[waxler]

Hi everyone, with the hope to provide value before asking for help, here's the list of (hopefully) all Bluetooth codecs relevant in 2022.

There are some positive changes on the horizon for wireless audio. I'm especially excited for the new LC3 and LC3plus codecs that will become standard in the near future (replace SBC).

If a new Bluetooth codec will be able to transfer enough data to support 1,411 kbps - CD quality audio, will you ditch wired headphones and go wireless?

I think many will still claim they can hear the difference with wires.

1. SBC: Low-Complexity Sub-Band Codec (the golden standard)
2. AAC: Advanced Audio Coding (Apple’s darling)
3. LC3 & LC3plus: Low Complexity Communications Codec (the newcomer - I'm especially looking forward to this one)
4. aptX: aptX Low Latency, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive
5. LDAC: Sony’s High-Resolution Bluetooth Audio Codec
6. LHDC & LHDC Low Latency (LHDC LL): Huawei’s Competition
7. Samsung Scalable Codec (SSC): Only for Samsung Buffs

If a new Bluetooth codec will be able to transfer enough data to support 1,411 kbps - CD quality audio, will you ditch wired headphones and go wireless?

I think many will still claim they can hear the difference with wires.

Source: https://headphonesaddict.com/bluetooth-codecs/

 

[bigshot]

I use Apple, and I can't hear a difference between bluetooth and wired, so I don't worry about it. Back when bluetooth was new, I could hear a difference, but the codecs have gotten better.

 

[craiglester]

I see no issues with it being wireless, my main issue is none of the headphones whose signature I like are Bluetooth. Using a Bluetooth adapter I might do, as long as it's sufficiently amped for the headphone. I don't really see much need for lossless via Bluetooth, I doubt i'd be able to distinguish it from high bitrate lossy codecs to be honest.

 

[bigshot]

AirPods Pro Max work well enough for me with a couple of EQ adjustments. Not as balanced as my oppos out of the box, but good enough for general listening.

 

[waxler]

I see no issues with it being wireless, my main issue is none of the headphones whose signature I like are Bluetooth. Using a Bluetooth adapter I might do, as long as it's sufficiently amped for the headphone. I don't really see much need for lossless via Bluetooth, I doubt i'd be able to distinguish it from high bitrate lossy codecs to be honest.

Can't you equalize Bluetooth headphones to get to the sound signature you like?

A lot of them have in-app equalizers to play with.

 

[earfonia]

When BT bandwidth increased to transmit lossless, it is no longer about wireless or wired but more of the tuning of the IEM itself. Even now many wired IEMs tuned worst than some very good TWS. It is always about the IEM's tuning. Wired, wireless, lossless, lossy codec, they don't matter that much. And TWS will be limited to energy efficient amp. So that's another factor wired may still has the edge on audiophiles.

 

[waxler]

When BT bandwidth increased to transmit lossless, it is no longer about wireless or wired but more of the tuning of the IEM itself. Even now many wired IEMs tuned worst than some very good TWS. It is always about the IEM's tuning. Wired, wireless, lossless, lossy codec, they don't matter that much. And TWS will be limited to energy efficient amp. So that's another factor wired may still has the edge on audiophiles.

BT bandwitdth can't transmit lossless. Not yet at least. That's the whole point in choosing the best codec.

 

[bigshot]

And if the codec is capable of being audibly transparent, which a couple of them are, there is no point to lossless. That is why Apple has decided to push for more signal processing technology, not just increased bandwidth.

 

[craiglester]

Can't you equalize Bluetooth headphones to get to the sound signature you like?

A lot of them have in-app equalizers to play with.

Maybe I was a little unclear. My preferred headphones don't have Bluetooth, and I'm not sure any EQ is going to make any TWS iem sound like my PS1000e or K340. I still prefer wired for simplicity's sake.

 

[bigshot]

That isn’t a Bluetooth thing. It’s the features of your particular IEMs. It would be possible to do Bluetooth IEMs that sound as good.

 

[craiglester]

umm I don't think I said it was a Bluetooth thing but rather a sound signature thing. In theory you might argue any iem could be EQ'd to sound like any headphone, say Sennheiser HE1s, but realistically, it's pretty unlikely, wired or Bluetooth. Nothing against EQ either but if I want to listen to headphones that sounds like a k340, I simply use the k340, no EQ necessary. I've used the morphit plug-in on uapp which tries to makes one headphone sound like another, but it didn't sound that great to me, so i turned it off.

 

[bigshot]

Canned EQ corrections are bound to be inaccurate, because even two copies of the same make and model headphones might sound audibly different. Manufacturing tolerances and personal ear and head shapes vary too much. You have to determine your own personal ideal curve and EQ to that.

I don’t want to listen to a particular brand’s target curve. I want to listen to MY target curve.

 

[craiglester]

Each to their own preferences. There's no right or wrong when you're EQ ing to your own target curve, as it's very subjective by then.

I think we got a bit off topic here..

 

[Davesrose]

And if the codec is capable of being audibly transparent, which a couple of them are, there is no point to lossless. That is why Apple has decided to push for more signal processing technology, not just increased bandwidth.

Isn't Apple's "signal processing" (IE positional audio) Dolby Atmos source? At least that is what shows with Apple Music. Dolby Atmos is transmitted on lossy Dolby Digital+ or lossless TrueHD. But I've found Apple mucks that up too....Apple TV 4K will convert DD+ content to multichannel PCM and then go to DD+ for Dolby Atmos signal. I think it's more that Apple is trying to push a large library: one that has titles that are "spatial audio with Atmos" and then "lossless" if you don't have Dolby Atmos (from what I see with Apple TV, the lossless settings go to CD quality to "hi-res" 24-bit/192 kHz). I'm sure it's a mix bag of what is what, and who can tell a difference? The Atmos mixes can be quite different from stereo sources (whether they are lossy or lossless).

 

[bigshot]

I’m pretty sure the Dolby format has the processing applied in the phone, then it’s sent to the air pods as a stereo AAC file.