Contributor I

Why does the Sonos app not have a 0ms delay option for the line-in adapter?

29 replies
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It's disappointing that the Sonos Line-In Adapter is not included with Sonos speakers and must be purchased separately. Given the premium price of Sonos speakers, this adapter should be supplied as standard, especially since third-party alternatives are incompatible, leaving customers with no choice but to buy the official Sonos adapter.

The more significant issue, however, is the mandatory audio delay enforced by the Sonos App when using the line-in adapter. The app only allows delay options ranging from 75ms to 2000ms, with no option for a 0ms delay. This is incredibly frustrating, as it creates noticeable synchronization issues between video and audio, in my case I'm using the Sonos Era 300 speaker with line-in adapter alongside other speakers which creates a noticeable eco in the audio output.

Sonos, PLEASE UPDATE the mobile app to include a 0ms delay option! This is essential for a seamless and premium audio experience, which is expected at this price point.

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jgatie

In my opinion, providing a 0ms delay option in the app would be a practical and user-friendly feature, especially for those who primarily use a single speaker, such as the Era 300. Any potential confusion or technical issues when using multiple speakers could easily be addressed with a simple pop-up explainer in the app. This guide could offer personalized recommendations and best practices based on the user's specific speaker configuration.

Introducing this feature would significantly enhance the utility of the speakers, enabling a wider range of creative use cases, all while staying true to their core purpose and functionality.

Or they could not offer it at all, and not have to worry about warnings, or pop-ups, or recommendations of best practices. Guess which approach Sonos has chosen to take for going on 2 decades?

Stanley_4

Grand Maestro

I’m not aware of any 3rd party alternatives to the line-in adapter. Last time I checked there are plenty of options for USB C to 3.5mm adapters available on the market, but no 3.5mm to USB C adapters. These adapters are not 2-way.

It might be more complicated than just finding one that works in the proper direction.

In most big systems they load, or have available to load, a wide variety of chip driver code, that takes a lot of storage space.

Sonos has very limited space so it is likely (nobody official has said) that they only have the code for the chip in their adapters available.

Schlumpf

Virtuoso

There can’t be be a 0 sec. delay option if using the analogue input on Sonos devices, because the necessary AD conversion always will cause a delay. So imho it’s more an issue of conversion as of buffering to play audio without delay on the device directly.
The home theater device have digital inputs and no conversion is needed.
Buffering more is an issue of wireless data transport and needed for grouping.

Ralf

buzz

Grand Maestro

Likely, the hardware path to allow direct patching between Line-In and Line-Out does not exist. A hardware redesign would be required in order to provide this zero latency path.

RickardoAuthor

Contributor I

There can’t be be a 0 sec. delay option if using the analogue input on Sonos devices, because the necessary AD conversion always will cause a delay. So imho it’s more an issue of conversion as of buffering to play audio without delay on the device directly.
The home theater device have digital inputs and no conversion is needed.
Buffering more is an issue of wireless data transport and needed for grouping.

Yes I can agree with that logic, but suspect that conversion rate would be in the nano seconds range and not as high as 75ms?
It would be interesting to test with other speakers that do not force-impose any sort of delay to find out what sort of discrepancy there really is...

RickardoAuthor

Contributor I

In my opinion, providing a 0ms delay option in the app would be a practical and user-friendly feature, especially for those who primarily use a single speaker, such as the Era 300. Any potential confusion or technical issues when using multiple speakers could easily be addressed with a simple pop-up explainer in the app. This guide could offer personalized recommendations and best practices based on the user's specific speaker configuration.

Introducing this feature would significantly enhance the utility of the speakers, enabling a wider range of creative use cases, all while staying true to their core purpose and functionality.

Or they could not offer it at all, and not have to worry about warnings, or pop-ups, or recommendations of best practices. Guess which approach Sonos has chosen to take for going on 2 decades?

While it’s true that Sonos has chosen its current approach for decades, innovation and adaptability are what keep companies competitive in a rapidly evolving market. Simply relying on "this is how it’s always been done" as a justification for not considering user feedback is short-sighted. Customers’ needs and expectations evolve over time, and providing additional options—like a zero(as close as physically possibly)-latency mode—could significantly enhance the value and versatility of Sonos products.

Your point about not having to worry about warnings, pop-ups, or recommendations is valid in terms of simplifying development. However, avoiding additional complexity should not come at the expense of user satisfaction or product versatility. A well-designed app can balance simplicity and advanced functionality.

jgatie

While it’s true that Sonos has chosen its current approach for decades, innovation and adaptability are what keep companies competitive in a rapidly evolving market. Simply relying on "this is how it’s always been done" as a justification for not considering user feedback is short-sighted. Customers’ needs and expectations evolve over time, and providing additional options—like a zero(as close as physically possibly)-latency mode—could significantly enhance the value and versatility of Sonos products.

Your point about not having to worry about warnings, pop-ups, or recommendations is valid in terms of simplifying development. However, avoiding additional complexity should not come at the expense of user satisfaction or product versatility. A well-designed app can balance simplicity and advanced functionality.

Sonos has stated in the past that the Line-In is one of the least used features of its products (hence relegating it to the afterthought of an adapter on recent models). I highly doubt “product diversity” is suffering because there is a slight delay on one of the least used features.

In short, give it up. It ain’t happening. Go find a product that fits your needs instead of banging your head against the wall here.

RickardoAuthor

Contributor I

While it’s true that Sonos has chosen its current approach for decades, innovation and adaptability are what keep companies competitive in a rapidly evolving market. Simply relying on "this is how it’s always been done" as a justification for not considering user feedback is short-sighted. Customers’ needs and expectations evolve over time, and providing additional options—like a zero(as close as physically possibly)-latency mode—could significantly enhance the value and versatility of Sonos products.

Your point about not having to worry about warnings, pop-ups, or recommendations is valid in terms of simplifying development. However, avoiding additional complexity should not come at the expense of user satisfaction or product versatility. A well-designed app can balance simplicity and advanced functionality.

Sonos has stated in the past that the Line-In is one of the least used features of its products (hence relegating it to the afterthought of an adapter on recent models). I highly doubt “product diversity” is suffering because there is a slight delay on one of the least used features.

In short, give it up. It ain’t happening. Go find a product that fits your needs instead of banging your head against the wall here.

Probably least used due to it’s limited functionality in the first place 😂

Well I’m not one for for giving up, I like the speaker, the fact that it did sport the line in feature convinced me to make the purchase - just a shame that such a seemingly elementary feature doesn’t existing. But you’re right - I won’t be extending to additional speakers due to the limitation…

I mean who cares about the minority right?

jgatie

Probably least used due to it’s limited functionality in the first place 😂

Well I’m not one for for giving up, I like the speaker, the fact that it did sport the line in feature convinced me to make the purchase - just a shame that such a seemingly elementary feature doesn’t existing. But you’re right - I won’t be extending to additional speakers due to the limitation…

I mean who cares about the minority right?

It’s not “seemingly elementary” to anyone who understands Sonos’ core functionality and/or the very basics of networked audio streaming. You have put forth some flowery prose on how to make the Sonos experience “seamless”, then propose a change which by its very nature makes Sonos’ core functionality anything BUT seamless. Popups, warnings, suggestions for best practices, and the elimination of multi-room usage in order to use a feature are not “seamless” at all. So go buy a PA system.

RickardoAuthor

Contributor I

Probably least used due to it’s limited functionality in the first place 😂

Well I’m not one for for giving up, I like the speaker, the fact that it did sport the line in feature convinced me to make the purchase - just a shame that such a seemingly elementary feature doesn’t existing. But you’re right - I won’t be extending to additional speakers due to the limitation…

I mean who cares about the minority right?

It’s not “seemingly elementary” to anyone who understands Sonos’ core functionality and/or the very basics of networked audio streaming. You have put forth some flowery prose on how to make the Sonos experience “seamless”, then propose a change which by its very nature makes Sonos’ core functionality anything BUT seamless. Popups, warnings, suggestions for best practices, and the elimination of multi-room usage in order to use a feature are not “seamless” at all. So go buy a PA system.

Who said anything about eliminating multi-room usage? I said “seemingly elementary” since I might be missing some technical / hardware limitation that I might not be aware of, thus from my perspective it seems simple to update the app to provide 0ms delay option (or as close to it as possible).
Perhaps that’s not the way it’s built and would destroy them if they try, who knows, but I’m not really getting a clear factual based answer so far to shed light on the matter...

I honestly believe it would be a great feature and don’t thing it would be as harmful as you make it out to be. You come across somewhat aggressive, not sure if said something to upset you?

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