aptX Bluetooth with your phone, then start your favourite song to listen to music on them. Yet in order to guarantee that your music is sent relentlessly without any stutters or delays, a lot of software magic is working behind the scenes.
In this case, aptX Bluetooth codecs are crucial since they are mostly in charge of how great your music sounds and how quickly it transfers between your earbuds and listening device. Despite the fact that there are other codecs, Qualcomm’s apt`X family is frequently one of the better options.
What Is Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth?
When it comes to headphones and smartphones, Qualcomm’s aptX is one of the most often accepted alternatives to the standard aptX Bluetooth codec, the low-complexity sub-band (SBC) codec.
These codecs are in charge of supplying the source and listening device with the ability to encode and decode audio data in a form that both devices can comprehend in order to transport data between them.
Using aptX Bluetooth, Qualcomm aptX hopes to achieve CD-level fidelity. It translates to audio that is 16-bit/44.1 kHz in terms of standards. The bit-depth and sampling frequency are the key information to take note of in this case.
Your audio signal will be more accurate the greater your bit depth. The number of signal samples captured per second during the analog-to-digital conversion is referred to as the sampling frequency. Moreover, audio bit rate, which is often expressed in Kbps or Mbps, may be included. By dividing the bit-depth by the rate, one may compute the quantity of audio data delivered every second.
The aptX and other codecs in the aptX series are exclusive aptX Bluetooth codecs created by Qualcomm that offer greater audio quality and faster response times. The precise improvement, of course, depends on the aptX codec you’re running.
What Are Qualcomm’s 4 aptX Bluetooth Codecs?
At the time of this writing, there are four Qualcomm aptX Bluetooth codecs available, each of which provides a somewhat distinct audio experience.
1. aptX
THis is the original aptX codec that seeks to transmit CD-level audio via Bluetooth at a bit rate of 352 kbps and 16-bit/44.1 kHz.
2. aptX Low Latency (LL)
The aptX Bluetooth Low Latency codec, as its name indicates, enhances the original aptX codec by cutting its latency to about 40ms, which provides a considerably better experience than aptX’s 150ms. By effectively filling data packets while maintaining a reliable transmission between the source and the listening device, it does this. It is similar to aptX in terms of audio quality characteristics and even competes favourably with Bluetooth 5.
3. aptX HD
To deliver 24-bit music via a Bluetooth connection, aptX HD expands upon aptX. The other characteristics that let aptX become a well-liked audio codec in addition to sound quality carry over to aptX HD as well. Moreover, it increases the information by two bits across all of the codec’s frequency bands, which results in a 12 dB improvement above aptX’s 90 dB noise floor. You will hear better audio as a result of this.
Even if you just have 16-bit audio files, they will sound better on aptX HD-capable listening devices, but the difference won’t be night and day. According to its specs, aptX HD can provide audio at 576 kbps at 24-bit/48 kHz.
4. aptX Adaptive
Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive, which was unveiled in 2018, is the newest and best codec in the aptX family. Based on the particular audio material being played on the source device, it is meant to automatically adapt to deliver the greatest audio quality and lowest latency. To guarantee constant signal strength, it also takes into consideration environmental interference from your surroundings.
Overall, aptX Adaptive is created to function for gaming and multimedia use cases without any synchronisation problems. It incorporates the latency-reducing capabilities of aptX LL and switches between aptX and aptX HD in terms of quality. The bit rates for CD and Hi-Res quality audio are 276 and 420 kbps, respectively, however the audio format is similar to aptX HD at 24-bit/48 kHz.
It also has the unique compression ratio for aptX codecs that ranges from 5:1 to 10:1.
What Difference Does aptX Make to Audio?
There are more proprietary codecs than aptX. The LDAC codec from Sony, the AAC codec from Apple, the Scalable Codec from Samsung, and even the LC3 codec from Bluetooth LE Audio are all excellent examples of codecs that sound amazing while minimising latency and signal fluctuation.
The widespread use of aptX by listening and source devices is what sets it apart. Even though they are lossy formats, aptX and aptX HD are far superior than SBC because of their faster transfer speeds, which preserve more data. Also, their bit rate is sufficient to keep your audio operating smoothly and sounding as well as it can.
- Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive goes a step further. Using a variable bit rate has various advantages. For starters, if your source (most likely a music streaming app) isn’t of very high quality in the first place, there’s little purpose in encoding, decoding, and transferring high-resolution audio. Less power is used, which results in longer playback times.
- Radio interference and obstruction can potentially cause packet loss in high-bit-rate broadcasts. aptX Adaptive works around this problem by utilising your smartphone to monitor the surrounding environment in terms of radio interference and adapts the broadcast to ensure signal integrity, resulting in fewer audio cuts.
- Based on the video or audio material you’re watching or playing, it also modifies the bitrate and latency. For instance, whether you’re viewing a movie or listening to music, audio quality is given priority. When you change to a game, latency is prioritised more highly.
- Not to mention, aptX Adaptive includes aptX Voice, a function meant to enhance speech quality while making calls via Bluetooth devices. The voice call quality is 32 kHz, and it adheres to the Bluetooth Hands-Free Profile.
- In conclusion, it’s worthwhile to check to see if a new Bluetooth device or even a new smartphone supports any of the aptX codecs. Although aptX Adaptive support is preferred, it will cost more owing to licencing costs. Having said that, you can select a codec based on your unique listening needs.
aptX Delivers Better Wireless Audio
Wireless audio can appear straightforward, but in order to produce high-quality sound, a lot of software must be sent back and forth between two devices. Manufacturers may quickly enhance sound quality and delay, which would not be achievable via SBC, thanks to Qualcomm’s aptX family of codecs.
While there are other high-resolution audio codecs available, Qualcomm’s aptX is among the most well-liked and may very well remain so in the future thanks to aptX Adaptive.
For more informative content visit