Bluetooth

[manicm]

It may deserve some respect yet. I'm putting this topic in the hi-fi section because of the generality of my post.

The new Sennheiser HDB 630 is only really notable for one part which is seperate, can be bought separately and works universally - its Bluetooth dongle BTD 700. This permits aptX Lossless, which on paper at least is superior to LDAC. It connects to phones and PCs but not meant for TVs.

What makes it notable is twofold. Very few Android phones support aptX Lossless, not even the latest Google Pixel 10. And of course, no iPhones support aptX of any kind. This really is a must for iPhone users who use costly 3rd party headphones like the B&W Px7, for example. It's 45 GBP

Which leads me to the new KEF Coda W active/powered speakers. It's larger than the LSX variants, and looks like the Q Series. Yet it's cheaper on account of its wi-fi omission, but offers the said Bluetooth connection, built in custom phono stage, HDMI and 100w per channel. It's very compelling at 800 quid. But you'd really want to get that dongle, if you don't want an extra streaming box.

 

[Jasonovich]

It may deserve some respect yet. I'm putting this topic in the hi-fi section because of the generality of my post.

The new Sennheiser HDB 630 is only really notable for one part which is seperate, can be bought separately and works universally - its Bluetooth dongle BTD 700. This permits aptX Lossless, which on paper at least is superior to LDAC. It connects to phones and PCs but not meant for TVs.

What makes it notable is twofold. Very few Android phones support aptX Lossless, not even the latest Google Pixel 10. And of course, no iPhones support aptX of any kind. This really is a must for iPhone users who use costly 3rd party headphones like the B&W Px7, for example. It's 45 GBP

Which leads me to the new KEF Coda W active/powered speakers. It's larger than the LSX variants, and looks like the Q Series. Yet it's cheaper on account of its wi-fi omission, but offers the said Bluetooth connection, built in custom phono stage, HDMI and 100w per channel. It's very compelling at 800 quid. But you'd really want to get that dongle, if you don't want an extra streaming box.

AptX sounds promising. I suspect the next wave of top end Android phones will have this feature.
iPhone will get it shortly afterwards and will be touted as the most revolutionary since the invention of the wheel.
Oh Kef Coda with the flashy stripes was my first speaker, cost about £70 back then 😊

 

[matthewpianist]

In my teaching days I had a pair of KEF Coda 8s in the classroom. One of them got knocked onto the floor and promptly fell apart into a number of pieces. I wouldn't expect anything to survive the fall, but that proved to be a particularly cheaply built thing. I once knocked a Mordaunt-Short MS902i off a stand at home, and it more or less bounced with just some damage to one corner.

 

[manicm]

AptX sounds promising. I suspect the next wave of top end Android phones will have this feature.
iPhone will get it shortly afterwards and will be touted as the most revolutionary since the invention of the wheel.
Oh Kef Coda with the flashy stripes was my first speaker, cost about £70 back then 😊

iPhone will most likely never adopt aptX as they're designing everything in house. I'd expect them to develop their own version specifically for Apple products. They already have their own spatial audio.

Note, aptX actually deviates from the Bluetooth standard.

 

[Jasonovich]

iPhone will most likely never adopt aptX as they're designing everything in house. I'd expect them to develop their own version specifically for Apple products. They already have their own spatial audio.

Note, aptX actually deviates from the Bluetooth standard.

So true, they have FLAC but call it ALAC!

 

[Vincent Kars]

iPhone will most likely never adopt aptX as they're designing everything in house.

There's an exception to this rule. Apple uses AAC as Bluetooth codec. AAC is not developed or owned by Apple but by Fraunhofer & Co.

Note, aptX actually deviates from the Bluetooth standard.

Really?
The standard says SBC is mandatory but manufacturers are at liberty to add their own codec.

 

[manicm]

There's an exception to this rule. Apple uses AAC as Bluetooth codec. AAC is not developed or owned by Apple but by Fraunhofer & Co.


Really?
The standard says SBC is mandatory but manufacturers are at liberty to add their own codec.

Firstly, AAC is a variation of MP3 which was developed and owned by Fraunhofer. AAC was developed by the MPEG Group, and NOT Fraunhofer who actually invented MP3 and then stopped developing it years later. The AAC encoder in Apple software was, however, developed by Apple itself. It's a pity the Fraunhofer encoder is not used by EAC et al, as it sounded superior than LAME.

Second. Qualcomm themselves have recently stated that the latest aptX codecs do not strictly adhere to Bluetooth standards, but still transparent to the end-user.

And I repeat, Apple are never going to adopt aptX, because of licensing from Qualcomm, in keeping with their walled garden approach. They've even developed their own phone modems.

 

[Rodolfo]

No iteration of aptX that I know of is "superior to LDAC", except perhaps "on (Qualcomm?) paper", though I have not read that anywhere.

LDAC has been available for several years on most any Android device -phones, tablets, etc.- produced with Android 9 and later. Each android device has to be checked on whether it is equipped with a version of aptX. Microsoft Copilot identifies some selected devices that support aptX lossless, including some Sony Xperia phones, reportedly and ironically. My Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact was equipped with both codecs, but I used that phone when I was still a wired-only snob, so I never thought of using either, let alone comparing them. I still have the phone, but I have no aptX -equipped anything.

It may deserve some respect yet. I'm putting this topic in the hi-fi section because of the generality of my post.

The new Sennheiser HDB 630 is only really notable for one part which is seperate, can be bought separately and works universally - its Bluetooth dongle BTD 700. This permits aptX Lossless, which on paper at least is superior to LDAC. It connects to phones and PCs but not meant for TVs.

What makes it notable is twofold. Very few Android phones support aptX Lossless, not even the latest Google Pixel 10. And of course, no iPhones support aptX of any kind. This really is a must for iPhone users who use costly 3rd party headphones like the B&W Px7, for example. It's 45 GBP

Which leads me to the new KEF Coda W active/powered speakers. It's larger than the LSX variants, and looks like the Q Series. Yet it's cheaper on account of its wi-fi omission, but offers the said Bluetooth connection, built in custom phono stage, HDMI and 100w per channel. It's very compelling at 800 quid. But you'd really want to get that dongle, if you don't want an extra streaming box.

 

[manicm]

No iteration of aptX that I know of is "superior to LDAC", except perhaps "on (Qualcomm?) paper", though I have not read that anywhere.

LDAC has been available for several years on most any Android device -phones, tablets, etc.- produced with Android 9 and later. Each android device has to be checked on whether it is equipped with a version of aptX. Microsoft Copilot identifies some selected devices that support aptX lossless, including some Sony Xperia phones, reportedly and ironically. My Sony Xperia XZ1 Compact was equipped with both codecs, but I used that phone when I was still a wired-only snob, so I never thought of using either, let alone comparing them. I still have the phone, but I have no aptX -equipped anything.

aptX Lossless has a potential higher bitrate than LDAC. Google.

 

[Al ears]

aptX Lossless has a potential higher bitrate than LDAC. Google.

The key word is potentially.....

 

[manicm]

The key word is potentially.....

Yes, LDAC's bitrate is also potentially as it will adapt as it sees fit.

 

[Rodolfo]

aptX Lossless has a potential higher bitrate than LDAC. Google.

Google: no wonder... 😉

I don't know of any caps on the "potential" of Bluetooth or any wireless sound. Readers may want to review the Wikipedia pages of the various Bluetooth hi-res-sound competitors (current ones only) to learn about -not search for- their capacities.

LDAC was released in 2015 (only), and the first aptX in 2009; so, one could say the latter developer has had the "potential" longer -and especially continuously for a decade. 😉

 

[Al ears]

Google: no wonder... 😉

I don't know of any caps on the "potential" of Bluetooth or any wireless sound. Readers may want to review the Wikipedia pages of the various Bluetooth hi-res-sound competitors (current ones only) to learn about -not search for- their capacities.

LDAC was released in 2015 (only), and the first aptX in 2009; so, one could say the latter developer has had the "potential" longer -and especially continuously for a decade. 😉

I don't think capabilities in that sense of age makes any difference in this case.