diff --git a/internal/apu/apu.go b/internal/apu/apu.go
index 59c75c4e..11b6686c 100644
--- a/internal/apu/apu.go
+++ b/internal/apu/apu.go
@@ -1,10 +1,8 @@
 package apu
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"log/slog"
 	"math"
-	"sync"
 
 	"gabe565.com/gones/internal/config"
 	"gabe565.com/gones/internal/consts"
@@ -59,13 +57,13 @@ func New(conf *config.Config) *APU {
 		Enabled:    true,
 		SampleRate: DefaultSampleRate,
 		conf:       &conf.Audio,
+		buf:        newRingBuffer(BufferCap),
 
 		Square: [2]Square{{Channel1: true}, {}},
 		Noise:  Noise{ShiftRegister: 1},
 
 		FramePeriod: 4,
 	}
-	a.buf.Grow(BufferCap)
 	return a
 }
 
@@ -73,6 +71,7 @@ type APU struct {
 	Enabled    bool    `msgpack:"-"`
 	SampleRate float64 `msgpack:"-"`
 	conf       *config.Audio
+	buf        *ringBuffer
 
 	Square   [2]Square
 	Triangle Triangle
@@ -85,9 +84,6 @@ type APU struct {
 
 	IRQEnabled bool `msgpack:"alias:IrqEnabled"`
 	IRQPending bool `msgpack:"alias:IrqPending"`
-
-	buf bytes.Buffer
-	mu  sync.Mutex
 }
 
 func (a *APU) WriteMem(addr uint16, data byte) {
@@ -265,31 +261,21 @@ func (a *APU) output() float32 {
 func (a *APU) sendSample() {
 	result := a.output()
 	b := math.Float32bits(result)
-	a.mu.Lock()
-	defer a.mu.Unlock()
-	if a.buf.Len() < BufferCap {
-		a.buf.Write([]byte{
-			byte(b), byte(b >> 8), byte(b >> 16), byte(b >> 24),
-			byte(b), byte(b >> 8), byte(b >> 16), byte(b >> 24),
-		})
-	}
+	a.buf.Write([]byte{
+		byte(b), byte(b >> 8), byte(b >> 16), byte(b >> 24),
+		byte(b), byte(b >> 8), byte(b >> 16), byte(b >> 24),
+	})
 }
 
 func (a *APU) Clear() {
-	a.mu.Lock()
-	defer a.mu.Unlock()
 	a.buf.Reset()
 }
 
 func (a *APU) Read(p []byte) (int, error) {
-	a.mu.Lock()
-	n, err := a.buf.Read(p)
-	a.mu.Unlock()
-	if err != nil {
-		if n == 0 {
-			clear(p)
-		}
+	n := a.buf.Read(p)
+	if n == 0 {
+		clear(p)
 		return len(p), nil
 	}
-	return n, err
+	return n, nil
 }
diff --git a/internal/apu/ringbuffer.go b/internal/apu/ringbuffer.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4209bcf7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/apu/ringbuffer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+package apu
+
+import (
+	"sync"
+)
+
+type ringBuffer struct {
+	buf  []byte
+	size int
+	r, w int
+	full bool
+	mu   sync.Mutex
+}
+
+func newRingBuffer(size int) *ringBuffer {
+	return &ringBuffer{
+		buf:  make([]byte, size),
+		size: size,
+	}
+}
+
+func (r *ringBuffer) Read(p []byte) int {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+
+	var n int
+	switch {
+	case r.w == r.r && !r.full:
+		// Buffer empty
+		return 0
+	case r.w > r.r:
+		// Writer ahead of reader
+		if n = r.w - r.r; n > len(p) {
+			n = len(p)
+		}
+		copy(p, r.buf[r.r:r.r+n])
+	default:
+		// Reader ahead of writer
+		if n = r.size - r.r + r.w; n > len(p) {
+			n = len(p)
+		}
+
+		if r.r+n <= r.size {
+			// End of buffer has enough elements
+			copy(p, r.buf[r.r:r.r+n])
+		} else {
+			// End of buffer does not have enough elements; read will wrap around
+			c1 := r.size - r.r
+			copy(p, r.buf[r.r:r.size])
+			c2 := n - c1
+			copy(p[c1:], r.buf[0:c2])
+		}
+
+		r.full = false
+	}
+	r.r = (r.r + n) % r.size
+	return n
+}
+
+func (r *ringBuffer) Write(p []byte) {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+
+	n := len(p)
+	switch {
+	case r.free() < len(p):
+		// Buffer too full; discard write
+		return
+	case r.w >= r.r:
+		// Writer ahead of reader
+		if c1 := r.size - r.w; c1 >= n {
+			// Slice fits in the end of the buffer
+			copy(r.buf[r.w:], p)
+			r.w += n
+		} else {
+			// Slice does not fit in the end of the buffer; write will wrap around
+			copy(r.buf[r.w:], p[:c1])
+			c2 := n - c1
+			copy(r.buf[0:], p[c1:])
+			r.w = c2
+		}
+	default:
+		// Reader is ahead of writer
+		copy(r.buf[r.w:], p)
+		r.w += n
+	}
+
+	if r.w == r.size {
+		r.w = 0
+	}
+	r.full = r.w == r.r
+}
+
+func (r *ringBuffer) len() int {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+
+	switch {
+	case r.w == r.r:
+		if r.full {
+			return r.size
+		}
+		return 0
+	case r.w > r.r:
+		return r.w - r.r
+	default:
+		return r.size - r.r + r.w
+	}
+}
+
+func (r *ringBuffer) free() int {
+	switch {
+	case r.w == r.r:
+		if r.full {
+			return 0
+		}
+		return r.size
+	case r.w < r.r:
+		return r.r - r.w
+	default:
+		return r.size - r.w + r.r
+	}
+}
+
+func (r *ringBuffer) Reset() {
+	r.mu.Lock()
+	defer r.mu.Unlock()
+
+	r.r = 0
+	r.w = 0
+	r.full = false
+}
diff --git a/internal/apu/ringbuffer_test.go b/internal/apu/ringbuffer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3075f407
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/apu/ringbuffer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+package apu
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+func Test_ringBuffer(t *testing.T) {
+	const bufSize = 16
+
+	buf := newRingBuffer(16)
+	p := make([]byte, bufSize)
+	n := buf.Read(p)
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, n)
+	assert.Equal(t, p, make([]byte, bufSize))
+	assert.Equal(t, bufSize, buf.free())
+	assert.Equal(t, 0, buf.len())
+
+	const message = "hello world"
+	for range 3 {
+		buf.Write([]byte(message))
+		assert.Equal(t, bufSize-len(message), buf.free())
+		assert.Equal(t, len(message), buf.len())
+
+		n = buf.Read(p)
+		assert.Equal(t, len(message), n)
+		assert.Equal(t, []byte(message), p[:n])
+		assert.Equal(t, bufSize, buf.free())
+		assert.Equal(t, 0, buf.len())
+	}
+
+	buf.Write([]byte(message))
+	p = make([]byte, 5)
+	n = buf.Read(p)
+	assert.Equal(t, bufSize-len(message)+5, buf.free())
+	assert.Equal(t, len(message)-5, buf.len())
+	assert.Equal(t, 5, n)
+	assert.Equal(t, []byte("hello"), p[:n])
+}