Apple proudly vaunt that itsApple Musicstreaming service offerslossless audioversions of every track — and many are also available inhi - res audio . And yet , if you use an iPhone to listen to Apple Music using a fixed ofwireless earbudsor headphone , you ’ll instantly lose some of that extra quality . That ’s because the iPhone only sustain two Bluetooth codecs , SBC and AAC , and neither is designed to transmit audio at bit rate that can maintain the tone of Apple Music ’s caterpillar track .
Why Apple has chosen to keep the iPhone ’s codec keep hard stuck in the past while its cyclosis service embrace the sound formats of the nowadays and the time to come is n’t a mystery we ’re going to work out any fourth dimension soon . But in the meantime , Fiio ’s newBT11 USB - C Bluetooth transmitterpromises to load up your iPhone 15 or 16 with many of the bestBluetooth codecs , includingSony ’s LDAC and every individual spirit of Qualcomm ’s aptX codec family .
Thewhen it hits retail on October 8 for $ 44 .
It ’s not just for USB - C - equipped iPhones . Any Android phone that lacks one or more of these codecs can benefit , as can any laptop ( a USB - A to USB - C adapter is admit ) . It also act upon withNintendo Switchand Sony’sPlayStation 5gaming consoles .
A gimmick like that this is painfully needed by iPhone owner who have chosen to indue in wireless hi - res audio gear like Sony ’s excellentWH-1000XM5headphones orWF-1000XM5earbuds . Both use LDAC and perform well better with a sound that supports this codec .
The same is true for any earphone that isn’tSnapdragon Sound - compatible , which if we ’re being good , is true of the absolute majority of phones betray . If your new wireless earbuds support aptX Lossless ( like theSennheiser Momentum True Wireless 4orBose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds ) , you require a Snapdragon Sound phone for standard candle - timber audio … or the BT11 attached to any phone .
As someone who review earbuds and earphone every day , I can already see the BT11 becoming an essential putz .
Fiio says the BT11 uses Bluetooth 5.4 with musical accompaniment forLE Audio , giving low - response time carrying into action for headphones that are compatible with the LC3 codec . The caller say it has also given the sender a PDS antenna , which it claims can significantly increase Bluetooth range versus traditional aerial designing .
A big LED index number apply colors to announce which Bluetooth codec is currently in purpose , and it can support two simultaneous machine link , in effect play as a wireless audio splitter so you’re able to share audio with a friend .
As awesome as it is to have a USB - C dongle with 24 - bit/96kHz capable codecs , I can see a few potential challenges with using the BT11 . Though tiny , its tetraiodothyronine - physical body extend to either side of the USB - C port it use . On some equipment , this could block access to an adjacent USB - snow larboard . If that twist is an Apple MacBook Air ( for exercise ) , you would n’t be able to link up your laptop to power and employ the BT11 at the same clock time .
Also , despite the BT11 ’s codec prowess , it does n’t currently have AAC compatibility . If your headphones or earbuds only support SBC and AAC ( like the Apple AirPods ) , you ’ll be well off stick with your phone ’s built - in Bluetooth connection .
