Guide
Sonos as your TV speakers — without a soundbar or an Amp
The good speakers are already in the room. What is missing is software on a console you may already own.
Quick answer
The standard answers to "TV sound through Sonos" are a Sonos soundbar ($279–999) or a Sonos Amp ($799). If an Xbox One or Series X|S already sits under the TV, there is a software route: Xaar, our AirPlay receiver app, plays video you mirror from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac on the TV and forwards the audio to your Sonos over AirPlay 2, in lip sync. It covers mirrored content only — not the TV's own tuner or HDMI inputs — and Xaar is currently in limited release with a waitlist.
Why "Sonos as TV speakers" usually means buying more Sonos
A typical living room: a TV with thin built-in speakers, and a Sonos speaker nearby that sounds far better. The speaker is on the network. The TV has no way to talk to it.
Every forum thread about this ends the same way: buy a Sonos soundbar ($279–999), buy a Sonos Amp ($799) and wire it into the TV, or stream the audio to the speaker and live with the lag. The first two answers buy new hardware to move sound a few meters. The third does not work — the next section explains why.
There is one route that needs no new audio hardware, if an Xbox is already under the TV. The console is on the network, drives the TV over HDMI, and decodes video in hardware. The missing piece is software that receives a stream and splits it: video to the TV, audio to the speakers. That software is Xaar — full disclosure: Xaar is our app.
Why simply streaming the audio to Sonos falls out of sync
Network speakers buffer. Anyone who has sent audio from a Mac to a Sonos speaker over AirPlay while the video plays locally knows the result: the sound arrives a couple of seconds late.
The usual workaround is a manual audio-delay offset in the player, re-tuned by ear. It is fragile, it is per-app, and it drifts. The player never knows when the speaker will actually emit the sound, so every guess is temporary.
Related guide
Sonos AirPlay delay, in detail
Already hit this delay streaming from a Mac? The dedicated guide covers why it happens and what actually helps.
How Xaar keeps lip sync
Xaar receives the whole mirroring stream on the Xbox, so it controls both halves: it shows the video on the TV and sends the audio to the speakers as an AirPlay 2 stream. AirPlay 2 schedules audio playback at exact timestamps, so the bulk of the speaker latency is known from the protocol itself — not estimated by ear.
Xaar's menu has a lipsync delay toggle. Switch it on, and Xaar holds the video back to match the playback schedule the speakers were given. Audio cannot be moved into the past, but video can wait.
What the protocol cannot know is each device's own fixed output lag — the speaker's and the TV's. A per-device fine-trim setting covers that; set it once per device.
What this setup covers — and what it does not
This is the part most people get wrong, so here it is up front.
- It works for content you mirror from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac through the Xbox: your own videos, photos, browser content, presentations. The video's audio travels with it.
- It does not cover the TV's own sources — the tuner, a cable box, other HDMI inputs. Xaar never sees that audio; the TV only receives HDMI from the console.
- It does not route the console's own game audio to Sonos. Xaar is an app that receives mirroring streams, not a system-wide audio router — and mirroring latency makes AirPlay unsuitable for fast gaming anyway.
- DRM-protected streaming apps (Netflix and similar) refuse to be mirrored — the sending device blacks them out. This is true for every AirPlay receiver, not just Xaar.
- Sender, Xbox, and speakers must be on the same local network. Guest Wi-Fi and client isolation break discovery; there is no way to do this without a shared network.
Setup
- 01
Get Xaar on the Xbox Xaar is a one-time purchase on the Microsoft Store. It is currently in limited release: the listing is visible to invited Microsoft accounts only. Join the waitlist on the front page and we will send an invite.
- 02
Launch Xaar and mirror your device On the iPhone, iPad, or Mac: Control Center → Screen Mirroring → pick the Xbox. The picture appears on the TV.
- 03
Pick your Sonos in Xaar's menu Xaar discovers AirPlay 2 speakers on the network. Select yours: the audio moves to the speaker while the video stays on the TV.
- 04
Switch on the lipsync delay It is a toggle in the same menu. With it on, Xaar holds the video back to match the playback schedule the speakers were given over AirPlay 2.
- 05
Fine-trim per device if needed A per-device setting covers the speaker's and the TV's own fixed output lag. Adjust it once; it is remembered per device.
Walkthrough
Mirror a Mac to an Xbox, step by step
The mirroring half of this setup in detail — Control Center, discovery, troubleshooting.
What it replaces
Instead of
A Sonos soundbar
$279–999, and the right answer if you need the TV's own inputs on Sonos. For mirrored content, it duplicates speakers you already own.
Instead of
A Sonos Amp
$799, plus wiring into the TV's audio output. A lot of hardware if what you actually watch comes from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Instead of
A streaming box
Another remote, another HDMI input, another purchase — to do what the console under the TV already can.
FAQ
Can I play the TV's own sound — cable box, antenna, HDMI inputs, or Xbox games — through Sonos with this setup?
No. Xaar receives an AirPlay mirroring stream from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, shows the video on the TV, and forwards that stream's audio to AirPlay 2 speakers. It never sees audio from the TV's tuner, its HDMI inputs, or the console's own games. For those sources you still need a soundbar, a Sonos Amp, or another hardware audio route.
How does the lip sync stay accurate on network speakers?
Xaar sends the audio to the speakers as an AirPlay 2 stream, and AirPlay 2 schedules playback at exact timestamps — so the bulk of the speaker latency is known from the protocol itself. When you switch on the lipsync delay in Xaar's menu, the app holds the video back to match that schedule. A per-device fine-trim setting covers the fixed output lag of the speaker and of the TV.
Which speakers work with Xaar?
Any speaker that accepts AirPlay 2 streams on your local network. Xaar is developed and tested with Sonos speakers.
Does the TV need AirPlay or any smart features?
No. The TV only displays the HDMI signal from the Xbox; the console does all the networking. A dumb TV works.
Can I mirror Netflix or other streaming apps into this setup?
No — and that is true for every AirPlay receiver, not just Xaar. Apps with DRM-protected video refuse to be mirrored; the block is enforced on the sending device, which shows a black window instead of the picture. Mirroring works for your own videos, photos, browser content, and presentations.