STACK #237 July 2024

AUDIO TECH CHECK continued

TECH FEATURE

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Bluetooth connection Chances are high there are plenty of Bluetooth signals whizzing around your home right now. But while we

It’s also important to note that every Bluetooth version is backwards compatible, so you don’t need to match up versions between different devices – any Bluetooth device will work with any other, you just might miss out on some specific features. If you want to really dig into getting the best sound from your Bluetooth headphones or earbuds, pay attention to the codecs that your device uses. These

transmits high quality sound at low data rates. LE Audio isn’t backwards compatible with the original Bluetooth Audio, however most new devices should support it. To get the most out of a specific codec, both the audio source and the headphones will need to be compatible with it. But again, they’ll still all work with each other, so they’ll default to the best codec that’s common to both devices.

take Bluetooth for granted nowadays, there’s more to it than you might realise. There are a few different

are how the data is packaged, so it affects the sound quality, speed, and how many channels of audio are sent. Some are company-specific – iOS uses AAC, for instance, and aptX is mostly on Android devices. Higher-end headphones can use Sony’s LDAC, which offers some of the highest quality audio currently possible over Bluetooth. There is also Bluetooth LE (Low Energy), which allows devices to connect for longer periods without significantly decreasing battery life, and Bluetooth LE Audio that

versions of Bluetooth, usually based on the device’s age and class. Devices released in the last eight years or so will be version 5-point-something – the latest is v5.4, released in 2023, but that’s still finding its way into consumer devices for now. The Bluetooth in most consumer grade devices has a range of about ten metres, which hasn’t changed much in a long time. But besides that, each new version usually strengthens the signals, increases the amount of data that can be sent, and speeds up that connection. In terms of audio gear, that means you’ll get higher quality sound and lower lag out of devices with more recent versions. Multipoint pairing Back when we used physical cables, it was easy to quickly plug into other devices when you needed to switch, but Bluetooth can be a bit fiddly to connect and reconnect all the time. Multipoint pairing is the solution if you’re regularly switching between two or more devices. This feature lets you connect headphones or earbuds to two devices at once, and automatically switches audio from one device to another. For example, if you’re listening to music on a laptop and get a call on your phone, multipoint will prioritise the call, pause the music, and send it straight to your ear gear.

Noise cancellation There’s nothing worse than having your tunes drowned out by the neighbour’s mowing, or a podcast on the train interrupted by the boring chatter of people beside you. Luckily, noise cancellation tech can be found in plenty of headphones and earbuds, and there are a few different types. The most basic is passive noise cancellation. This usually means just physically muffling the sound with thicker ear cups, which is affordable and reasonably effective.

A more high tech version is active noise cancellation. This works by capturing outside noise using tiny microphones on the headphones or earbuds, then generating the exact opposite wavelengths of sound in your ears, which cancels it out. It’s great for things like removing the low hum of the engines while you’re trying to nap on a plane. The next step up is adaptive

noise cancellation, which, as the name suggests, will react to a wider variety of sound frequencies – so it’s better at removing both the engine sound and the crying babies at the same time. The most accurate results though come from hybrid noise cancellation, which places microphones both inside and outside the ear cups. There are still some sounds that you need to be able to hear though, like alarms or approaching vehicles, so many headphones and earbuds include a ‘transparency’ mode that can pick out and admit certain sounds, keeping you aware of the outside world.

JULY 2024

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