Audio quality is becoming more and more important among consumers when choosing one or another new mobile, as we have seen in technologies like this. Although, it will also be important to know which are the best that we can find on a smartphone.
What is a codec?
Basically, and speaking in terms of software, the codecs mainly mark how the information is transmitted. As we will see later, the weight of LDAC is higher, being able to send three times more data than in a normal connection of this type of connectivity. These are in charge of setting how the data is encrypted for later transmission wirelessly. Although, there are others who will get improve sound via bluetooth to a greater extent.
Therefore, when a certain bit rate is used, the sound quality of the device is being affected. This means, for example, that the lower the rate, the easier it will be to transmit later, but the negative side is that it will be heard worse. And, if it is the opposite, we will have a better quality, although a greater bandwidth will be needed. For this reason, codecs allow us to maintain a good balance.
Activate the LDAC codec of the mobile
The main difference from LDAC technology, which is usually implemented Sony on their mobile phones and high-resolution music players (because that’s who developed it), is that they can be send three times more data than a normal Bluetooth connection. This means that we can listen to high-resolution music, with much higher quality and, therefore, more weight.
In fact, if normally with a Bluetooth aptX connection we can send audio at 330kbps, in the case of LDAC we can do it at 990kbpsthree more times.
Well, many of our mobiles are factory compatible, in their processor and components, with this LDAC audio codec, but not all manufacturers have enabled it. At the moment that this is the case, as has happened with Xiaomi mobiles, or as can also be done with other mobiles on the market, such as Sony, we can activate this data sending protocol in this way, since there are many of the that Android mobiles have.
To do this, the first thing we must do is connect bluetooth headset or the wireless speaker to the smartphone, then we can proceed to do the following:
- We enter the settings> About the phone or About the phone> press 7 times on the build number.
- Now we select options for developers.
- Within these options we go to the settings of this connectivity.
- Click on the ‘Bluetooth Audio Codec’ tab.
- Finally, check the box for the LDAC option.
As you have seen, by default this is not the Bluetooth audio codec used by the phone, but if we know that it is supported by our manufacturer, we will notice a big difference when playing audio. Otherwise, we will not notice anything at all.
On the other hand, in order to enjoy High-Resolution Audio on wireless headphones, we’ll need to know if the headphones are LDAC-compliantOtherwise, we will not notice any difference either. That is, we will not get improve the sound of bluetooth headsets connected to mobile.
It just changes back
There are not a few users who have written to us letting us know that they suffer from this problem, that is, even if they change the Bluetooth audio codec, as soon as they leave this developer options menu, they see how it changes by itself.
Luckily for us, there is a solution that has also worked for many users affected by this little ‘glitch’. We just have to go back to the previous menu and select the option ‘Enable optional codecs‘. From there, all the options you modify will be saved on your smartphone.
But keep in mind that for LDAC to work on your phone, the headphones that you connect wirelessly to the mobile must be compatible with this technology. Otherwise, as we had previously warned you, it will be of no use because nothing will change.
In other cases, they have been able to solve it by changing the settings of the Bluetooth headphones or speakers. Inside, from the connection quality settings. So here it will depend on each device and its own configuration.
the different types
Now is the time to see the different types that we can find, since there are several technologies present in the smartphone market, which will make us achieve hear better headphones Bluetooth that connect to the mobile.
SBC
In this case, we are dealing with a technology that uses the A2DP standard (Advance Audio Distribution Profile). When it is working, it processes a signal and divides it into different frequencies, and in turn encodes them independently. In addition, it is the one that usually comes by default on most Android phones. The least liked side is that it will not offer us the best quality of all that we will see below. Basically because it has significant data loss.
aptX
Here we find several variants that have been developed over the years. All of these have been developed by Qualcomm, the well-known smartphone processor company. In this case, we will notice a significant improvement in the sound via Bluetooth, since it achieves a transmission with very little loss of information. Among its types we will find the following codecs: aptX, aptX LL, aptX HD, aptX Adaptive or aptX TWS+.
ACC
This technology could be another of the best options, if we compare it with the SBC codec. In addition, we can also find it in many headphones or speakers. The main drawback is found in its energy needs, that is, it will consume quite a lot of the battery of the device to use it.
LHDC and LLAC
These two codecs are capable of achieving a bit rate three times higher than SBCThey are also low latency. In this case, they have been developers by Hi-Res Wireless Audio (HWA). In addition, these are supported by smartphones that have a version of Android 10 onwards.
Scalable Codec
We are before a codec developed by the manufacturer Samsung, which began to implement it from the launch of its Galaxy Buds. Even though. In addition, it was developed together with AKG in order to guide you to the stability in the transfer of information. So by prioritizing stability, users can achieve a more satisfying result. The negative side is that it would be the most appropriate option if we had both a smartphone from the South Korean firm, as well as headphones from this brand, of course.