Audio playback delay on headphones

[famyr]

Hello.

I've had the same problem that I have seen many people have on here. When on headphones (Edifier W800BT Plus), any time the audio has been left alone for too long, when I resume playing it, it takes 1-2 seconds to start back up. It's not out of sync, it just doesn't start immediately.

I have tried EVERY, and I mean EVERY proposed solution:

- Updated my drivers.

- Disabled the Realtek Audio and tried replacing it with the High Definition Audio Device by Microsoft. That didn't work. I still have Realtek Audio.

- Did the same for Nvidia High Definition Audio. That did replace the driver with High Definition Audio Device, but it didn't fix the problem.

- I changed the Registry

- I checked the loudness equalization and it's off. So I've done everything featured here: 

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Audio/1-2-second-delay-in-audio-start-when-headphones-are/m-p...

I also turned off Audio Enhancements in Settings and there's no Spatial Sound.

Please help me, I've got audio transcriptions to do and the fact that I miss seconds and have to rewind makes this process all that much harder.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @famyr 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

I understand that you are experiencing a 1–2 second audio delay on your Edifier W800BT Plus headphones. This is a common Bluetooth issue, often caused by driver conflicts, Windows power management settings, or the “Hands‑Free Telephony” service forcing the headphones into call mode instead of stereo playback.

Update Bluetooth Drivers

• Press Windows + X → Device Manager.
• Expand Bluetooth.
• Right‑click your adapter (Intel/Realtek/Qualcomm) → Update driver.
• Choose Search automatically or download the latest package from HP’s support page. 👉 Outdated Bluetooth stacks are a common cause of audio resume lag. https://support.hp.com/au-en/products 

Disable Bluetooth Power Saving

• In Device Manager, right‑click your Bluetooth adapter → Properties.
• Go to Power Management.
• Uncheck “Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power.”
• Click OK. This prevents Windows from putting the Bluetooth radio into sleep mode, which causes the delay.

Hope this helps, Please revert if the issue persists.

Take care and have an amazing day!

[famyr]

Thanks for the attempt, I did everything, including turning the device's service as Hands-Free Telephony, but to no avail. Maybe it's the headphones' problem but I'll need to find another device to test it with.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @famyr

Thank you for responding.

I regret to hear that the issue remains unresolved. As you mentioned, I kindly request that you try using an alternative device to check whether the problem persists. Also I would request you to please uninstall the driver and reinstall it.

Reinstall Bluetooth Drivers

• Press Windows + X → Device Manager.
• Expand Bluetooth.
• Right‑click your adapter (Intel/Realtek/Qualcomm) → uninstall driver.
• Restart the Device the driver will be automatically installed.

Have a good day.

[famyr]

I couldn't test with another device until now. I reinstalled the drivers and the delay does not seem to have stopped.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @famyr

Thank you for responding. 

I understand your concern. Since reinstalling the drivers hasn’t resolved the delay, the next recommended step would be to test the device with an alternative system. This will help confirm whether the issue is hardware-related.

Have a good day.