Is Microsoft looking into the audio delay debacle on Series X?

Speedster996 · Mar 2, 2023

I've never had any audio delay or syncing issues on the OG Xbox One and Xbox One X. BUt on the Series X, I'm getting delay through TV speakers and headphones connected to the TV's jack, whether it's stereo uncompressed or anything else. stereo uncompressed has the least amount of lag but why is the lag even there to begin with?

I've tried both game mode on and off. with off, maybe it improves the lag, but the delay is very noticeable. Taking the audio delay slider to the left (-) has no impact but sliding it to the right (+) gradually increases delay, which is what I'd expect.

If I hook up a pair of headphones/earbuds to my control - boom - the delay is gone! Almost negligible.

It's got to be something along the HDMI chain and how Series X communicates with the TV. All I'm using for now are TV speakers or DA for headphones when I want to listen through the controller. Only TV speakers give me lag.

I've tried literally every setting there possible is and have lost a good amount of sleep too. This is unnecessary frustration. We're in 2023, and now we have to deal with these issues? Why can't audio be 100% synced out of the box???

:)

iTsFx

Hello, I'm Felipe and I'm an independent Community Advisor, and I'll do my best to help you.

There have been reports of audio delay issues on the Xbox Series X, and Microsoft has acknowledged these issues. They have stated that they are investigating the issue and working on a fix. In the meantime, they recommend that users try the following steps:

Make sure that the TV's firmware is up to date.

Try using a different HDMI cable.

Try connecting the console directly to the TV, rather than through a receiver or soundbar.

Try using the Xbox Wireless Headset, which has been specifically designed for the Xbox Series X and has low-latency audio.

Microsoft is committed to addressing these issues and providing a high-quality gaming experience on the Xbox Series X. They encourage users to keep an eye on their official channels for updates and further instructions.

Sickpuzzle24

Hey guys, same issue here. The lipsync on my Vizio mq6 is very off with Xbox series X. I own a ps4 and that is not the case with it. I think they need to push an update for series x. I have AC Valhalla and Rdr2 a long with halo and Forza through gamespass and trust me all these game are facing same issue with audio delay.

Kathy A.

Hello jesseinsf94122,

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

Based on your description, you are experiencing audio lag issues with your Xbox Series X. As a Microsoft customer support agent, I can assure you that we take all customer feedback seriously and strive to provide the best possible support.

Regarding your issue, have you tried connecting your soundbar directly to your Xbox Series X instead of through your TV's eARC connection? This may help to eliminate any potential lag caused by the TV.

Additionally, you may want to try adjusting the audio settings on your Xbox Series X to see if that helps.

By the way, do you mind testing the audio lag in these setups:

Xbox Series X (using HDMI 2.1 connection) - Samsung Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (2022) (QN85B)
Xbox Series X (using HDMI 2.1 connection) - Samsung Neo QLED 4K Smart TV (2022) (QN85B) - any headset/headphone compatible with Xbox Console

Let me know if you experience same audio lag with the above set up. If yes, this could have something to do with the update of Xbox Series X and reporting this concern to the Team Xbox will help as they would replicate and investigate the issue. However, if this issue happens only when using the soundbar you may need to look for settings for the soundbar to produce the audio without lag (delaying) it.

We have notice that you've done extensive troubleshooting for your audio set up and yet the audio lag persists. You may try the troubleshoot audio steps from this support article: Troubleshoot audio on your Xbox console | Xbox Support. If you already performed this then, consider consulting your soundbar manufacturer for performance specifications.

Sincerely,

Microsoft Community Moderator

ELVIS7

Interesting post, thank you for trying and posting your findings.

I've had the audio delay issue for years and tried everything. I had the nu8000 Samsung TV before and recently got the qn90b and the issue is still present.

My set up is, Xbox series x > qn90b > onkyo 676.

If I do 5.1, stereo uncompressed, mono, there's no delay. There is only an audio delay with dolby atmos for home theatre option.

Your suggestion does not work on my end however, because the only way I can set the qn90b to pass-through is if I unselect the dolby atmos option under it, which allows me to change audio output format from auto or pcm, to pass-through but when I do that, the Xbox series x no longer detects my set up as dolby 5.1/7.1/atmls capable and says not supported so I can't even force the Xbox to output atmos.

As for the qn90b audio delay option, it's already at 0, and the delay is very noticeable in shooter games, but especially while watching movie.

xDevilxGirlx421

probaly delayed because it will come out on ps5 and series x

Is Microsoft looking into the audio delay debacle on Series X?