Wireless Speakers / Headphones Don't Sync Lips
Wireless speakers often have lip sync problems, where the audio gets out of sync with the video: you see someone’s lips move before you hear their voice, or the other way around, which makes it unwatchable. So I tested1 all combinations of the wireless speakers I own with all the devices I own and the conclusion is that
lip sync is a widespread problem.
Speakers that sync lips with one device (like my TV) don’t with another (like my Mac). Source devices like my TV that sync lips with one speaker (like the Bose Portable Smart Speaker) don’t with another (like the Echo). AirPlay and Bluetooth perform identically.
To avoid these problems and have something that works reliably, if you’re buying a speaker that you want to use with your TV or computer, buy a speaker with a wired connection (HDMI, USB or 3.5mm), even if it means buying a speaker you wouldn’t have bought otherwise, such as the Bose BoundLink Max:
over the otherwise excellent Portable Smart Speaker:
since the former has a 3.5mm jack.
These combinations sync lips:
Any Apple device → AirPods Pro
Any mobile device → Receiver
TV → Portable Speaker
Any iDevice → Portable Speaker
These combinations don’t sync lips:
MBP → Receiver
MBP → Portable Speaker
MBP → TV
Any device → Echo
Pixel → Portable Speaker
These are the devices I’ve tested:
Sony A95L 55-inch (When used as a source device, it supports only Bluetooth, and when used as a speaker, it supports only AirPlay.)
iPhone 15
iPad Pro 11-inch (with the A12Z SoC)
Pixel XL 1 (supports only Bluetooth)
Macbook Pro M1 16-inch
Echo Dot with clock 3rd gen (supports only Bluetooth)
When I mention Portable Speaker, I mean the Bose Portable Smart Speaker (supports AirPlay and Bluetooth).
When I mention Mobile Device, I mean either an iDevice or the Pixel.