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previewing purchase of sounbars; audio delay innovations/options?

  • 3 October 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 68 views
T

Hello,

 

I am reviewing/seeking a soundbar that has some synchronization control over the incoming signal. I would like to be able to connect, via RCA jacks, a line level audio-only source such as a guitar emulation device or an optical to RCA audio converter coming from a standard HDMI equipped television.

 

I’ve noticed when I played around an earlier version of the Sonos One amp that there is a delay from the time I dplay a chord on electric guitar going through a digital amplifier line level out via RCA then through the Sonos and ultimately out the speakers, that there is a considerable delay.

 

The other scenario is connecting 10 year old HDMI digital television and feeding the audio output (via optical) through an optical converter to RCA and into the Sonos that the same delay is noticed.

 

Is there anything on the market today that has some audio delay adjustment perhaps in an app, to remediate this delay of the incoming component signal?

 

Thank you

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Best answer by ratty 3 October 2021, 18:33

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4 replies

ratty

Sonos soundbars (and Amp) have a delay or around 30ms for the TV input (HDMI on the current units, optical on older models).

Sonos products with RCA input have a minimum delay of around 75ms, and as a consequence are generally not regarded as suitable for TV use due to poor video lip-sync.

None of the Sonos products will provide a rewarding experience for live voice or a musical instrument. Any delay would be distracting. There is no external solution for this. A intrinsic internal delay can’t be undone.  

T

Is it true that even the newest Sonos doesn’t sync well with televisions equipped with standard HDMI?

How do they market a sound bar for use for home theater then?

Airgetlam

No, there’s no difference between the ‘new’ Sonos devices and the ‘old’ Sonos devices, in terms of delay. Both play the sound as quickly as they are handed it by the TV’s ARC , or digital optical. There’s been no change, either negative or positive in that area. As quickly as the TV passes the data, the Sonos system plays it. 

Bruce
buzz

Some legacy HDMI connections can adjust lip sync between units. HDMI-eARC units are much more likely to be able to adjust lip sync, however, all units in the chain and the source material must be cooperating.

Historically, lip sync has been miserable for TV production. The film industry dealt with this decades ago. I notice that TV lip sync is best for the movie channels.

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