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 have an LGOLEDC9 - upgraded from a TCL screen - and the sound sync makes it feel like amateur hour. It’s a real shame that Sonos and LG can’t figure out a fix here and it’s really unfair that users like us have to team up to figure out which TVs work with this system. Now I’m stuck with a $2500 TV and a $1600 sound system that don’t work together. Getting that TV back in the box? No thanks. Giving up on Sonos? Nearly…

Sonos - read this thread, stop pretending to fix it with 5 increments in sound delay on the app. Figure it out. Be real engineers with a product you can really stand behind. #Upyourgame2020

Same situation here, LG C9 and Sonos Beam connected via HDMI, experiencing audio delay when using my PS4 outputting bitstream.  Changing the output to Linear PCM resolves the audio delay but is stereo only and sounds rubbish compared to bitstream.  I’ve emailed a complaint to LG but not holding out much hope for a resolution. 

It’s astonishing how many posts there are on the internet detailing the same problem going back to at least 2017.  People are spending extra money on what appears to be very inelegant solutions to something that could surely be resolved, if only these companies would take some collective responsibility and work together in the interests of their customers.

While I agree with your irritation, this isn’t something that Sonos can be involved in. As has been repeatedly shown by people who “spend extra money”, as you’ve accurately put it, the Sonos works properly. The issue is in the ability for LG (and Samsung) to not delay the signal as it goes through the TV.

I replaced a TV recently, and looked at both LG and Samsung as potentials. I ended up with another Vizio, because I was confident it could pass through a Dolby Digital signal without delaying it. And I was correct, my Sonos continues to work perfectly, as it had on my previous Vizio. 

I have an LG OLED55B8SLC and a sonos beam with 2 x sonos one SL, and I'm experiencing exactly the same audio lag whenever I switch to dolby 5.1. I've partially resolved this issue from my ps4 by outputting optical, connected directly to the beam using the supplied hdmi/optical adapter and it works well. The only problem is that I have to physically change the hdmi cable that is attached to the beam whenever I'm wanting to use something other than the ps4.

Some people seem to claim that they have resolved this entire problem using some kind of splitter... Is someone able to elaborate on this and suggest one that would work? 

 

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You need an optical/toslink switch.  There are many on amazon to choose from with varying numbers of inputs. They all do the same job.

You can also use a hdmi switch that has an optical extractor on it so that all your hdmi inputs go to it but the hdmi output of the switch only sends video, the audio being extracted/converted to an optical output on the switch that goes to your beam. 

You need an optical/toslink switch.  There are many on amazon to choose from with varying numbers of inputs. They all do the same job.

You can also use a hdmi switch that has an optical extractor on it so that all your hdmi inputs go to it but the hdmi output of the switch only sends video, the audio being extracted/converted to an optical output on the switch that goes to your beam. 

Thanks Andy. So would something like this do the job? And if so, would it still allow me to control everything from a single remote? The only connected hdmi device I use is the ps4, but I run Netflix directly via the TV (for the best quality). 

https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07YD2CLMY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_mbBlEb7N4CG0N

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That takes no optical inputs so your hdmi connection from your ps4 would need to connect to it and then optical split from the switch to the beam via an optical cable and the supplied sonos converter cable.  However, as you are using the inbuilt apps on your TV you need to get the audio out from there as well to beam which is where this solution might break.  The switch says arc compatible but I suspect that might only be on the output hdmi of the switch and not the inputs. 

If it were me to be safe I would get a optical/toslink switch without the hdmi, that way you can take optical audio feeds from ps4 and TV to the optical inputs of the switch then to a single optical output going to beam.

As for switch control, that depends on the switch. Most come with remotes which you could consolidate with a harmony device. 

That takes no optical inputs so your hdmi connection from your ps4 would need to connect to it and then optical split from the switch to the beam via an optical cable and the supplied sonos converter cable.  However, as you are using the inbuilt apps on your TV you need to get the audio out from there as well to beam which is where this solution might break.  The switch says arc compatible but I suspect that might only be on the output hdmi of the switch and not the inputs. 

If it were me to be safe I would get a optical/toslink switch without the hdmi, that way you can take optical audio feeds from ps4 and TV to the optical inputs of the switch then to a single optical output going to beam.

As for switch control, that depends on the switch. Most come with remotes which you could consolidate with a harmony device. 

Hi again. I eventually ordered this :

eSynic Spdif Toslink Switcher 3 X 1 Digital Optical Audio Switch with IR Remote Control Support LPCM2.0 PCM2.0 DTS Dolby-AC3 Dolby Digital DTS 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07B8NMPBN/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_0CenEb0W66VTV

 

... Which does the job fine, and all lip sync problems are gone! It's a bit of a faff to have to manually switch between inputs, but I can deal with it. What I'm now struggling with is the fact that I can no longer control the volume of the system without using the Sonos app (which my wife is obviously not thrilled about!). Is there anything that can be done about this? Should I have got an optical switch with hdmi out to the beam instead? 

You should still be able to set up the Beam to respond to the IR from your remote. Just go into the room settings for the Beam, and reprogram the Beam to ‘see’ the remote there. 

You should still be able to set up the Beam to respond to the IR from your remote. Just go into the room settings for the Beam, and reprogram the Beam to ‘see’ the remote there. 

Thanks, but I tried this and it didn't work (despite going into the TV settings and turning on "LG sound sync"). 

 

Any chance that LG remote is using something other than InfraRed to send signals to the TV? The Sonos can only ‘see’ IR, so you often have to tell your remote to use IR. See some additional data here

Any chance that LG remote is using something other than InfraRed to send signals to the TV? The Sonos can only ‘see’ IR, so you often have to tell your remote to use IR. See some additional data here

Sorted! Thanks a lot!

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Just came to put my own hat in the ring, 2018 LG TV with PS4 pro and Sonos surround system, exact same issue. I won’t be reading the entire 17 page thread but if they’re not going to properly fix the issue I’d even appreciate finer tuned audio delay settings...

Just came to put my own hat in the ring, 2018 LG TV with PS4 pro and Sonos surround system, exact same issue. I won’t be reading the entire 17 page thread but if they’re not going to properly fix the issue I’d even appreciate finer tuned audio delay settings...

Your rather lucky, if your talking about lip-sync issues here, I think LG TV’s can easily resolve such issues with this lip-sync feature available on their newer TV’s…

https://www.lg.com/ca_en/support/product-help/CT20098005-1412236386115-audio-out-of-sync

 

Some of their models also support HDMI/Optical port pass-through too in the TV Settings

…. and that’s without waiting for Sonos to fix anything at all here.👍

 

For what it’s worth - I was very nervous about purchasing a new LG OLED display since I own a Sonos Playbar system (based on the problems some of you are experiencing) - but I did go ahead with the purchase - and I have no audio delay issues with my LG C9 at all. It’s perfectly in sync (and I am a professional film editor - I cannot stand even the slightest sync delay).

This is my (admittedly) very simple and straight-forward setup - as I only use the LG C9 as a (stunningly brilliant) monitor for my Apple TV 4K. I do not use any of its internal smart features. No cable TV box or other external connections.

LG C9 55” (2019) - I was told it has the fasted internal processor (maybe that plays a role since the LG needs to pass on the audio to the Sonos universe), latest Apple TV 4K. PLAYBAR, SUB, BOOST, 2 Play:3’s (surround).

The Apple TV 4K is connected to the LG using its DOLBY VISION option, which also seems to automatically (and magically) configure some settings of the LG through the port it’s connected to. The Playbar is connected via optical audio cable to the C9.

When I set up my new system, I got all new cables (including a new high-end Optical audio cable).

I don’t know what did the trick here, but I was ready to use a (4K capable) external HDMI/optical audio switcher to fix any audio delay problems. Luckily I didn’t have to, as this is a much more elegant and simple solution (when it works).

I have a Sonos beam and two play 1s connected to 75" sony Bravia x950g via HDMI arc. I found that the tv video was ahead of the sound when playing through Sonos system if I was watching TV with a charter spectrum box. I had the sound delay sensibly set to zero on the Sonos app. However, when I streamed content through the tv via the Netflix or Amazon video apps, the sound synced up just fine. 

I just now seemingly fixed the sound lag when watching cable TV by setting the 'A/V sync' to ON under the TV's audio output settings. When I had the A/V sync set to AUTO, it seemed to sync up sometimes. When I had it OFF, the sound lagged quite a bit. I hope this fixes the cable tv sound lag permanently and doesn't lag again for whatever reason.

Maybe this is a new setting on the Sony TV to fix this issue. I don't think I really changed any of the other sound settings when I first set up the tv months ago. It would be nice to get some guidance on the other Sony TV sound settings to optimize the Sonos experience. There are only a handful of settings that most folks are probably curious about regardless the brand of TV.

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I am having a nightmare of time trying to get this issue straightened out. I recently purchased a new Sony Master Series XBR TV and I used it for the first time last night attempting to watch Frozen 2 with my daughter. The audio delay was atrocious. Mind you, I have multiple Playbars set up around my home and this has never been an issue so I was quite surprised when I had this happened to me last night. Any help any of you could provide to get this straightened out would be greatly appreciated. 

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While I agree with your irritation, this isn’t something that Sonos can be involved in. As has been repeatedly shown by people who “spend extra money”, as you’ve accurately put it, the Sonos works properly. The issue is in the ability for LG (and Samsung) to not delay the signal as it goes through the TV.

I replaced a TV recently, and looked at both LG and Samsung as potentials. I ended up with another Vizio, because I was confident it could pass through a Dolby Digital signal without delaying it. And I was correct, my Sonos continues to work perfectly, as it had on my previous Vizio. 

I see that you a prolific poster here with this specific issue and I wanted to reach out to directly to see if you had any input in regards to my situation. 

 

I am having a nightmare of time trying to get this issue straightened out. I recently purchased a new Sony Master Series XBR TV and I used it for the first time last night attempting to watch Frozen 2 with my daughter. The audio delay was atrocious. Mind you, I have multiple Playbars set up around my home and this has never been an issue so I was quite surprised when I had this happened to me last night. Any help you could provide to get this straightened out would be greatly appreciated. 

I am having a nightmare of time trying to get this issue straightened out. I recently purchased a new Sony Master Series XBR TV and I used it for the first time last night attempting to watch Frozen 2 with my daughter. The audio delay was atrocious. Mind you, I have multiple Playbars set up around my home and this has never been an issue so I was quite surprised when I had this happened to me last night. Any help any of you could provide to get this straightened out would be greatly appreciated. 

The Sonos HT device and its surrounds will only play the audio asap, when the TV has sent it to that receiver… so my suggestion would be to look at perhaps why the TV might be delaying the audio output through its port.

Perhaps switch off any TV audio enhancement features, check the interconnecting cable and ensure the TV firmware is running on the latest version. I’m assuming you are using a Sony TV in-built App for movie playback, rather than a connected peripheral, like a cable box or entertainment device, (Apple TV, Roku or Firestick etc.) If you cannot solve the matter it may pay to speak to Sony Support to see if they can suggest a way to deliver the audio output in a more timely manner.

Hope that assists.

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I am having a nightmare of time trying to get this issue straightened out. I recently purchased a new Sony Master Series XBR TV and I used it for the first time last night attempting to watch Frozen 2 with my daughter. The audio delay was atrocious. Mind you, I have multiple Playbars set up around my home and this has never been an issue so I was quite surprised when I had this happened to me last night. Any help any of you could provide to get this straightened out would be greatly appreciated. 

The Sonos HT device and its surrounds will only play the audio asap, when the TV has sent it to that receiver… so my suggestion would be to look at perhaps why the TV might be delaying the audio output through its port.

Perhaps switch off any TV audio enhancement features, check the interconnecting cable and ensure the TV firmware is running on the latest version. I’m assuming you are using a Sony TV in-built App for movie playback, rather than a connected peripheral, like a cable box or entertainment device, (Apple TV, Roku or Firestick etc.) If you cannot solve the matter it may pay to speak to Sony Support to see if they can suggest a way to deliver the audio output in a more timely manner.

Hope that assists.

I am not using the built in Apps as I have a lot of programming on my firestick.

In that case, assuming your Firestick is outputting DD 5.1 and not DD+ try to discover if your TV has ‘pass-through’ on its ports .. so that the Sony TV does not check, or try to transcode, the audio steam from your Firestick Apps. I use the Firestick 4K too with the LG C9 OLED TV and I can say that device is working okay here, albeit I’m using the Sonos Beam over HDMI-ARC, and the TV ports are set to pass-through. 

You may find a pass-through option in your TV Settings too, or by speaking to Sony Support, but if they don’t support that feature on your TV and it’s in-built processor is not quick enough to handle the Firestick surround audio, then you may have to look at by-passing the Sony TV altogether, with an audio splitter/extractor, like the examples shown in the links below…

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Yeah I’m using the Playbar via optical and I’ve tried everything. I don’t want to downgrade the audio to pcm because it nullifies spending this much money to have only stereo output. So maybe a switch with optical as well? 

A switch, with an optical output, certainly would remove the delay that is being caused by the TV’s internal electronics. 

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A switch, with an optical output, certainly would remove the delay that is being caused by the TV’s internal electronics. 

Is there any you could recommend? I contacted monoprice but they dont have one that supports 4k signals. 

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A switch, with an optical output, certainly would remove the delay that is being caused by the TV’s internal electronics. 

Also, when connecting the siwtch is it best to connect it to the EARC HDMI input?