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About a year ago, if you wanted to stream lossless audio tracks to your phone, you basically had one option:. Much has changed since then, with Apple recently rolling out support for lossless streaming in, and promising to do the same later this year. But unless you’re ready to use your phone, more streaming services jumping on the Hi-Res bandwagon don’t do much to you because Bluetooth headphones can only stream lossy audio. Fortunately, this is about to change.
Chipmaker Qualcomm adds a new flavor to its Bluetooth aptX codec, and it’s a lossless codec that, under ideal conditions, the company claims, delivers 16-bit CD-quality audio streaming at 44.1kHz via a wireless connection. Qualcomm says it has improved its High Speed Link Bluetooth technology to provide the data rate required to stream a lossless track wirelessly, but the codec can also compress a signal up to 24-bit 96kHz quality to ensure you don’t undergo no interruptions. . You can also manually switch between 16-bit 44.1 kHz and 24-bit 96 kHz broadcast modes, although the codec will automatically use the former by default when it detects a lossless source.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets support its integrated components. This means that almost any Android phone you buy in North America or Europe will support the standard. As with all Bluetooth codecs, it is not enough for your phone, tablet or computer to support the technology. You also need a pair of compatible headphones or earphones. Qualcomm says the first to support aptX Lossless will arrive later this year.
Before today, the closest to a lossless connection via Bluetooth was Sony and. These work well, but again, you need a pair of Sony headphones to enjoy them.
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