diff --git a/src/deepgram/speak/v1/socket_client.py b/src/deepgram/speak/v1/socket_client.py
index 6d4b77aa..84656a55 100644
--- a/src/deepgram/speak/v1/socket_client.py
+++ b/src/deepgram/speak/v1/socket_client.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 import websockets.sync.connection as websockets_sync_connection
 from ...core.events import EventEmitterMixin, EventType
 from ...core.pydantic_utilities import parse_obj_as
+from websockets import WebSocketClientProtocol
 
 try:
     from websockets.legacy.client import WebSocketClientProtocol  # type: ignore
@@ -28,9 +29,9 @@
 # Response union type with binary support
 V1SocketClientResponse = typing.Union[
     SpeakV1AudioChunkEvent,  # Binary audio data
-    SpeakV1MetadataEvent,    # JSON metadata
-    SpeakV1ControlEvent,     # JSON control responses (Flushed, Cleared)
-    SpeakV1WarningEvent,     # JSON warnings
+    SpeakV1MetadataEvent,  # JSON metadata
+    SpeakV1ControlEvent,  # JSON control responses (Flushed, Cleared)
+    SpeakV1WarningEvent,  # JSON warnings
     bytes,  # Raw binary audio chunks
 ]
 
@@ -50,17 +51,14 @@ def _handle_binary_message(self, message: bytes) -> typing.Any:
 
     def _handle_json_message(self, message: str) -> typing.Any:
         """Handle a JSON message by parsing it."""
-        json_data = json.loads(message)
-        return parse_obj_as(V1SocketClientResponse, json_data)  # type: ignore
+        return parse_obj_as(V1SocketClientResponse, json.loads(message))  # type: ignore
 
     def _process_message(self, raw_message: typing.Any) -> typing.Tuple[typing.Any, bool]:
         """Process a raw message, detecting if it's binary or JSON."""
-        if self._is_binary_message(raw_message):
-            processed = self._handle_binary_message(raw_message)
-            return processed, True
+        if isinstance(raw_message, bytes) or isinstance(raw_message, bytearray):
+            return raw_message, True
         else:
-            processed = self._handle_json_message(raw_message)
-            return processed, False
+            return self._handle_json_message(raw_message), False
 
     async def __aiter__(self):
         async for message in self._websocket: