ZDNET’s key takeaways
- LE Audio is more than Auracast.
- Bluetooth headphones with LE Audio transmit audio in new ways everywhere.
- Your LE Audio headphones have some less discussed new tricks.
The shift from Classic Bluetooth to LE Audio is underway, as JBL and Sony release flagship headphones and earphones with built-in LE Audio. Bose is the latest to upgrade its flagship headphones via an OTA firmware update.
Also: Apple has a Bluetooth problem, and Android is taking advantage
Better voice quality
LE Audio includes the Low Complexity Communication Codec (LC3), which includes the Unified Telephony and Media Audio Profile (TMAP) to handle audio streams and voice calls simultaneously. Bluetooth Classic relies on the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and the Hands-Free Profile (HFP), which handle the same functions but require both profiles.
Also: The latest Bluetooth could solve a common connectivity problem
The profiles in Bluetooth Classic, because they have to alternate, result in extremely poor voice quality during hands-free calls via cellular or video calls on Zoom or Teams. These profiles also account for the deterioration of voice quality during chat while playing a mobile game.
LE Audio consolidates these two profiles, creating higher-quality, bidirectional audio and preserving voice call quality when using wireless headphones.
Battery no longer drains
Earlier this year, JBL gave its flagship Tour Pro 3 headphones an OTA firmware update to support LE Audio, and Sony’s WF-1000XM6 headphones, released in February, have LE Audio support out of the box. There’s a big true wireless headphone improvement wrapped in LE Audio: native multi-stream audio.
Also: Frustrated with multipoint? How it works – and why it sometimes won’t
In Bluetooth Classic, your source device, such as your phone, sends audio to one headset, which then transmits it to the other headset. This complex audio transmission method is why one of your headphones always has a lower battery than the other. Although premium headphones usually have independent stream handling, many midrange and budget headphones do not, and this is where LE Audio comes in handy.
LE Audio enables independent audio streams built into the Bluetooth stack, so manufacturers don’t need their own methods to avoid asymmetric battery drain.
Disruption of ecosystems
Software ecosystems, such as Apple’s iOS and Samsung’s Galaxy, dictate which audio features are reserved for devices within them and retain the features of devices outside them. Hardware ecosystems are equally responsible for the fragmentation of audio features across manufacturers, typically through codecs.
Sony’s LDAC codec for high-quality audio is only available on Sony headphones, earphones and smartphones with the appropriate hardware, which is limited in the US market. Snapdragon’s AptX codecs are also not that widely available on phones, so most people rely on Bluetooth Classic SBC and AAC codes, even if their headphones support more advanced ones.
Also: Your iPhone can support Bluetooth Channel Sounding – and it’s a big deal
LE Audio eliminates the tedious codec issue, especially in wireless gaming contexts, provides lower latency, improves voice audio streams, and eliminates asymmetric audio transmission.
For now, as long as you have a compatible Android phone, you have access to several models of headphones, earphones and Bluetooth speakers that support LE Audio. As more manufacturers update their devices to support the Bluetooth audio streaming protocol, this suggests that the technology is becoming more reliable.
So, what about your AirPods? I wouldn’t bet on it anytime soon.
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