Introduction

Low latency is difficult to evaluate when the timer is not defined. A voice system can measure time to the first model event, first audio chunk, first audible playback, or completion of the entire response. Those are different metrics and answer different questions.

A reproducible benchmark needs that context before the number can be compared or independently checked.

Choose the metric before testing

For conversational responsiveness, teams may measure the interval from the end of a user turn to the first audible response. They may separately track time to the first returned audio chunk and time until the complete response finishes. Document whether turn detection, buffering, network transport, and playback are inside each measurement window.

Control and describe test conditions

Record the client device, audio input, network conditions, geographic region, model or service configuration, and whether the connection was already open.…