Audio delay only when OBS is open

sonofnic

New Member
Hi all,

I have just started with OBS on M4 macbook with Tahoe 26.2.

Everything is going well except that no matter which audio settings I adjust, I hear a slight delay in my voice that comes through my headphones from my external mic and it is quite distracting.

The delay in my voice coming through the headphones is only a fraction of a second and ONLY occurs when OBS is open (happens when recording a screen or not), and does not happen when I'm on a FaceTime call or recording a voice memo etc. When OBS is closed there is no delay at all. Interestingly though, the output video recording does not include this delay, it sounds as you would expect- clear voice and screen capture audio without delay.

What I've tried:
  • Numerous YouTube videos to find solution- no help
  • Setting input and output to Sennheiser microphone (has 3.5mm jack) both in OBS and Mac settings- no change
  • Changing input to Mac microphone- no change
  • Connecting headphones directly to laptop (and not through mic)- no delay, but I can't monitor through the mic and control gain/balance etc.
  • Disconnecting webcam to rule out it's mic being active- no change
  • Using a different headset with inbuilt mic, no change same delay/echo thing.
Screen shot to show audio settings:
Screenshot 2026-01-07 at 10.39.50 am.png


Equipment used:
  • 2024 M4 Macbook Pro 24g ram
  • Microphone - Sennheiser Profile
  • Headphones- Beyerdynamic DT990 PROX Open Studio Headphones w/ Detachable Cable (48ohms)
    • Headphones connected directly to mic via 3.5mm plug

Any advice/suggestions would be much appreciated, thanks.
 
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