Sony WH-1000XM3, Pixel 3a, and Tidal HIFi

corbetta

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Hello!

Just purchased these having researched that they support AptX-HD, as does my Pixel 3a. Got three months free Tidal HiFi subscription as well.

When I connected the headphones via Bluetooth and played music, I checked the developer options in the phone and could see that it was using the LDAC Codec with 96kHz sample rate and 32 bits/sample. This was born out by the Sony Headphone app which said is was receiving LDAC.

Now I thought the LDAC codec was only supported by Sony mobiles, so I wondered if I was getting the full benefit of the headphones?

I can (and have) forced the Pixel into using AptX-HD (48 kHz and 24 bit), and this is now displayed in the headphone app.

Tidal Masters are 96/24, and anything up to 9216 Kbps.

So should I use LDAC settings as they are shown in settings on my phone?
 
Yes that looks correct and Google must have updated the software to allow the option

Could always toggle between different BT codecs to 'hear' the difference LDAC setting makes ☺️
 
Yes that looks correct and Google must have updated the software to allow the option

Could always toggle between different BT codecs to 'hear' the difference LDAC setting makes ☺️
Thanks for the reply. Having done a bit more research, it appears LDAC is supported by Android phones other than Sony now, so looks like I got better quality than I thought! As you say, it’s all in the ear so I’ll stick with LDAC. Interestingly the upgraded version of these headphones, the M4, no longer supports AptX codecs.
 
LDAC is a codec not a hardware thing, one that companies have to pay Sony a license for.

Google got given it by Sony I believe to implement in Android, but it is down to the manufacturer as to whether they include it in their firmware - as pixel devices run vanilla Android it is included - which is really cool in my opinion.
 
For what it's worth I find LDAC noticeably better than Aptx-hd (which is pretty, pretty good in itself) with my WH-1000XM3's, Oneplus 9 Pro and Deezer Hi-res setup. You'll definitely hear them at their wireless best with LDAC. It's a treat to be honest.
 
LDAC is a codec not a hardware thing, one that companies have to pay Sony a license for.

Google got given it by Sony I believe to implement in Android, but it is down to the manufacturer as to whether they include it in their firmware - as pixel devices run vanilla Android it is included - which is really cool in my opinion.
Yes very cool! Thanks for the insight.
 

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