Database Users

What's better to use, aptX HD, aptX or SBC for Bluetooth?

The OnePlus 5 has those 3 options but I do not know the difference between them or which is best to use. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

+1

Both the phone and Bluetooth device have to support AptX for it to work, so often your issue resolved by that.
AptX will provide better sound than SBC. SBC is the default codec used by the A2DP Bluetooth profile.
So, in short, if your headphones/speakers have AptX, use that. If they don't, SBC.

What happens if you choose aptX if your device doesn't support it?

yubimusubi said:
What happens if you choose aptX if your device doesn't support it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It will probably just switch to SBC so the connection will work, as that's the baseline standard in Bluetooth. I couldn't say with absolute certainty, as my OP5 hasn't arrived yet.
AptX is a proprietary thing - someone other than the Bluetooth consortium developed it and licenses it. That's why not everything has it - you have to pay to use it in the products you make. They created AptX because the default Bluetooth audio profile pretty much sucks when you start to examine how it butchers bit depth and sample rates just to cram audio data across a low power wireless signal.
On the flip side of that coin - yeah, AptX is better (and I'd use it if both devices supported it) but the audio quality differences are probably not going to readily apparent when listening to $20 to $50 Bluetooth devices. It's been my experience that it takes a somewhat trained ear and better-than-good equipment to be able to easily spot the difference. So, if you're an audiophile, you probably already know to stay away from Bluetooth for the best quality sound. If you're not an audiophile, try to use the best Bluetooth profile you can, but don't sweat it too much.

The A2DP profile is negociated at pairing and the best supported by both devices is picked (SBC < AptX < AptX HD). Problem is that the codec is just one link in the whole daisy chain. Other equally important aspects:
- music source quality (don't expect 128 kbps CBR mp3 to sound good)
- DAC and amplifier (each and every sound system that converts bits to sound has these!)
- speakers (from those in IEM's to those in BT boom boxes - they are all speakers)
So just that you're using AptX doesn't imply you are listening to high quality sound and probably implementing AptX and putting its logo on the product is the cheapest and least development intensive way to raise the price of a product.
Just my two (euro) cents...

Hi,
The question here is how the phone behaves when a higher quality codec has been selected (eg aptX) and a standard bluetooth headset (SBC - only )has been connected?
So far it seems to work (but then the question is why there is a selection available)
Best Regards
Joerg

My wild guess is that tis setting acts like a low-pass filter threshold. The phone will negotiate the highest available option without going above setting.
If the setting is AptX, the phone and speaker support AptX HD, the connection will be made at AptX quality. If the speaker only supports SBC, the connection will be made with SBC.
Honestly I don't see the point in such a setting. 99% of the people would want the best quality available anyway.

Is there a power consumption difference?
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

daniel_loft said:
My wild guess is that tis setting acts like a low-pass filter threshold. The phone will negotiate the highest available option without going above setting.
If the setting is AptX, the phone and speaker support AptX HD, the connection will be made at AptX quality. If the speaker only supports SBC, the connection will be made with SBC.
Honestly I don't see the point in such a setting. 99% of the people would want the best quality available anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It makes sense to have the setting *if* for some reason you want to force SBC or the non-HD aptX. I have it set to aptX HD right now and it seems to work with my car (I'm about 95% sure it doesn't support aptX).
The real question is, if it fails back appropriately, why on Earth would OnePlus set the *default* to SBC?

@aa_chow: There surely is a consumption difference. SBC was designed decades ago with low computational complexity in mind (among others). On the current smartphone hardware (which is probably on par with a medium desktop from 5-6 years ago) the difference would be so small that measurements are impossible (you might see a difference on the battery life of the speakers, but I wouldn't loose my time there) .
@yubimusubi: I cannot even find the reason why that setting is even there! It only limits the best usable codec, which makes no sense to me. Maybe you can find more answers on the oneplus forums.

lag
with the sb, i experience music lag from when i have played in 1 minute and it continues, is it low power consumption or something on sbc? I'm gonna try the apex option when i get home to check if its better.

I'm suffering micro breaks on HD audio (320 bitrate MP3) from aptX HD, aptX or SBC.
Is there a way to correct it?
All my files are stored at 320 and I doesn't have time to convert to a bitrate of 128
Edit: No issues with iPhone 7+ and Huawei P10 using the same BT headset and MP3 files

bartito said:
I'm suffering micro breaks on HD audio (320 bitrate MP3) from aptX HD, aptX or SBC.
Is there a way to correct it?
All my files are stored at 320 and I doesn't have time to convert to a bitrate of 128
Edit: No issues with iPhone 7+ and Huawei P10 using the same BT headset and MP3 files
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have an issue on my International LG G6 where it sounds like the 24 bit lossless tracks are essentially dropping frames to borrow a gaming term. Then it will correct itself. It happened on my VW and the problem persists in my wife's new Subaru.
The LG G6 sports Aptx HD. Any ideas?

i prefer aptX but then again ive been using it quite a while now

APTX-HD do not work on One Plus 5. The music hacks constant.

AptX intermittant drops

I recently switched headphones from MDR-XB950BT's to MDR-XB950N1's. I started noticing an intermittent, half-second drop in audio, like what you would hear if you were starting to go out of range of the phone. Both models are almost identical, except for some extra controls and noise cancelling being added to the N1's. With the extra settings disabled, the dropping continues. I didn't realize it before I switched, but they both support the AptX codec (as well as AAC). There is a power-on option for both to start up forcing the 'better' codecs and another to force SBC. Forcing AptX changed nothing, but forcing SBC eliminated the drops. I tried using a Galaxy S8+ (unmodded) and an iPhone 7 and they didn't seem to have the issue. I exchanged the headphones just in case. The replacement set does the same thing.
So, I started changing settings in /etc/bluetooth/bt_stack.conf, turning off everything optional and changing the codec preference order. I found that anything other than SBC causes these audio drops. Checking logcat, I don't see any messages reporting issues with the audio stream. I disabled Viper4Android, which I had read has no ill-effects on AptX anyway, and the issue persists. I switched from roms from WETA to Mega, to even Notsostock, got drops on all of them. I also tried different media players.
I'm stuck. I can't figure out why the old set doesn't have an issue using AptX and I can't seem to get this phone to work properly with the new set. One of the hype points for this phone was AptX HD, which I read is backward compatible, but I can't seem to use it without hearing annoying pauses in audio. Anyone have any ideas on what I could do to fix AptX?
Phone config:
H910 running MegaROM 4.0

I have the Sony WH1000x BT headphones that support Aptx HD. I have no issues. When Aptx HD is in use i get a notification. I use the Onkyo Hi Res music player or the standard LG player. I use the standard ROM.

V20 APT-X Bluetooth Issues

Hi folks, wondering if anyone has dealt with this issue before.
I have a Kenwood KDC-X701 headunit in my Jeep which supports APT-X. I have never had an issue with any of my android phones connecting to the headunit, specifically my Galaxy S5 running LOS 14 nightlies. Always auto-connects and displays APT-X on the headunit (NOT AAC)
I broke the screen on the S5 so I bought an LG V20 (LS997) knowing full well that development has ceased on the V20, with the assumption that a stock ROM will at least be fairly stable.
Enter the issues I am having with my new V20, latest Sprint build 100% stock.
When I let the headunit auto-connect to the V20, it displays APT-X but no audio comes through the head unit unless I initiate a call (no music regardless of application, no google maps audio, etc). After disconnecting the call, it goes back to not passing audio.
If I disable auto-connect on the headunit and manually connect my V20, it connects and displays "AAC" and will play audio without issues.
Now, normally I would say "screw it, I found a workaround", but I tested my S5 and V20 side-by-side with some Modest Mouse FLAC files (through PowerAmp), and APT-X makes a noticeable difference in clarity. The mids/highs sound muddy on the V20 (AAC), and super clear on the S5 (APT-X). Enough so that I spent quite some time debugging it to see if I could figure out what the source of the issue was.
Is this something related to the APT-X HD codec? I spent an hour just now messing with it and I can NOT get the V20 to pass audio when connected via APT-X, but it passes audio just fine via AAC. 100% sure this is the V20 because every other Android I have tried (even my friend's S7, stock VZW), and none of them have this issue!
TL;DR
My V20 won't pass audio using the APT-X codec, but will pass audio using the AAC codec. My head-unit always auto-negotiates APT-X and I have to manually disconnect/reconnect through my V20 to get it to negotiate AAC and pass audio.
Any help/feedback would be greatly appreciated
EDIT:
Here are some pics I took of the actual display
AAC https://photos.app.goo.gl/6urGBAmHOSGTy1Cn1
APT-X https://photos.app.goo.gl/VwgCoSkySW57iVSr1
Driving me mad because I like to just get in the car, hit play on the headunit, and not need to take my phone out of my pocket

Same problem here
This could have just as easily been my post word for word. I got a V20 over the weekend, replaced my old stereo with a x501 so that I could have bluetooth. Took me about a day to figure out that I have to disconnect and reconnect in order to get sound, even thou it is clearly connected via bluetooth and I can see what song is playing on the stereo. I too noticed that this is happening when its using APTX codec, when I disconnect and reconnect it for some reason switches to AAC and works perfectly. Yep, and it's very annoying because I do have to get into you phone and disconnect/reconnect every time I start my car. After that everything works as expected.

investinwaffles said:
My V20 won't pass audio using the APT-X codec, but will pass audio using the AAC codec. My head-unit always auto-negotiates APT-X and I have to manually disconnect/reconnect through my V20 to get it to negotiate AAC and pass audio.
Any help/feedback would be greatly appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you checked online for a firmware update for the radio? I have the kdc-x599 and mine had an update specifically for Bluetooth related issues and mine streams just fine over the aptx codec.

Thanks for the advice! I was actually on a much older firmware version so I went ahead and updated my head unit (from v.109 to v.116) but unfortunately there was no change
I am going to try a full factory reset on the head-unit this weekend but it's not looking promising unfortunately
It is pretty annoying to have to initiate the connection from the phone, especially when you hop in/out of your car like at a gas station and end up not remembering till you are on the road. I was looking for a widget or something that could auto-initiate a specific bluetooth connection instead of having to go into the settings (or toggle bluetooth on/off) but haven't found one.
I really like the concept of the phone and the hardware, but LG is just "not good" at Android. My best advice is for them to run just pure AOSP and fire their OS development team, but hopefully Google will force their hand with Project Treble.
Compounding things further I dug out my S5 with Lineage OS to set it up as a garage phone and remembered how much I miss just pure AOSP (and root access, and no bloatware, and stability)...
I wonder if the KDC-X702 and latest models have the same issue, but confirmed that it was an issue specific to the V20 and it seems futile to change the whole head unit because of the shoddy bluetooth stack in the V20.
So, I will grudgingly deal with the issue and try to push it from my mind every single time I get into my car until I can find a suitable replacement for the V20, but the damn headphone amp has spoiled me which makes it hard. Maybe someone will come out with a nice streamlined Type-C DAC/AMP combo but I am not holding my breath
EDIT:
Last ditch effort - I am going to send an email to both Kenwood and LG tech support to try and get some engineering assistance.
I know LG is going to write me off, but Kenwood seems actively engaged in development (last firmware update for the KDC-X701 was March 15th, just days ago). It's not on their end of the equations so I am not sure what they can do anyways

@investinwaffles
Is your phone rooted? That sounds kinda similar to the issue of using certain audio mods or tweaks on the V20. I use Viper and to activate the mod over Bluetooth I have to use an app created by WETA that basically forces a phone call so it can activate the effects. My TMobile version doesn't have any problem playing over aptx on mine regardless of audio mod though but it sounds kinda similar.

KUSOsan said:
@investinwaffles
Is your phone rooted? That sounds kinda similar to the issue of using certain audio mods or tweaks on the V20. I use Viper and to activate the mod over Bluetooth I have to use an app created by WETA that basically forces a phone call so it can activate the effects. My TMobile version doesn't have any problem playing over aptx on mine regardless of audio mod though but it sounds kinda similar.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, I am 100% stock, Sprint ZVD firmware (latest update)

Mine is stock and I did update the firmware on the headunit(x501) to 116, this is what Kenwood told me which I tried with no luck...
I recommend that you initialize the Bluetooth settings, reset the unit, and verify the firmware is up to date. Simply press the volume knob to enter FUNCTION, turn the knob and select BT MODE, INITIALIZE, and YES. You may then remove the faceplate and press the small button on the radio with a paper clip or ball point pen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Once i told them this did not work they asked me this...
I recommend that you pair and connect a different device to confirm if you are experiencing a compatibility issue or if the unit needs to be serviced. For testing purposes try a phone manufactured by a different brand or one listed on the Bluetooth compatibility list.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
None of the phones on their list support aptx, they are all very old phones. What I don't understand is why does it try to use aptx only when the headunit boots, then it will switch to AAC when I disconnect and reconnect bluetooth from the phone. If the phone is setup to use aptx, wouldn't try to negotiate aptx everytime it connects? Anyway, AAC works but its a hassle every time I jump in and out of the car. Is this just an issue with the LG V20 or Kenwood? I dont' have any other bluetooth devices that use aptx to test with... and since other phone I have only use aac I can verify the headunit either.
On a side note, I also have issues with hand mode. when I connect the phone via usb it will only provide power. I have spent no time troubleshooting this so it could be as simple as a cable issues. I was curious if you have connected the LG V20 via usb and been able to use hand mode?

@G2T
Do you have a Sprint variant as well?
I have a T-Mobile variant and a Kenwood unit and I have no issues with using aptx. Mine doesn't display the codec on the unit but I have used logcat to verify that it doesn't switch back to aac as I've had Bluetooth issues before on a certain TMobile firmware

I have AT&T

Aptx (not aptx hd) - any successful examples?

Has anyone successfully connected aptx?
I never managed to successfully connect to aptx. I browsed some forums and it seems there are no indications that it connects.
I have a homespot receiver, and it shows a green light if aptx is activated. My Sony phone works (green light shows), but not v20 (no green light).
Sent from my LG-H990 using Tapatalk

thesuperdoedoe said:
Has anyone successfully connected aptx?
I never managed to successfully connect to aptx. I browsed some forums and it seems there are no indications that it connects.
I have a homespot receiver, and it shows a green light if aptx is activated. My Sony phone works (green light shows), but not v20 (no green light).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the T-Mobile H918 and I've successfully connected to 2 or 3 different devices using the aptx protocol. 2 we're headsets and the 3rd is my car stereo and none had any indications such as lights or whatever that the aptx was being used so I had to use Catlog to see. There is another thread somewhere on here with 2 people (Sprint and att model if I recall) having issues with aptx as well so perhaps it's related

We really have to wait for Oreo to really know whether APTX is used or not

I'm using my Sony MDR-1000xm2 with AptX HD right now. My Sony App also says that AptX HD is enabled and I got a notification as well. Sound is awesome. Works flawlessly. Stock Nougat Rom. No root.

See attachments. With oreo we also should get the LDAC codec right with the system. It is definitely using the AptX codex because if I'm using another equalizer settings AptXHD will be disabled. Even if I'm not changing the settings a lot the sound difference is a lot. So in pretty sure that the v20 is using AptX and AptX HD

how to get sound better?

Hi guys.
A friend of mine who is good into sound stuff, headphones ,dacs etc recommended me this phone just so I can get better sound over bluetooth and other wired headphones.
I used S7 edge with some average bluetooth buds and got average sound.
Now I got this device,in used condition and I think I have even worse sound then with my S7 edge.
Dolby Atmos is enabled and I'm on Android 7.1.
I expected even better sound over speakers,which is nice but kinda lacks a lot of bass,and sound stages.
Even speakers on my tablet Samsung S5e are way much better in sound.
Yeah sound is nice with my Beyerdynamics MMX300 Gen 2 but so is the sound with them on my S7 edge.
I mean I am not impressed at all with this phone so I thought to ask, maybe I need some other ROM,software etc,huh?
Help is appreciated.
I use mostly average quality bluetooth earbuds,and listen to trance music.
I can name the devices if it's important.

paparazzo79 said:
Hi guys.
A friend of mine who is good into sound stuff, headphones ,dacs etc recommended me this phone just so I can get better sound over bluetooth and other wired headphones.
I used S7 edge with some average bluetooth buds and got average sound.
Now I got this device,in used condition and I think I have even worse sound then with my S7 edge.
Dolby Atmos is enabled and I'm on Android 7.1.
I expected even better sound over speakers,which is nice but kinda lacks a lot of bass,and sound stages.
Even speakers on my tablet Samsung S5e are way much better in sound.
Yeah sound is nice with my Beyerdynamics MMX300 Gen 2 but so is the sound with them on my S7 edge.
I mean I am not impressed at all with this phone so I thought to ask, maybe I need some other ROM,software etc,huh?
Help is appreciated.
I use mostly average quality bluetooth earbuds,and listen to trance music.
I can name the devices if it's important.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly audio quality over 3.5mm jack is so good on this phone that I still havent found a successor to it. Using it as my daily. In order to get best audio follow this:
First disable Dolby Atmos. It really does not improve the sound, more the opposite. Then check in Audio / HiFi settings that "Super" mode is activated. This will enable AKM4490 chip.
Bluetooth Audio depends on your buds and not your phone. Just make sure in developer options that best available codec is activates. On Sony buds you can enable LDAC (needs Andrioid 8.0 or newer) to get best quality. But no bluetooth buds can match the quality of 3.5mm jack on this phone.

TruePlaya1977 said:
Honestly audio quality over 3.5mm jack is so good on this phone that I still havent found a successor to it. Using it as my daily. In order to get best audio follow this:
First disable Dolby Atmos. It really does not improve the sound, more the opposite. Then check in Audio / HiFi settings that "Super" mode is activated. This will enable AKM4490 chip.
Bluetooth Audio depends on your buds and not your phone. Just make sure in developer options that best available codec is activates. On Sony buds you can enable LDAC (needs Andrioid 8.0 or newer) to get best quality. But no bluetooth buds can match the quality of 3.5mm jack on this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I mean I do get good sound over 3.5mm...I thought I will get great sound as well over BT.
All this above is already preconfigured.
Since I purchased used phone,when I plug in headphones into 3.5mm jack,thouse don't go all the way in like on other phones where I can simply feel when the 3.5mm connector goes all the way in.
I suppose I were wrong reagarding bluetooth sound since I mostly use bluetooth headphones.
But thx for help.