[maegnificant]

Therefore modular bluetooth to keep up with the no doubt major future developments coming up.

drftr

That is a good idea. But I don't think anyone is actually working on lossless Bluetooth at all. There is no real consumer base for it. Sony are the closest with LDAC, but they went other ways now with DSEE. And Qualcomm has actually gone the other way, since aptx adaptive has a lower max transfer rate than aptx HD. And the new LE standard is just better SBC.

 

[drftr]

That is a good idea. But I don't think anyone is actually working on lossless Bluetooth at all. There is no real consumer base for it. Sony are the closest with LDAC, but they went other ways now with DSEE. And Qualcomm has actually gone the other way, since aptx adaptive has a lower max transfer rate than aptx HD. And the new LE standard is just better SBC.

aptX Lossless is being worked on AFAIK but bluetooth 5.3 is not lossless so it will take a few years(?).

drftr

 

[maegnificant]

aptX Lossless is being worked on AFAIK but bluetooth 5.3 is not lossless so it will take a few years(?).

drftr

Aptx lossless has the same transfer rate as LDAC, so it's not really anything new.

 

[C_Lindbergh]

Aptx lossless has the same transfer rate as LDAC, so it's not really anything new.

It's much more stable and have a much lower latency, both which are a huge improvement over LDAC.

Also it's more scalable compared to LDAC.

 

[Hanesu]

honestly they should have make the hook longer, so the main body can curve more and hide behind the ear
look at those fiio/kz/trn etc., the main body kinda hug around the back of the ear, looks more discreet and neater

That was my thought, too! The one that has the best design is the CF01 by iBasso, imo. Unfortunately, this one has an impedance problem...

 

[maegnificant]

That was my thought, too! The one that has the best design is the CF01 by iBasso, imo. Unfortunately, this one has an impedance problem...

The TW2 by shure was pretty good, too. Little bit over priced but the app was good. Sad I lost the charging case.

 

[Hanesu]

The TW2 by shure was pretty good, too. Little bit over priced but the app was good. Sad I lost the charging case.

Yeah, I think the TW2 had the best sq so far. But the ear hook design is similar to the Go Pod...a little bit on the larger side. CF01 design looks the most subtle imo...

 

[KiD~21]

Why should the LDAC bitrate be limited to only 660 kbps on devices which are not certified as "Snapdragon Sound"?

LDAC is being used for years now, and the Qualcomm's technology is rather new to the market.

Let's see if it can work to its highest level on the Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
I think it should, because the so called "Developer Mode" does allow the user to prioritize audio fidelity above everything else.
Furthermore, Samsung flagship phones are running Qualcomm's top SoC, so it basically should be compatible, even if the Snapdragon Sound certification is missing...

 

[Ati1979]

I hope there will be no hiss with extra sensitive IEMs like Andro.

 

[ClieOS]

Why should the LDAC bitrate be limited to only 660 kbps on devices which are not certified as "Snapdragon Sound"?

LDAC is being used for years now, and the Qualcomm's technology is rather new to the market.

Let's see if it can work to its highest level on the Samsung Galaxy smartphones.
I think it should, because the so called "Developer Mode" does allow the user to prioritize audio fidelity above everything else.
Furthermore, Samsung flagship phones are running Qualcomm's top SoC, so it basically should be compatible, even if the Snapdragon Sound certification is missing...

No, there is no such limitations on LDAC. SnapDrangon Sound is a Qualcomm thing while LDAC is a Sony thing, so they are NOT limiting factor of each other. Many manufacturers (noticeably Samsung) choose to set LDAC at a default rate at 660kbps because that's the best balance between stability and SQ without spending too much time for optimization. I have been using various Sony Xperia flagship for almost a decade now, and always set my LDAC default at 990kbps. My current Xperia 1 IV (8 Gen 1) is both Snapdragon Sound certified and has no issue with LDAC 990 because of course Sony, being the company that invented LDAC, always has their smartphone optimized for best LDAC performance. These can't be said for other smartphone manufacturer.

Also, aptx has been around much longer than LDAC. The basic aptx codec came to the market in late 90s, while adapted for BT use around 2010 and later acquired by Qualcomm when they took over CSR around the same time. LDAC on the other hand was introduced by Sony on CES 2015.


----

On a side note, the losslessness in aptx Lossless is referring to CD quality music, a la 16 bits 44.1kHz, even though aptx Lossless is technically running 24/96. What Qualcomm says about aptx Lossless is that it is capable of, when running on 24/96 transmission mode, deliveries perfect, no-loosy 16/44.1 music.

 

[Bathory]

I got my Utw3 for 100 euro on AliExpress and you're telling me this is 350 more...That's a hard sell no matter what way you look at it. Especially for your first go at it. They also look very cheap in comparison to what others offer like fiio.

 

[KiD~21]

No, there is no such limitations on LDAC. SnapDragon Sound is a Qualcomm thing while LDAC is a Sony thing, so they are NOT limiting factor of each other. Many manufacturers (noticeably Samsung) choose to set LDAC at a default rate at 660kbps because that's the best balance between stability and SQ without spending too much time for optimization. I have been using various Sony Xperia flagship for almost a decade now, and always set my LDAC default at 990kbps. My current Xperia 1 IV (8 Gen 1) is both Snapdragon Sound certified and has no issue with LDAC 990 because of course Sony, being the company that invented LDAC, always has their smartphone optimized for best LDAC performance. These can't be said for other smartphone manufacturer.

Also, aptx has been around much longer than LDAC. The basic aptx codec came to the market in late 90s, while adapted for BT use around 2010 and later acquired by Qualcomm when they took over CSR around the same time. LDAC on the other hand was introduced by Sony on CES 2015.


----

On a side note, the losslessness in aptx Lossless is referring to CD quality music, a la 16 bits 44.1kHz, even though aptx Lossless is technically running 24/96. What Qualcomm says about aptx Lossless is that it is capable of, when running on 24/96 transmission mode, deliveries perfect, no-loosy 16/44.1 music.

@ClieOS Yes, I knew that.
My question arises from this part of the official announcement:

As always with iFi’s Bluetooth audio devices, the GO pod is compatible with an impressive array of high-definition Bluetooth formats. LDAC and LHDC (HWA) are both supported to their maximum 32-bit/96kHz specifications, with LDAC’s highest 990kbps bitrate available to users of Android devices that support Snapdragon Sound (660kbps with other LDAC-enabled devices).

It just seemed a bit strange to me that some android devices are not capable of scaling LDAC based on user's preferences.

But I assume that lack of Snapdragon Sound certification won't become any sort of limiting factor.

 

[O11111]

Why should the LDAC bitrate be limited to only 660 kbps on devices which are not certified as "Snapdragon Sound"?

Say thanks to Qualcomm for that. Without QHS (8g1 or newer) you're going to be limited to 660 kbps with that fancy TWM. There's no way around that (well, maybe except choosing 44.1 kHz, 909 kbps works a bit better than 990)

 

[Spektykles]

Registered my interests with my local dealer and they will contact me as soon as they got it

 

[PROblemdetected]

I mean that the LHDC implementation on the UTWS5 is in beta version for a very-very long time now, without any update or any sign that they are actually working on it. It feels/seems like it is abandoned. Additionally, the max bitrate it can reach is 500/560kbps. Head over to the respective thread and read a few recent pages, if you're interested. You will then get this sense, disheartening, a feeling that you're not heard and that your requests/queries are not answered or being taken seriously in consideration. When all the Rep has to respond is: we will let our engineers know. But they never come back with an explanation, a result or a fix for the issue.

I sincerely hope/wish ifi will not be like that.

Thats issue seems to be on your phone.

My xiaomi mi10 globaleu rom dont have any issues when I change my bitrate.

U could checl that it be usually a fork problem in the android rom, not a utws5 problem. Check this.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/xzuxpx/bluetoothldac_android_users_your_prayers_have/

Also, LDAC / LHDC got the same problem qith bitrate selection.

Have to mention, that my recently utws5 comes with LHDC installed, so its not a beta