If you stream audio on an Android equipment to apair of phone , it ’s potential that the aptX codec will be the mucilage maintain your peregrine equipment and headphones together . Here ’s everything you take about getting better audio quality from your mobile twist .
In the last several year , a number of smartphone manufacturers have dropped the headphone jack from their devices . The ability to go telegram - devoid when hear to euphony has become more of import , in particular when you ’re inevitably probable to lose the fiddly wire adapter that comes in the box or find that the pumped pair of headphones gets damage and faulty over prison term .
The job is that , traditionally , the audio calibre of wireless music has n’t challenge its pumped-up counterpart , and for many audiophiles , it never will . But there are technologies available that looking to end the gap and spearheading the charge for well wakeless calibre over a Bluetooth connection is Qualcomm ’s aptX codec .
You ’ll have notice aptX note in our reappraisal for headphones , soundbarsandwireless speakers . It ’s a wide used Bluetooth codec for Android devices , but if you ’re not sure what it think of or what advantages it could imply , we ’ve got you cover with everything you need to eff .
What is aptX?
AptX is a wireless audio codec used to compress and decompress music when streaming via Bluetooth . Think of it as the packaging of your audio bundle , while Bluetooth A2DP ( the most commonly used Bluetooth profile for audio ) is the messenger that delivers it .
AptX was first develop in the 1980s as part of a result project channel out at Queen ’s University Belfast . It then went into commercial-grade production in the 1990s – take by DTSand Steven Spielberg to record audio for 5.1 digital playback for Spielberg film such as Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan – before it was acquired by chipset manufacturer Qualcomm in 2015 .
As of 2009 , aptX was being applied to consumer electronics , and it has go on to be follow by some century of leading audio mark .
It ’s an upgrade on the standard lossy SBC ( Subband Coding ) codec , which tends to suffer Bluetooth A2DP medicine transfer at something like 256kbits / sec . To parse that in easier to understand terms , your gadget might be transport out serious - quality audio files , but you wo n’t be hearing well than MP3 character at the other end .
AptX fare about in an attempt to commute that . It uses an improved proprietary compression to squelch the euphony down to a size that ’s similar to SBC , but while keeping more of the audio ’s original frequency reach .
This promise a “ CD - like ” contagion of your music , although the concretion it expend means it ca n’t quite mimic the 16 - bit/44.1kHz quality you ’ll hear on a compact disc .
It does help to keep latency to a minimum compared to SBC , however . That ’s particularly useful for keep dialogue in sync when you ’re watching video , and it should sound better as a resolution .
What about aptX HD?
In an attempt to meliorate Bluetooth speech sound , Qualcomm launched aptX HD in 2016 . This forebode to bid support for wireless mellow - res audio frequency , up to 24 - bit/48kHz .
Despite its “ well than CD ” self-praise , technically it ’s still a lossy formatting , due to bandwidth restrictions that make it impossible to apply lossless encipher at every step .
However , it ’s still conceive “ near lossless ” , since it asseverate gamey - res qualities such as a active range of at least 120dB and audio frequency up to 20kHz .
It also promises a lower signal - to - noise proportion through encoding and decoding , less distortion and requires less processing king too , so it wo n’t enfeeble as much of your barrage fire .
Qualcomm has n’t stopped at aptX - HD either . In the years that keep an eye on the sack of the aptX - HD have come aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless , which claims to deliver lossless CD - quality audio over Bluetooth . AptX Lossless is part of Qualcomm’sSnapdragon Sound ecosystem , which is set to launch afterward in 2022 .
Who supports aptX?
What will annoy some about aptX ( and also , aptX HD ) is that it need both a decoder and a receiver to work .
That entail that both your reference gadget ( whatever is post the sound recording via Bluetooth ) , and the gadget on which you ’re get it ( be it a loudspeaker system or a pair of headphones ) , must corroborate the engineering for it to work .
That mean most Apple sports fan are out of luck ( Macs support aptX , but iPhone and iPad do not ) , since the company does n’t acknowledge it . The majority of Android smartphones do , however , as will a quite a little of wireless medicine players .
If it ’s the best in audio timber you want , then aptX HD is still playing a spot of snatch - up . However , there ’s plenty of brands that support the streaming applied science , with the likes of Sennheiser , Beyerdynamic , Audio - Technica , Bowers & Wilkins , Master & Dynamic , Pro - Ject and Bang & Olufsen add up aptX - HD to their gimmick .
What are the alternatives to aptX?
Of naturally , aptX is n’t the only codec trying to give wireless audio quality a boost .
Apple apply the better quality AAC ( Advanced Audio Coding ) instead of SBC , which – just like aptX – requires AAC - support headphones to get the benefit . It ’s still lossy but contract the fight to regular aptX for the amount of information it ’s able-bodied to transport .
As for something that ’s in the same space as aptX HD , we have to front to Sony ’s LDAC format . It ’s able of convey around three time more data than stock SBC , and can support wireless music up to 24 - bit/96kHz – so it can hit a higher level than aptX - HD ’s 24 - bit/48kHz .
Even at this higher level , it remain a lossy formatting like the rest period of them , due to the amount of compression required to channelise such large Indian file – but it ’s closer than previous attempts .
That ’s because Sony says LDAC add to the chip - charge per unit of A2DP so as to channel more information than would usually be allow – deal up to 990kbits / sec at its highest quality .
This have in mind CD - quality euphony should be transferred losslessly without pain in the ass , but high - res file will fall a little short of their original glory . They ’ll still sound far better than received Bluetooth , though .
To get LDAC , you ’ll postulate compatible hardware . And since it ’s a Sony concept , it ’s piddling surprise that the majority of kit featuring bread and butter for the data format descend from the Japanese manufacturer itself . However , LDAC is now baked into the Android political platform with the majority of Android smartphones able to at least tolerate transmission of mellow timber audio .
That does have in mind that iOS is left out in the frigid ( again ) , but also do n’t take LDAC ’s wide support to mean that every headphone or wireless speaker have the Bluetooth codec . It ’s much more of a selective , case - by - shell cornerstone . Sony ’s latest headphones support it , as do some of their soundbars , and a routine of other brands such as Audio - Technica and Oppo include it in their headphones .
LDAC is , at least growing in popularity , so it ’s likely to give aptX - HD a near nudge – but we ’re awaiting with interest what wave Snapdragon Sound could make when it reaches the mart .
