Bluetooth and sound quality

[Barnaby]

Hi all

 

I had been toying with Apple Music as I read AAC sounds better from an iPhone through Bluetooth as it's AAC and MP3 and the Spotify Org thing are both mangled by non Aptx bluetooth.

 

Anyway following advice on an Apple forum I decided AM wasn't for me as it seems to jeopardise sound quality on files ripped from CDs on eg, ALAF format on any Apple device using icloud music storage. I also was told AAC had no advantage for me as I only use B/T for connecting to my car audio and that it was almost certainly not equipped to deal with AAC receiving over B/T so I decided to stay with Spotify. 

 

However, it seems ALAF and other higher quality files are always going to be translated down into poor quality compressed files when streamed with Bluetooth on any device and no matter what I do it's not going to be better. I am wondering if theres any solution to this or whether I just need to get a cable.

 

Thanks

[Ralf11]

still no answers?

 

I am also curious about the SQ of Bluetooth, so will just extend this existing thread...

[Cebolla]

The tumbleweeds should have been enough of a clue, unless you really are interested in only streaming with lossy audio codecs.

[Melvin]

There's been quite an improvement in Bluetooth sound quality since aptX HD landed and even more so with LDAC. I use an EarStudio ES100 and Pixel 2 for mobile and both are capable of aptX HD and LDAC. To me, using LDAC sounds like a wired connection. 

[Cebolla]

Lossy hi-res audio is still lossy. Where's the lossless standard CD 16/44.1kHz resolution Bluetooth audio option, never mind hi-res audio?

 

Statements such as "near lossless", "effectively maintaining original bit-depth & frequency" and the MQA imitating, "lossless music quality", don't count.

[Melvin]

3 hours ago, Cebolla said:

Lossy hi-res audio is still lossy. Where's the lossless standard CD 16/44.1kHz resolution Bluetooth audio option, never mind hi-res audio?

 

Statements such as "near lossless", "effectively maintaining original bit-depth & frequency" and the MQA imitating, "lossless music quality", don't count.

 

True, but progress has been made in the sound quality department especially with LDAC. For me, Bluetooth is all about being mobile so I don't care if it does lossless. Sure, it would be nice but for much of my mobile listening (planes, trains, automobiles) the increase in fidelity would be lost on me due to ambient noise. At home, I never use Bluetooth. 

[mansr]

4 minutes ago, Melvin said:

True, but progress has been made in the sound quality department especially with LDAC. For me, Bluetooth is all about being mobile so I don't care if it does lossless. Sure, it would be nice but for much of my mobile listening (planes, trains, automobiles) the increase in fidelity would be lost on me due to ambient noise. At home, I never use Bluetooth. 

Indeed. All the modern Bluetooth codecs (aptX, AAC, LDAC) are good enough for mobile use. In any kind of vehicle, the background noise makes the slight loss imperceptible, if it was ever detectable to begin with. At home, there's really no need for Bluetooth anyway.

 

That said, it's a bit silly that Bluetooth doesn't support uncompressed PCM at all. The bandwidth with BT 2.0 EDR is sufficient for CD quality audio.

[Ralf11]

maybe Bt 5 will support uncompressed PCM?

 

I understand that current Bt is plenty fast enough; but I am wondering about the quality of the circuits/designs used in the devices that implement Bt...

 

I am specifically interested in Bt for car audio uses.

[mansr]

2 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

I am wondering about the quality of the circuits/designs used in the devices that implement Bt...

They suck. All of them.

[One and a half]

4 hours ago, mansr said:

They suck. All of them.

I wouldn't have thought a subjective answer from the GUTB school was possible?

[mansr]

9 hours ago, One and a half said:

I wouldn't have thought a subjective answer from the GUTB school was possible?

That was a purely objective assessment.