call...

This is not going to get fixed guys from LG or Sonos!!


Bottom line: If you want this to work you are going to have to buy aftermarket equipment to split the connection.


I'll keep this updated if anything changes after the call with LG.
I just posted my review on amazon and gave the beam 1 star due to this issue. I also bought aftermarket equipment to get this resolved since i got this on a good deal: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRT9VGL/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This fixes the lag issue but then it completely breaks Netflix and Amazon Prime Videos which use DD+ for their high end videos. Everyone watches Netflix these days but guess what Sonos doesn’t support DD+ cuz they have awful Codec support and since you’re now bypassing the TV it wont convert the DD+ to DD and u get no sound or u have to go into the settings every single time u play something and manually change it to stereo. Also, if u move to an hdmi splitter u regain audio sync but then u lose CEC and Alexa capabilities.

Yes, i recognize this is an LG issue but the Beam was built as an accessory to the TV and not vice versa so they do get a lot of the responsibility. If you buy a bluetooth speaker and it only works with Android phones and not iphones you don't get mad at Apple. It's the accessory maker that gets most the fault. One is designed to support the other and if it doesn't it's a failure.

It would also be nice if Sonos actually put together a list of incompatible TV's. They keep saying theyre aware of the issue on "some Samsung, Sony, LG TV's." Which ones? People should know this before purchasing.

Side note: I really wanted to like this product cuz i went to UCSB and Sonos is a Santa Barbara company but i think they pushed this out right before the IPO to try to boost sales as a business strategy to inflate their stock price.
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is this issue only with playbar? i only have the problemwit amazon prime.
Been following this thread for quite some time. Here's my current setup:

LG OLED B7A
Sonos 5.1 setup (2x play1's, soundbar, sub)
ATT U-verse DVR Box

I've been experiencing the lip sync delay for about a year now. Fighting with LG over the phone for quite a while. They finally sent over a tech who replaced the main board, and I made him confirm that it was a new, 2018 model. New board installed and it did NOTHING to help the problem. Still seeing significant lip-sync delays when audio output is set to surround/5.1 on the cable box.

While the tech was here, he called into LG engineering and the guy on the phone told him it was a cable box issue. I refuted this, because prior to signing up with ATT I had FIOS and experienced the exact same issue. LG claims this is a Sonos issue. The same problem persists: If the audio output from the cable box is on Stereo, everything is in sync. Once I change the output to surround/5.1, I notice a significant delay. The problem is, if the output is in Stereo, I don't experience the "full" 5.1 surround, which sucks. If I change it to 5.1, sounds great, but way out of sync.

I'll keep following this thread to see if anyone discovers a fix for this. What I can confirm is that changing out the main board did nothing for me, but it seems to have worked for Azurik777. I may call ATT and request a new DVR box, but I'm hesitant to do so because I don't want to lose all the stuff I have on my DVR. I'm hoping either Sonos or LG can (finally) come up with a fix for this.
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It's not only a LG problem. I have a Philips 55POS9002 (OLED) TV. When using Netflix through the Apple TV everything is in sync. But when I'm using mine cablebox from Telenet (Belgium) there is sometime a lip sync issue. it really depends on what kind of audio signal is transmitting. When I change the audio settings on the TV from multichannel (bypass) to stereo. Everything is fine again.

When so many different TV's are having this problem from different brands then I think the fault is on the Sonos.
I don't understand that. From my perspective, if the Sonos is working fine in one configuration, then it should be fine in all. So if it's fine in Netflix, from the Sonos perspective there's no change from their side on using your Telenet box. The data comes through the TV. If there's an added delay, it's occurring before the signal gets to the Sonos, not after. Unless in some fashion you're changing the setting on the Sonos using your controller when you switch from Netflix to Telenet?

For all practical purposes, the Sonos is a "dumb" unit. It takes the data presented to it, does a minimum of decoding, and spits it out. It can't tell the difference between the Dolby Digital on Netflix versus the Dolby Digital from Telenet. There has to be something upstream of the Sonos device that's causing the issue. I don't know about your Philips, but several folks with LG models have gotten hardware replaced that has fixed the path of the data that goes through the TV and eliminated the issue. Some LG folks have gotten new firmware / software updates that has rectified the problem. Those two data points lead me to believe that the fault isn't on Sonos, but instead somewhere else. It could be your TV, it could be the Telenet box. And I'd think it would be fairly easy to test where the problem is, assuming there's an optical output on your Telenet box. Just connect the PLAYBAR to that, and see if there's still a lipsync problem. If there is, then I'd bet the problem is with the Telenet box (since the Apple TV is playing fine), but if the lipsync issue goes away, then it is the path through the TV set that is the problem. and you might want to contact Philips to see if there is a software update that you could apply, or if they're aware of an issue.

Frankly, I'd also try a different port to connect the Telenet box to your TV, on the offhand chance there's an issue with one of the HDMI ports, but that's not terribly likely.

At the end of the day, if it were indeed a Sonos issue, we'd see posts from every single TV manufacturer here, on a daily basis. We don't. It's normally Samsung, LG, and now your report on a Philips. And each one of those who have purchased an HDMI splitter with an optical output have reported that the problem goes away, which certainly leads me to believe the issue remains with the TV set's processing of the Digital Optical output.

Sorry to be so argumentative. This certainly isn't your fault. I just don't happen to share your opinion that this is a Sonos issue.
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So if it's fine in Netflix, from the Sonos perspective there's no change from their side on using your Telenet box.

I have the same issue with the YouTube app on Netflix. I know the youTube app on the ATV does only support at the moment stereo. But I'm having different results when using YouTube on mine Smart TV which does support different audio signals (surround,...)

Like I said before it really depends on the audio signal which Sonos is getting. When reading different forums you will find that many people are having lip sync issues.
Understood. It's my contention that the delay is being introduced inside the TV, which runs the different sound types (stereo versus Dolby Digital 5.1) through different paths inside the hardware.
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Having lived with the issue since I bought a Sony XE9005 in January (now an XF9005, swapped by Sony) I can report that the recent Sony firmware update (Sept 18) does appear to solve this if you connect via optical out from the TV to the Playbar.

Previously, if I switched Audio Sync ON, it synced the sound but produced a brightness flash on camera changes, but the update has solved this (although it's not directly addressed in the list of issues from Sony).

For the first time in 9 months, I have been able to remove the optical switch I've been using to get my Sky Q box audio and video to sync up.


Update - a week or so in, Sony HAVEN'T fixed this completely and there are still some brightness issues on camera changes, but they are greatly reduced from how they used to be when Sync was ON. Debating with myself whether or not to go back to my optical switch and wait to see if Sony do better in another firmware update.
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As an update to my post: The motherboard was replaced on my B7V, however, it did not solve the issue with lipsync 😕 maximum of -5 was closest though still not in sync. I will now wait for feedback from LG on next steps.
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I have an LG B7A and experience audio delay with my Xbox one x, I've pretty much given up.. Thankfully my ATV 4k doesn't suffer from it. I wonder if LG would be able to offer more of a delay then -5 ? If they did it would probably fix the problem for a lot of us.
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As an update to my post. I finally got a hold of an LG Service technician and he came out to my house. He played with the remote for about 2 hours trying to fix it to no avail. Finally he recommend that we replace the mainboard. I declined the service because the TV is brand new and I am fairly certain this will not fix the problem as others have not had success.

If you own an OLEDC8 there was a firmware update(4.10.06) release a couple of days ago.This update is being pushed to a lot of OLED TVs but there is nothing in the change log about fixing an audio lip synch delay. Have not yet tested to see if this is fixed with the latest update but I HIGHLY doubt it is not.

The only SONOS solution to fix this problem is to switch to PCM. Who wants to listen to PCM on a surround sound system ? No one!

As stated before the only true solution to fix this problem is to buy and optical splitter. While not ideal, it does work flawlessy now with the splitter and you are getting 5.1 straight from the source.

My advice is if you have multiple sources connected to the playbar/beam, just buy the splitter. Do not call LG or SONOS about the problem. You will only waste your time on an hour long hold time for low level techs giving politicians answers.
ITS BEEN A YEAR AND ITS STILL NOT FIXED, let that sink into your head before you pick up the phone to call.

Another bone to pick with SONOS staff..I have actually called several times and spoken to several different "technicians" and have been told misinformation/lies. The information below is what i was told by different "technicians"

1. You must have cheap cables, try replacing your cables.
2. We have never heard of this problem before
3. Yes we are "working" with LG to get this resolved as quickly as possible
4. Just turn it to PCM there is really no difference between that and 5.1

Seems to me like there is a disconnect at SONOS. Please train your "technicians" to all be on the same page. We know there is an issue, but your technicians seems to think otherwise.

Previous post below....
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LGOLED65C8PUA owner here with PlayBar and an ATT Uverse.

I can confirm that the lip sync delay is still there. The only way the lip sync delay is not there is if i use the built in smart apps or if I directly connect the optical cable to the the source(ps4,uverse box, etc.)

I have called Sonos and they kind of hinted to me its an LG Problem but they wouldn't come out and say it. Kind of gave me the typical run around..maybe its your HDMI cable, maybe its your optical cable, basically low level technical advice.

I have called LG and was supposed to get a call today from LG VIP OLED Tech Team, as you can imagine I never got the phone call...

This is not going to get fixed guys from LG or Sonos!!


Bottom line: If you want this to work you are going to have to buy aftermarket equipment to split the connection.


I'll keep this updated if anything changes after the call with LG.
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As an update to my post: The motherboard was replaced on my B7V, however, it did not solve the issue with lipsync 😕 maximum of -5 was closest though still not in sync. I will now wait for feedback from LG on next steps.

Another update. I was told I will have another mainboard replacement next week after five calls to LG since the first replacement (four this week!). I'm sad to say my patience with LGs customer support is worn thin at this point due to lack of following up as promised (and the unresolved issue). I can understand that they aren't magicians, but calling a customer back as promised does not require witchcraft, only a phone. Hope they can cook up a mainboard that resolves the issue so I can focus on enjoying content instead of this s....


I had the motherboard now changed for over a week. In that time I tried other devices I previously had delays with: Sonos bars, Xbox one x, PS4 pro, Astro mixamp etc. No more delays over optical or hdmi arc.

I can only repeat myself. If you experience delays with your LG tv it’s most likely the motherboard and you have to be persistent with the LG customers team for a replacement. It took the engineer 10 mins to swap it and all problems are solved. Please don’t waste your time with settings and splitters etc.

Thank you so much for your advice! My problems are solved too with the new motherboard!