diff --git a/app.js b/app.js
index c07e497..1262927 100644
--- a/app.js
+++ b/app.js
@@ -44,7 +44,6 @@ let selectionBuffer = null;
 let lastRenderTime = 0;
 let frameCount = 0, currentFps = 0, lastFpsUpdate = 0;
 let streamStartTime = 0;
-let audioClockOffset = null;   // anchors the audio clock so it never jumps backward (issue #7)
 
 const CHAR_LUT = new Array(128);
 for (let i = 0; i < 128; i++) CHAR_LUT[i] = String.fromCharCode(i);
@@ -187,7 +186,6 @@ function connectWebSocket() {
                     streamStartTime = performance.now();
                     lastRenderTime = performance.now();
                     lastFpsUpdate = lastRenderTime;
-                    audioClockOffset = null;   // re-anchor for this stream
                     requestAnimationFrame(renderFrame);
                 };
 
@@ -271,25 +269,11 @@ function renderFrame(now) {
     requestAnimationFrame(renderFrame);
 
     // ── MASTER CLOCK LOGIC ──
-    // The audio track is the master clock, BUT it must never jump backward
-    // (issue #7, the cold-start freeze). On a cold load the <audio> element can
-    // start late: the wall-clock fallback has already advanced playback a second
-    // or two, and when audio finally begins, audioEl.currentTime is back near 0.
-    // Snapping the master clock back to ~0 makes every buffered frame read as
-    // "in the future", so renderFrame() returns forever and the stream freezes
-    // until audio catches up. The fix: the first time audio is genuinely playing,
-    // capture the offset between where the wall clock already is and the audio
-    // clock, and add it back — so the clock follows audio's *rate* without ever
-    // moving backward. (When audio starts promptly the offset is ~0.)
-    const wallClock = (now - streamStartTime) / 1000.0;
     let masterClock;
-    if (audioEl && audioEl.readyState >= 1 && !audioEl.paused && audioEl.currentTime > 0) {
-        if (audioClockOffset === null) {
-            audioClockOffset = Math.max(0, wallClock - audioEl.currentTime);
-        }
-        masterClock = audioEl.currentTime + audioClockOffset;
+    if (audioEl && audioEl.readyState >= 1 && !audioEl.paused) {
+        masterClock = audioEl.currentTime;
     } else {
-        masterClock = wallClock;
+        masterClock = (now - streamStartTime) / 1000.0;
     }
 
     if (frameBuffer.length === 0) return;
diff --git a/experiments/freeze_repro.js b/experiments/freeze_repro.js
deleted file mode 100644
index d1fa265..0000000
--- a/experiments/freeze_repro.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-/*
- * freeze_repro2.js — Model the COLD-START freeze (issue #7): audio starts late,
- * so the wall-clock fallback renders ahead, then the master clock snaps back to
- * audioEl.currentTime (~0) and playback freezes until audio catches up.
- *
- * Faithfully simulates: a server feeding frames at fps, a capped jitter buffer,
- * a 60fps render loop, and the app.js master-clock + frame-gate logic — under
- * three clock policies.
- */
-function sim({ policy, audioDelayMs }) {
-  const fps = 24, rAF = 1000 / 60, DURATION = 6000;
-  const buf = [];
-  let lastServerFrame = -1, audioStart = null;
-  const renderTimes = [];
-
-  for (let t = 0; t <= DURATION; t += rAF) {
-    // server feeds frames in real time; jitter buffer caps at 20 (drops oldest)
-    const want = Math.floor(t / 1000 * fps);
-    while (lastServerFrame < want) buf.push({ time: ++lastServerFrame / fps });
-    while (buf.length > 20) buf.shift();
-
-    const audioPlaying = t >= audioDelayMs;
-    if (audioPlaying && audioStart === null) audioStart = t;
-    const audioCurrent = audioPlaying ? (t - audioStart) / 1000 : 0;
-    const wall = t / 1000;
-
-    // ── master clock policy ──
-    let master;
-    if (policy === 'broken')        master = audioPlaying ? audioCurrent : wall;
-    else if (policy === 'guard')    master = (audioPlaying && audioCurrent > 0) ? audioCurrent : wall;
-    else if (policy === 'monotonic') {
-      // fix: anchor audio so the clock never jumps backward
-      if (audioPlaying) {
-        if (sim._off === undefined) sim._off = wall - audioCurrent; // capture once
-        master = audioCurrent + sim._off;
-      } else master = wall;
-    }
-
-    // ── frame gate (verbatim from app.js) ──
-    if (buf.length) {
-      while (buf.length > 1 && buf[0].time < master - 0.1) buf.shift();
-      if (buf[0].time <= master + 0.05) { buf.shift(); renderTimes.push(t); }
-    }
-  }
-  delete sim._off;
-  const last = renderTimes[renderTimes.length - 1] ?? 0;
-  const afterAudio = renderTimes.filter(t => t > audioDelayMs).length;
-  const trailingStallMs = Math.round(DURATION - last);   // froze until the end?
-  return { rendered: renderTimes.length, afterAudio, trailingStallMs };
-}
-
-const EXPECTED_AFTER = Math.round((6000 - 2000) / 1000 * 24); // ~96 frames in the 2-6s window
-console.log(`audio starts 2s late (cold start). Expect ~${EXPECTED_AFTER} frames AFTER 2s if smooth:\n`);
-for (const policy of ['broken', 'guard', 'monotonic']) {
-  const r = sim({ policy, audioDelayMs: 2000 });
-  const frozen = r.afterAudio < 5;
-  console.log(`  ${policy.padEnd(10)} total ${String(r.rendered).padStart(3)}  | after-audio ${String(r.afterAudio).padStart(3)}/${EXPECTED_AFTER}  | `
-    + (frozen ? `FROZE (stuck ${r.trailingStallMs}ms to end)` : `smooth`));
-}