[Class D]

I read the specification for the Asus Transformer Book T100TA.  The Bluetooth spec says, "Built-in Bluetooth™ V4.0".  There's no mention of the Apt-X CODEC.  My guess is that they didn't install the CSR Harmony drivers for the built-in BT chip.  Nevertheless, the Bluetooth A2DP streaming performance may be very good, as it is with my Microsoft Surface Pro 2.  The quickest way to check the audio performance on your Transformer Book is by playing a video of someone singing or talking and look to see if the lips are synched.  Even with Apt-X there will be approximately 25-30 msec delay, but most people would agree this is pretty good.
 
An economical Apt-X USB dongle can be found here =>
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JAZGSXY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I have one of these Azio USB Micro Bluetooth Adapters V4.0 EDR and aptX (BTD-V401) myself.  It works with my Surface Pro 2, if I disable the built-in Microsoft Win 8.1 BT driver before I plug in the Azio dongle.  You can re-enable your Windows BT driver if you need it for your mouse, after you see that CSR Apt-X is running (there will be a Bluetooth symbol in your system tray which says CSR).
 
A Tip:  If you have trouble installing the CSR Harmony software that comes with Azio dongle, go to their website and read the note on Microsoft .NET Framework for your version of Windows.  According to MS tech support, you can have .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.0 running simultaneously for Win 7 or 8.1.
 
Generally speaking, the fidelity and lip-synch with CSR's Apt-X codec will be very close to what your hear and see with wired headphones. 

 

[Giogio]

I have an Azio BTD-V401 USB Dongle powered (with APTX) by the CSR Harmony Bluetooth Stack.
If you do not install the Stack, it works as normal BT Dongle, no Aptx.
The difference in SQ with my APTX Headphones (I have tried many) with or without APTX (also, installing or not the Stack) is so big that for example with my favorite BT Headphone, the Fidelio M2BT, I would heve never bought it not even for 100 Euro with the SQ of no Aptx.
But for how it sounds with Aptx, it worth all its price.
 
Now, if this is a problem of this Azio Dongle or a real difference of Aptx vs No Aptx, I cannot say.
It could be the DOngle, I do not trust Azio, their support is extremely bad, they write contraddictory info on their site, give fals info via email...
So, maybe their Dongle is just **** and it only sounds good with the CSR Stack.
But, no idea.
 
What I find disturbing in Aptx is the ambiguity.
They do not EVER answer one single email, did not want to give me any support for this CSR Harmony because "End of Life", although I had just bought it and the questions were extremely easy to answer.
They never answered when I asked them if the Beats Studio Wireless are registered as supporting APTX (they must know it because they get money when people want to implement Aptx, and because they have the APTX website where they list all devices which support Aptx -the Beats Studio Wireless are not listed).
They never gave me any info which I may have requested.
 
And besides this mystery of Beats, there is the mystery of Apple.
Apple is also not listed on the official Aptx website, and there is NO mention to Aptx ANYWHERE on any official Apple source, and if you call the Apple support they do not even have any idea of what Aptx is.
But many people report that some macbooks support Aptx.
 
Considering that nobody can implement Aptx withot paying something to CSR, all this could be more clear.
 
WIth a mobile phone is easy. You connect a Headphone, and if it supports Aptx, you get the Notification "connected to an Aptx device".
WHich is why I am sure the Beats do NOT support Aptx, because with them I do not get this notification (while I have got it with all Aptx devices I tested).
 
With some Bluetooth Stack like CSR Harmony or some from intel, you get also a notification.
But for example with the Sennheiser BTD 500 USB Dongle, which works indipendently from the OS, you get no notification. I have to trust that they have Aptx.
 
 
It should all be more clear. Like it is with Dolby.
More transparent.

 

[Giogio]

Originally Posted by Class D /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I have one of these Azio USB Micro Bluetooth Adapters V4.0 EDR and aptX (BTD-V401) myself.  It works with my Surface Pro 2, if I disable the built-in Microsoft Win 8.1 BT driver before I plug in the Azio dongle.  You can re-enable your Windows BT driver if you need it for your mouse, after you see that CSR Apt-X is running (there will be a Bluetooth symbol in your system tray which says CSR).

Can you explain that?
I had one problem with my Logitech M555b mouse: when I install the CSR Harmony software it takes the place of the System BT Stack and so the Mouse is not recognized by the System and also not by the Logitech SetPoint software, which means that I cannot use its special features.
Logitech was not able to give me a olution, Azio and CSR VEVER ANSWERED to my emails, not even one single answer to my MANY emails.
 
I had to buy the Sennheiser Dongle for audio and keep using the Azio without CSR Stack (= without APTX) for my mouse.
 
Incredible.
 
I have Windows 7 64

 

[CZ Eddie]

I have used two different ATPx dongles on my PC.  Naturally, both use the same CSR driver (like 300-400MB).  When my Velodyne vFree Aptx headphones connect, I do get the "connected to APTx" splash screen.  You'll only get that splash screen when the aptx codec is engaged.  If your Beats headphones don't give you the splash screen, then they are not Aptx compatible.
 
Also, I gave up on the USB dongle.  The CSR driver is pretty bad.  Very buggy.  
I now use a 3.5mm dongle with Aptx.  I lose the media button capability but at least I don't have to deal with the random driver weirdness any longer.

 

[Giogio]

The Sennheiser BTD 500 dongle is independent from the OS and needs no Stack. The APTX support is native in it.
It is not very small and its range is clearly inferior to the Azio BTDV401. But Sennheiser at least is a name and if you have problems gives support.
Azio is **** and I NEVER got an answer when I had problems, and before purchasing they gave me WRONG answers on the specs and dimensions of their dongles (as also on their site there are wrong info about the range).
CSR Support is also **** and never answers.
And more importantly, as said, CSR Harmony, the software coming with the Azio Dongle, is END OF LIFE, CSR give no support for it, and it is very Buggy, as you said.
And Azio also gives no support. So.
Just avoid Azio.

 

[Class D]

Hi Giogio, you have asked several questions.  Let me see if I can answer them.
 
You haven't said what your PC is.  So, I'll assume it's a PC with built-in Bluetooth and you have a Logitech mouse that pairs to it.  Perhaps your BT headphones will pair up with your PC.  So, your PC is running more than one BT profile, at least A2DP and HID (mouse).  Your PC should have a BT Manager that will show what BT devices it sees.  You have said the SQ of the built-in BT running the A2DP source profile is much less than what you hear with the Azio dongle running the Aptx codec (Harmony stack).  This would be the case if the BT micro in your PC is cheap and slow.  The CSR stack needs a robust micro, usually an ARM processor, to code and decode the audio along with other things.  If you have a known Aptx source or sink, then it has the required embedded micro to process everything quickly.  This is why some BT devices cost more than other non-Aptx devices.  Your BT processor built-in to your PC probably runs all your BT devices, except your wireless headphones, just fine since they don't require a lot of processing.  In the case of my Microsoft Surface Pro 2, it has a robust built-in BT processor and handles many wireless devices simultaneously, such as, my BT mouse, BT keyboard, BT printer, and my BT speakers, and BT headphones.  For A2DP streaming, Aptx headphones and speakers run really well, as they also have robust processors for handling SBC or Aptx coding.  This is also true for my Nokia Lumina 635 phone.  It also has a fast BT processor.  So, SQ and lip-synch are excellent, even without Aptx.  Microsoft promises to include the Aptx codec (CSR stack) in the upcoming release of Windows Phone 8.1, known as Denim.
 
So, without taking apart your PC and looking at your BT chip, I would conclude you have a cheap BT chip.  This is okay for most of your BT devices, but not for A2DP.
 
I'm not aware if the Azio dongle running with or without the CSR BT stack supports other BT profiles, like HID for your mouse.  You will have to contact Azio support.  Keep in mind that it's hard to find good BT support anywhere.  The spec is complicated and fragmented by many versions.
 
If you want excellent SQ from your PC along with low latency delay for very good lip-sync, like you have with a wired headphone, then you will have to get around (disable) your PC's built-in BT.  To make things easy, you should also use a wireless mouse that doesn't use BT.  I think Logitech makes several.  You will then run BT from the Azio dongle with the CSR (Harmony) BT stack to stream A2DP audio to your wireless BT Aptx headphones or speaker.  Find an Mp4 video somewhere or a HD video on YouTube and run the audio over BT to your headphones.  I think you'll be pleasantly surprised in the SQ and lip-sync.  If you have iTunes, try videos there.  Apple has an equalizer built-in to iTunes for you to tweet the SQ to your liking.
 
I don't think Aptx is going end-of-life.  CSR was recently purchased by Qualcomm, the mobile phone semiconductor giant, and they will likely make the Aptx stack part of their mobile phone chip offering to enhance their position in the market.
 
I don't think Dr. Dre's beats headphones are Aptx compliant.  Beats was recently purchased by Apple, and other than their PC's, Apple is not making any move to Aptx.  Maybe they will invent their own A2DP codec for consumer products.  If you need to check out who makes Aptx compliant devices, then l@@k here =>
 
http://www.jessebandersen.com/2012/05/list-of-apt-x-compatible-devices.html
 
BTW, not all BT headphones give you an Aptx announcement when you connect.  I have several Aptx BT sinks (headphones, speakers, and other receivers) and they just give me the characteristic "connected" tone.  Normally, your source (PC or phone) will provide you with the CSR BT icon in your system tray.  But in all cases you will have superb SQ and low latency.
 
Don't compare Aptx with Dolby.  Dolby Labs sets strict standards for coding and decoding in Hollywood.  They have a vast following among movie makers.  Their codec is also not cheap, but it helps sell a lot of movie content everywhere.  Aptx is not a standard, just a good economical product for wireless stereo.
 
If your Sennheiser Dongle is working for your audio, then it is probably because it has some sort of BT manager that disables your PC's built-in BT.  Hence, you need the Azio dongle for your mouse.  This is just like I mentioned earlier.  Disable your PC's BT, use a wireless mouse with a non-BT dongle, and use the Azio dongle with the CSR stack. 
 
Hope this helps you better understand the black magic of wireless audio. 

 

 

[Giogio]

Hope this helps you better understand the black magic of wireless audio. 

 

Hi, thanks, you for sure helped me with one thing: the twitter answer of CSR to Jesse solved my debate about the presence of Aptx on Apple products.
 
But no, I do not have any BT in my notebook. This is why I have bought the Azio instead of the Sennheiser, because I wanted also to buy a wireless mouse and on my notebook I only have 3 USB ports, so I did not want to sacrifice two, one for the BT Dongle and one for the Radio Wireless Dongle, or two for two BT Dongle (Audio and HID).
The Azio supports a lot of profiles, also the HID.
The Sennheiser only A2DP and, another one, I do not remember the name, the one for the media buttons on the headphones. But no HID, no mouse.
I do not think the azio is weak, I can use headphone and mouse together with it.
Sometimes I have strange things anyway, like a sort of slow motion pointer. The mouse is no more very responsive.
 
Anyway thanks for those info, they come useful.
So, you mean that to give Aptx to a product the producer needs not only to pay a license to CSR but also to use a special chip? Or at least, a GOOD one?
 
About the BT announcment I did not meant the headphone, but the phone, the smartphone (damn it, why do yankees call phones the headphones? How do they call a, a PHONE?)
So, as far as I know, ALL smartphone with aptx and all bt stacks with aptx (like the CSR one) give a popup when you connect an Aptx device.
In my Xperia I have it, "connected to an Aptx device", with the CSr I have it, the APTX logo. People with a Samsung phone have it, the "connected to aptx device".
Apple Mac users have it, "active codec, Aptx".
If the Beats Studio Wireless really support Aptx, they are THE ONLY headphone in this UNIVERSE which are able to prevent your phone or PC or Mac in informing you of an active Aptx connection.
Which is clearly NOT possible.
= Beats Fraud about Aptx.
Or, worse support ever.
Well, after Azio and CSR
 
Which brings me to: about end of life I meant the CSR Harmony stack. Not the Aptx codec.
The only time that CSR answered to a support request I sent (HORRIBLE DISGUSTING support) they just quickly, coldly, unfriendly told me that the CSR Harmony is End of Life and they give no support for it.
So, Azio is selling a product with an end of life software, for which CSR gives no support. A buggy software, to be more precise.
 
Infact, my problem was with and because of this CSR buggy software, the CSR Harmony Bluetooth Stack.
To give Aptx to the Azio I must install this software.
When I install it, the mouse is no more recognized by the system. What do I mean, if the system has got no own BT?
I mean that I can use the Azio without this CSR software. In that case it becomes as any internal BT card.
Then, the mouse is recognized by the system and listed among the SYSTEM devices.
And the logitech SetPoint software recognizes it too and I can use its special features.
As soon as I install the CSR Harmony, the mouse is no more recognized by the system properly, it is not anymore listed among the SYSTEM devices but only among the BT devices on the CSR software.
On SetPoint the mouse Tab disappear, and I lose all special features.
 
So I have two choices:
change mouse, and give the sennheiser back
use the sennheiser for music and the azio (without csr stack) for mouse.
 
in the first case I spend money again, but a part I get it back from the sale of the m555b (people look for it because of its hyperscroll feature which is SUPER COOL, and, it is LASER; not just optical).
And, the Azio is slightly less well sounding than the Sennheiser, but has got much better range.
Considering that my belover Fidelio M2BT headphones have not a super range, I have with this combination of sennheiser and fidelio a blind spot in my kitchen.
I did not have it with azio and fidelio, or with plantronics and sennheiser.
 
End of the story.

 

[Class D]

Well, Giogio, you have detailed the saga of BT on your PC very well.  I admire your patience with radio devices.  For sure they can be frustrating, even for a seasoned electronics engineer like me.
 
It may be a blessing that you don't have BT built into your PC.  You don't have to disable it to run other BT devices with dongles.  Let me give you one tip.  The Harmony software looks a lot like prototype software written by a hardware manufacturer to demonstrate their device to an OEM in hopes they will use their hardware in a PC, BT headphone, wireless speaker, and etc.  CSR wanted to make Aptx the standard for audio streaming.  Previously they used the Aptx codec in a product known as BlueCore.  I don't think the Harmony software was ever made to include other BT profiles, just to demonstrate the Aptx codec and its latency.  As you have witnessed, Aptx does a great job with audio streaming, almost as good as a wire.  OEMs have the ability to build a wireless BT interface using the Aptx codec for the A2DP profile.  OEMs can also add other BT profiles to their device to support other wireless clients like printers, keyboards, mice, and other things.  There are approximately 20 different profiles in the BT spec.  What Azio has done is build a BT dongle which runs the CSR BT stack, when installed, and nothing more that I know.  You have mentioned that if you don't install the CSR BT stack, then the Azio dongle does give you some other profiles.  My guess is that these profiles come from the Operating System.  They may work well or they may be slow and buggy.  You've mentioned that Aptx works well with some mobile phones.  This is due to the fact that the mobile phone OEM purchased the CSR codec (Aptx) and customized the BT stack for their mobile phone.  You will notice that these mobile phones run the AVRCP profile that allows the phone to communicate with who ever they're connected to providing such services as volume control, advance to next track, answer phone, pause, and etc.  This was done by the mobile phone manufacturer.
 
My guess is that A2DP streaming will run with very good SQ without the CSR Aptx codec on the Azio dongle.  You can test this easily on your laptop using the Azio dongle with CSR Aptx, and without it.  I have several Aptx sinks, such as, speakers, headphones, and BT receivers.  The SQ and latency are very good just running the BT stack built into my Microsoft Surface Pro 2.  I only have one source for my Aptx, the Azio dongle.  I'm hoping for more in the future when I buy smartphones and tablets.
 
Your issues with the CSR Aptx codec seems to be limited to your PC.  You shouldn't blame Azio or CSR, but rather your PC manufacturer.  Had they included CSR Aptx BT with your laptop, then you wouldn't have the problems you are experiencing.  Life would be good for you.  After all, your mobile phone manufacturer got it right with Aptx, certainly they could have also gotten it right.

 

[Giogio]

Well, not exactly. The BT profiles are the same, with or without the CSR Stack installed.
Or at least, the ones I use (A2DP and HID).
SO, I can listen to music with my headphones and use my mouse too.
When I install the stack from CSR the difference is that I have BETTER audio (so, the answer to your guess is no. The audio streaming of the Azio without Aptx is bad), and I have the conflict with my mouse, because the CSR software takes the mouse away from the system and closes it in its own stack where it is not recognized by the Logitech Software itself.
 
I do not think we can really think like that about notebooks manufacturers.
Of course they would make us all a favour (us, who know what music is like, with Aptx, or with AAC, or with Airplay, etc. Us, who can distinguish the quality of the bass of a Fidelio M2BT from the squality of the bass of a Beats Studio Wireless).
But maybe there are not enough us to make them pay CSR for us.
And, these are anyway tow different things.
It is, yes, true, that it would be  better for us to have native Aptx on our notebooks.
It is though also true that the support of CSR is bad, that they are absolutely unfriendly and inflexible, that they discontinued the ONLY STACK AVAILABLE FOR THE ONLY DONGLES AVAILABLE which can bring Aptx to consumers, and this is NOT ok.
And it is also true that the support of Azio sucks very badly and that they are an extremely untrustworthy company, which sells a product with a discontinued buggy software, which does not answer support requests, which gives false info about their products (like the 80ft of range which are MAX 40), etc etc etc.
 
The Sennheiser Dongle for those who really want a Dongle (but beware of its low range, max 30ft), and the 3.5stereo jack  BT adapters (like the Avantree one) for all other people.
 
**** Azio, and **** the bad company policies of CSR.
(I normally do not say **** so much but I kind of like how it sounds near the words Azio and CSR).

 

[Class D]

Hi Giogio,
 
The Aptx software, Harmony, that comes with the Azio dongle is at best demonstration software intended to showcase the great fidelity and latency of Aptx.  It's my opinion that this combination was given to hundreds of prospective OEMs for all sorts of portable electronics as a reference design and a means to test the codec.  Virtually all mobile phone manufacturers have incorporated the Aptx codec into their BT along with the 4.0 version of the spec to provide the low power consumption features of 4.0, among other things.  Mobile phones are the BT source, just like your laptop.  There are hundreds of Aptx BT receivers (sinks) in the market looking to pair up with Aptx sources (transmitters).  Like your laptop, my desktop has no built-in BT.  This has been a blessing for me.  I just insert the Azio dongle and CSR Aptx comes up.  I have several Aptx sinks that connect gracefully with it under Win 7.  My mouse is wireless, but not BT.  I have no conflicts.  Everything works fast.
 
Computer manufacturers are not known for being innovative.  They have been reluctant to introduce BT wireless features into their products, due to support issues.  They simply can't afford the staff required to troubleshoot BT problems.  I think you ran into similar roadblocks at CSR when you asked questions.  This Neanderthal approach at PC manufacturers is not permanent.  Eventually, their customer base, you included, will want to use their Aptx BT sinks with their desktops and laptops so they can enjoy the fidelity and low latency of their Aptx BT speakers, headphones, and Home Theater receivers and TV's.  Apple PC's already have Aptx.  This is a strategic advantage for them.
 
You can no longer blame CSR.  They have successfully developed an OEM market for their Aptx codec, except for Apple iEverything.  CSR is in the process of being acquired by Qualcomm who services the Android and Windows Phone market with cellular phone chips.  It's my opinion that Qualcomm will continue to support Aptx in all their BT products and create a standard for the industry.  It's not clear if Qualcomm will try to proliferate Aptx into the Neanderthal PC market.  If this becomes the case, then PC users will need to stick to the wire headphone jacks on their products and circumvent wireless issues in their customer base.  However, the trend for the future is to make PC's, Ultrabooks and tablets, totally wireless with USB the only connector to the outside world (except for the power cable to charge the battery).  This pretty much what my Microsoft Surface Pro 2 has along with 3.5 mm jack for headphones, a Display Port connector for additional video, and an SDXHD card slot for additional storage.  Any PC under 3 lbs. will have a similar I/O set up.
 
BTW, my Nokia Lumia 635 will be receiving an update to WP 8.1 soon which includes the Aptx codec.  I think China and Europe already have this update known as Lumia Denim.  I can only guess that Microsoft will include the Aptx codec in future releases of the Windows 8.1 OS, after extensive testing at their OEM customers.  I can use the Aptx codec with my Azio dongle on the Surface Pro 2, but I have to disable the built-in BT  first.  I can re-enable the built-in BT later to get to the supported profiles.  You could probably achieve the same thing by booting up with no BT dongles and later inserting them one at a time, starting with the Azio dongle.  Wait for it to connect with your headphones, then plug in the Logitech dongle for your mouse.  Barring any memory conflicts, it should work.  Let me know.     

 

[Giogio]

Class-D, if your mouse is not Bluetooth, your example makes no sense.
Sorry.
The conflict between CSR Harmony and SetPoint is because my mouse is bluetooth and CSR closes it in its Stack where SetPoint cannot see it anymore.
This is bad programming from CSR.
 
I blame CSR for this and especially for abandoning us all, releasing only ONE Stack, which was NEVER MORE updated in YEARS, and even discontinuing it.
This is just a very poor Customer Care.
Or better said, Customer DO NOT Care.
They just do NOT care about us.
And the way they respond (or mostly do NOT respond) to E-Mails, show very well how  unimportant are we for them.
 
 
Anyway.
For me, discussion closed. Not much more to say.
I thanks you for sure for all precious infos you gave me

 

[Giogio]

  This is not a recommendation YET since I haven't actually received the device yet, but as far as I am aware, the Tosblue X2 is the only device that satisfied my requirements:
 
1/ Bluetooth 3.0 or better. (this was the hard part. Forget about BT 4 for now..)
2/ Apt-X support
3/ Multi-point. You can listen to this device with 2 headsets
4/ Optical in (analogue is cute and all, but I am looking for sound quality..)
 
http://telme2.com/introducing-tosblueX2.html
 
Paid $74 (incl shipping to europe)
 
Key downside: No battery. Not that I personally want this, mine will be velcro'ed to my stereo, but maybe some people want to move around with this stuff.
 
(also bought a LG-BTS1 as the receiver, which indeed also supports Apt-x and BT 3.0.. now hoping the 2 devices will indeed succesfully find eachother)

Apart for the Optical thing, the new Avantree Saturn Pro is also Bluetooth 3, Aptx LOW LATENCY, and can be set as transmitter or receiver. Buy two and you make a repeater. Or one transmitter and one receiver, as you did with these two products.
 
The new Avantree Priva is a Multipoint transmitter, Bluetooth 3, Aptx Low latency.
 
The Avantree, mmm, Roxo I think it is called, is Bluetooth 4, Multipoint, normal Aptx (no low latency). It is a receiver.
 
[EDIT: I have received the Avantree Priva. One first negative thing: it is NOT really multipoint. Or, yes, it is, but in SBC. = you have Aptx only if you connect ONE device. As soon as you connect two, you will be using the old SBC codec. This is not written in their website nor in Amazon where they are direct sellers. It is only written in the manual. Too bad. --- EDIT 2: they received my complaint, apologized, corrected the missing info, and even started asking me how they could improve things. I now appreciate them as a Company for sure.]
 
I think anyway that Bluetooth 3 or 4 or whatever has nothing to do with the BT Range.
What influences the Range is the Class. It can be 1, 2 or three.
The most used is 2, 10 meters.
 
Which kind of range has got your Tosblue?
 
Cheers

 

[Giogio]

Plus, something for iPhone owners:
http://store.kokkia.com/i10stinybluetoothipodtransmitterforipodiphoneipaditouchwithtrueappleauthenticationremotecontrolsandl-6.aspx
and
http://www.amazon.com/JayBird-iSport-Bluetooth-Adapter-iPhone/dp/B002PU9U0O/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
They both can give Aptx to an iPhone.
While this:
http://www.amazon.com/JayBird-uSport-Bluetooth-Adapter-Devices/dp/B002PU9U0E
can be attached to your wired Headphones (if they have detachable calbe) and give them Aptx.
 
Cheers.

 

[Class D]

Hi Giogio,
 
I have a non-BT wireless mouse on my desktop.  I simply plug in the Azio dongle and I have Aptx A2DP.  The wireless mouse isn't a Logitech mouse, nor do I use SetPoint mouse drivers.
 
I have a BT mouse for my Microsoft Surface Pro 2 tablet.  To use the Azio dongle with CSR stack for Aptx, I must first disable the Windows 8.1 BT that's built-in to the tablet.  I then plug in the Azio dongle and connect to an Aptx BT sink device, like my Yamaha yba-11 Bluetooth Wireless Audio Receiver.  This adds low-latency and excellent SQ wirelessly to my tablet while using my Home theater receiver.  I can turn up the volume watching YouTube videos until my ears bleed.  We haven't discussed it here, but the codec, MP4, used by YouTube to decode their audio is absolutely great.  In my opinion, much better than iTunes AAC.  However, iTunes has a built-in equalizer that gives you customizable audio for the audiophile.  Since I also have a Microsoft keyboard cover for my Surface Pro 2, I can get by using the trackpad for my pointer.  If I wish to use my BT mouse instead, then I re-enable the tablet's built-in BT and everything works normally with no conflicts.  For sure this multi-step approach is cumbersome, but it gives me the best of all worlds, given my hardware.
 
I am now convinced that your Logitech SetPoint drivers conflict with the memory space of the Azio dongle.  Therefore, you can't run both simultaneously.  You would need to get advice from Logitech to help you move the SetPoint drivers to another memory location.  This would eliminate the conflicts you are experiencing when you try to use both BT dongles simultaneously.
 
I think your issues are largely self-inflicted due to forcing the CSR Harmony software to work with the Logitech SetPoint software.  Everyone would agree that Azio and CSR support are non-existent or poor at best.  Nevertheless, if you have some understanding how the wonderful world of BT works with PC's, then you can get everything to work with lots of workarounds.  The consumer electronics users want everything to plug-n-play the first time.  With computers this is only possible if manufacturers and Microsoft permit plug-n-play with BT Aptx.  This plug-n-play concept with CSR Aptx already exists with mobile phones and some TV's (Panasonic).
 
Lastly, if you want enhanced range with BT you will need to use a Class 1 device.  However, Class 1 devices are not practical for portable applications, like headphones, as they suck a lot of juice out of tiny batteries.  Having to recharge your headphones every other track of music is not what consumers want.  Nor is it practical to mount a car battery into headphones to give you enhanced range.  If you must have enhanced range for audio, then try Apple's AirPlay.  It's based on WiFi ranges.  It provides great SQ and low-latency.  Unfortunately, there aren't many AirPlay portable devices in the market.  I have one, the Harman Kardon Onyx.  It requires the HK iOS App to control your audio content.  So, you'll need a recent iSomething device.  The Onyx also does DLNA, the Android and Microsoft approach to doing AirPlay with their portable devices.  The Onyx also does CSR Aptx BT and is NFC.  Info on the HK Onyx can be found here:
 
http://www.harmankardon.com/estore/hk/us/products/Onyx/HKONYX_HK_US    

 

[turbobb]

@Giogio - I too couldn't get Logitech's SetPoint to work properly w/CSR's S/W (this was with either the Azio or Orico AptX dongles). Basically it wouldn't display the advanced features to customize my K810 keyboard (this was on Win7 64 and then later 8.1 PC). I had to revert to connecting the K810 to a Kinivo (that doesn't feature AptX) and my BT cans to the Azio.
 
@Class D - In my case it's not that the SetPoint won't run w/the CSR stack, it does, but for whatever reason, the advanced features are not enabled/supported. It's almost as if the Azio/Orico aren't loading the correct BT driver.