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These 5 wireless earbuds can do something that AirPods can’t

These 5 wireless earbuds can do something that AirPods can’t

Looking for great sounding wireless earbuds? Check this one out.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds

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By now you probably know that you don’t get the best sound quality when you stream via Bluetooth: it compresses the audio signal and therefore loses audio quality. This is why wireless headphones, earbuds, or speakers that stream via Bluetooth don’t sound as good as their Wi-Fi streaming counterparts.

And while the audio quality of Bluetooth streaming is still not great compared to Wi-Fi streaming or playing audio over a wired connection, it has gotten better thanks to advanced Bluetooth codecs that support higher resolution bit rates.

A bitrate is the amount of data sent over a certain period of time. In terms of Bluetooth streaming, bitrates are measured in kilobits per second (or kbps). The most common Bluetooth codec is Apple’s AAC, which has a maximum bitrate of 320 kbps – a relatively low resolution by today’s standards.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins’ flagship wireless earbuds, the Pi8, are among the best-sounding wireless earbuds we’ve ever heard. -Credit: Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

That said, there are Bluetooth codecs that support higher bitrates, such as aptX Adaptive (up to 420 kbps), aptX HD (up to 576 kbps), LDAC (up to 990 kbps) and aptX Lossless (1,411 kbps), the latter of which is equivalent is related to the audio quality of a CD.

And there are quite a few wireless headphones, earbuds and speakers that support these new codecs. But to take advantage of these higher-resolution Bluetooth codecs, you’ll need to check a few boxes.

First you’ll need to stream a high-resolution song from a lossless service (like Apple Music or Tidal). And second and third, the devices you stream from And both should support the same higher resolution Bluetooth codec.

The real bummer is that Apple’s iPhones and AirPods – regardless of model – have AAC and not one of the higher resolution Bluetooth codecs.

Sony wfm5

The Sony WF-1000XM5 supports high bitrate streaming via Bluetooth. -Credit: Photo by Tucker Bowe for Gear Patrol

So if you want to take advantage of higher-resolution streaming over Bluetooth, you’ll need a compatible Android smartphone (most flagships now support aptX Adaptive, aptX HD and LDAC) and also compatible wireless earbuds (or headphones).

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the best-sounding wireless earbuds that support at least one of these advanced Bluetooth codecs and can stream audio at a higher bitrate than any AirPods.

Fun fact: FiiO recently released a small USB-C adapter, BT11which supports all of these higher-resolution Bluetooth codes for any USB-C device, including the latest iPhones.

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8

  • Release date: August 2024

  • Bluetooth codecs: AAC, SBC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are the company’s latest noise-canceling wireless earbuds. They feature 12mm drivers (a major upgrade from the 9.2mm drivers of the previous Pi7 S2) and Carbon Cone technology, a driver innovation used in B&W’s 700 series speakers and the flagship Px8 noise canceling headphones.

The Pi8 also supports high-resolution codecs, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, and can play near CD-quality audio via Bluetooth. Interestingly, their housing also doubles as a Bluetooth transmitter and can be used to even stream high-resolution audio (up to 24-bit/96 kHz).

Sony WF-1000XM5

Sony WF 1000xm5 the best truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds with noise cancellation and built-in Alexa, black new model

Sony WF 1000xm5 the best truly wireless Bluetooth earbuds with noise cancellation and built-in Alexa, black new model

Sony WF-1000XM5

  • Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3

Sony’s flagship noise canceling headphones, the WF-1000XM5, are better in almost every way than their predecessors, the WF-1000XM5. They have superior active noise cancellation and improved drivers for better sound quality. Plus, each earbud is 25 percent smaller and slightly more comfortable.

Sony’s wireless earbuds have long been among the best in terms of audio quality – and the XM5s are no different. They support Sony’s latest audio technologies, including LDAC files and 360 Reality Audio Tracks, the latter of which is Sony’s immersive audio technology that competes with Apple’s Spatial Audio.

Sennheiser Momentum TW4

earplugs

earplugs

Sennheiser Momentum TW4

  • Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, AptX lossless, AptX adaptive, LC3

The Momentum TW 4s look almost identical to their predecessors, the 2022-released Momentum TW 3s, but Sennheiser has given them some significant upgrades, including improved battery life, more powerful noise cancellation, and improved sound thanks to support for higher performance codes. solutions. .

They support AptX Lossless and AptX Adaptive codecs, so when paired with a compatible device (such as an Android smartphone) they can stream near-CD quality audio via Bluetooth.

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

headphones

headphones

Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds

  • Release date: September 2023

  • Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, aptX Adaptive, aptX Lossless

The Bose QuietComfort Ultra earbuds are easily one of the best wireless earbuds in terms of active noise cancellation – in fact, in our experience, there’s nothing better. But Bose has also dramatically improved the sound quality of its flagship noise-canceling wireless earbuds in recent years.

One of the biggest upgrades these QC Ultra Earbuds have over their predecessors, the 2022-released QC Earbuds II (now discontinued), is that they support aptX Adaptive and can stream higher-resolution audio. They also support spatial audio.

Technics EAH-AZ80

earplugs

earplugs

Technics EAH-AZ80

  • Release date: August 2023

  • Bluetooth codecs: SBC, AAC, LDAC

Technics’ current flagships are among the best-sounding wireless earbuds you can buy. Each earbud features a 10mm driver and together they deliver vibrant sound. They work with a companion app that lets you adjust a bunch of different settings, including the EQ.

Technics’ EAH-AZ80 are notable for being one of the few non-Sony wireless earbuds that support LDAC and can stream very high-resolution audio (up to 96kHz) over Bluetooth when paired with a compatible smartphone (like many of Samsung’s Galaxy S series).