Sync issues between HomePods and other Airplay 2 speakers

[doppdee]

Hello everyone, since yesterday my HomePods have no longer been staying in sync with my other AirPlay speakers when I group them. The non-HomePod speakers are all in sync with each other, and the HomePods are also in sync among themselves. However, compared to the other speakers, the HomePods are playing back with a delay.

Roon 2.0 Build 1497.

[Daniele_Piancastelli (Dani)]

First of all you should update to the current version of EA (B1507), then check if the problem is still there

[doppdee]

Thanks for the tip. I did that and then switched to the latest stable version. The problem still persists. When I use Airfoil or AirPlay 2 directly from my iPhone, everything works—so I believe it has something to do with Roon. Is anyone else experiencing similar issues?

[ivan]

Hi, @doppdee, I will move this thread to the support section so that @support team can assist you here. However, they will need more info about:

• Your RoonServer device
• Network configuration
• Software version of your HomePods
• How do you group the HomePods devices?

Thanks!

–
Ivan

[doppdee]

Thanks @ivan!
• I have a Mac Mini M4 running as my server, with an Eero 6e network.
• The Mac Mini is connected to the Eero via Ethernet.
• My HomePods (mini and 2nd gen) are on software version 18.4, and I’ve grouped them with my Syng Cell Alphas in Roon via AirPlay.

Everything worked flawlessly until a few days ago, when the HomePods started lagging compared to the other speakers. To rule out other possibilities, I tried:
• Streaming Apple Music to all speakers (including the HomePods) via AirPlay 2 from my iPhone without any issues.
• Grouping my Syng speakers with my Naim Uniti Nova in Roon via AirPlay, also without any issues.
• Grouping only the HomePods in Roon, and they stay perfectly in sync.

So everything functions as expected—except when I group the HomePods with other AirPlay speakers in Roon.

[benjamin]

Hey @doppdee,

Thanks for the additional information!

Based on your screenshot, it looks like you’re playing from a radio station - do you see this delay no matter the content you playback?

How are the Homepods connected to your router / network versus your other devices?

@doppdee

when the HomePods started lagging compared to the other speakers.

perhaps testing out using Resync delay on the other devices may help keep things in sync with the home pods. Resync Delay introduces a brief buffer before playback starts, which can help compensate for latency differences between devices.

To do this:

• Go to Settings → Audio in Roon.
• Find your endpoints other than the Homepods under the AirPlay section.
• Click the gear icon → Device Setup.
• Look for the Resync Delay option and start with a small value (e.g., 500ms).
• Gradually increase if needed and test playback.

Let me know the results, thank you!

[doppdee]

Hi @ivan

Unfortunately there is no such option for the AirPlay speakers

And no, it makes no difference whether I stream a radio station, lossless local, tidal or qobuz

[connor]

Hi @doppdee,

Thanks for the update.

The team has an investigative ticket open for the same precise symptom you’ve reported here. We should release improvements in an upcoming build to both Airplay sync and compatibility between multiple Airplay devices.

At this time, however, the only workaround is to add the affected HomePods to the Apple Home app, which affects the coordination of Airplay traffic on the network. Let us know if this has any effect.

Thank you again for your patience.

[doppdee]

Thanks @connor!

The affected HomePods are already added to the home app.
Looking forward to the fix.
Best

[connor]

Hi @doppdee,

AirPlay two changes are in the pipeline and we’ll post an update here when we expect a fix to merge into a public release: Issue with grouping multiple speakers across Airplay 1/Airplay 2 [Ticket In]

We appreciate your patience - we know it’s frustrating to be down an endpoint in your setup.

[doppdee]

Thanks @connor - great to hear!