LE Audio is a completely new audio software protocol, not just a codec. LC3 exists as the mandatory base codec within it, but it can also be seemingly implemented in Bluetooth Classic through A2DP.
I say “seemingly” because full specification was only just released last week, and people are still figuring out exactly what is and is not possible. Turns out, while better than SBC, it’s not “lossless” as many had hoped, and may not even beat aptX or AAC in terms of audio quality.
The full testing can really only be done now, even though it’s been “known about” since 2016. It was supposed to be ready in 2017, then in late 2020 (according to the Bluetooth SIG as of January 2020… their time estimate was not even close) so any manufacturer who “waited” for it to be done would be basically sitting on their hands releasing nothing for years, given that the full spec still didn’t exist beyond some pretty infographics and promises.
Ask an engineer who works with Bluetooth if it’ll be a “simple firmware update” and they’ll probably laugh out loud; the whole stack remains a dumpster fire and everyone’s been burned enough times by the Bluetooth SIG to take almost anything they say with a grain of salt. There’s a reason “
next year it will work great” has been the motto of Bluetooth for the last seven years; compatibility and implementation of these features remains a mess.
B&W has been fairly transparent in not listing any BS on their spec sheet or promising anything that they’re not sure they can actually achieve. It’s very clear to customers what they’re getting and what they aren’t, and nobody is lying or making promises that they may or may not be able to keep. To me, the companies that treat their customers like idiots are:
- The ones who promised better range, quality, etc. solely thanks to the magic of Bluetooth versions 5.0, 5.1, 5.2, etc. They knew full well these improvements only applied to Bluetooth Low Energy, where audio transmission wasn’t occurring, and Bluetooth Classic has remained the same since 4.2 and even earlier. They basically lied to drive upgrade cycles, and the misinformed YouTubers seeking affiliate link clicks didn’t exactly help. The SIG, of course, had no interest in clearing up these misconceptions.
- The (few so far) who are promising LE Audio support via updates in current products, some of whom don’t even explain what that even means beyond vague statements like “next-generation features” and “higher audio quality”. Don’t be shocked to see much of this fail to come to fruition, in the same way that TV and AVR manufacturers who promised HDMI 2.1 software updates burned their customers when it turned out everything got delayed, it wasn’t possible to implement certain features in the way they thought it would be, and plugging in a PS5 or Xbox Series X basically broke everything — something they only found out at release because before then there were literally no source devices to use to actually test this stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if the first few LC3/LE headphones have a multitude of compatibility issues and glitches with certain smartphones next year as the kinks get worked out.
It indeed may not be the best time to buy a wireless headphone if you’re the type of person who cares about this stuff, but there have been people waiting and not buying anything for years based on these future Bluetooth promises. Not to mention, the second LC3 is actually out in the wild, we’ll have to wait for the mythical LC3+ codec to be ready next! And of course, the actual drivers, DSP implementation, and internal amplification of a wireless headphones seem to make a much bigger difference than most of this…
