I’ve tested at least 100 headphones in my career as a tech reviewer, and more often than not, people don’t bother with codec support and bitrate shenanigans.
Consider this article a quick guide to your headphones’ bitrate and how to find high-bitrate music that lets you fully use your expensive headphones.
Google Pixel 11 now supports LHDC v5, so I can finally get studio-quality sound from my Pixel.
Bit of Good
How to change audio bitrate on Pixel devices
After using the Pixel 11 for almost a month, it still keeps surprising me with new features. Google quietly unlocked a feature on the Pixel 11 that changes how you listen to music.
However, it’s buried so deep in the settings that even Google forgot to advertise it.
Google Pixel 11 series supports LHDC v5, and it’s a big deal, in my opinion. I have multiple TWS headphones that can support LHDC v5 out of the box. However, these headphones were not using the highest bitrate even after I connected them to the Google Pixel 11.
Here’s how to manually change the bitrate and audio codec for your headphones:
- Go to Settings and then scroll down to About phone.
- Tap Build number seven times, then enter your passcode to unlock developer mode.
- Go to System and then scroll down to Developer options.
- Scroll down, tap Bluetooth, and then scroll down to the Audio section.
Here I changed my Bluetooth Audio Codec to LHDC v5. After that, I switched the Bluetooth audio sample rate to 96kHz and Bluetooth audio bits per sample to 24 bits/sample.
These two settings increase the bandwidth and resolution of the audio file that is transferred and sampled between your smartphone and Bluetooth headphones.
If these settings are greyed out, go to your headphone manufacturer’s app and check which codecs and sample rates it supports.
The fastest way to find your headphones’ codec and sample rate is to check the box or the official website.
Bits and pieces
Codec lore dump ahead
Understanding the difference between codecs is important if you want to get the most out of your Google Pixel and headphones.
All Pixel 11 devices support LHDC v5, which can scale up to 1Mbps and push 24-bit at 96kHz. The Google Pixel 11 doesn’t support aptX HD because it’s a Snapdragon chipset-supported codec.
All latest smartphones, including the Pixel 11, support SBC and AAC. Most TWS headphones use these two codecs for a stable connection and better battery life.
However, these two codecs are lossy, and you want to push higher numbers.
The next best codec is LDAC, which was widely regarded as the best codec for wireless audio transmission until LHDC v5. It can push as high as 990kbps bitrate with 24-bit at 96kHz.
It’s developed by Sony, so you will find LDAC support on all expensive Sony headphones.
Most headphone manufacturers default to stable connection over high fidelity. So my Oppo Enco Air5 Pro, which supports LHDC v5, ran at 16 bits on the Pixel 11 until I changed it in the developer settings.
Apple Music and Tidal are the way to go
More settings need to be changed
You cannot change your Bluetooth settings and expect better quality audio. You will have to bring files that stream at the same resolution.
I switched to Apple Music as soon as it announced high-resolution lossless streaming. Spotify and YouTube Music cannot offer the same level of streaming bandwidth.
I recommend switching to Apple Music or Tidal because both support up to 24-bit/192kHz streaming. You’ll need an external DAC and wired headphones to enjoy the best resolution, but music on supported Bluetooth headphones defaults to 24-bit/96kHz.
Audiophiles will argue that all wireless transmission is lossy in some way, and that is true, but the difference in resolution and detail on LDAC and LHDC v5 is noticeable when compared to SBC and AAC.
LDAC and LHDC v5 carry more resolution and detail, but you’ll mostly enjoy that with a good pair of headphones and songs mastered for these systems.
Currently, many Chinese brands like OnePlus and Oppo support LHDC v5, along with Nothing. Here’s a list of products that support it.
If you’re hunting on Amazon, OnePlus Buds 3 and Nothing Ear 2 are good options.
I strongly recommend picking something with better-quality drivers that can benefit from these settings. Sony’s WH-1000XM5 and WH-1000XM6 support LDAC and are great options.
Your options with LHDC v5 are limited, and Google’s TWS release schedule is very sporadic. I am hoping that when the Pixel Buds 3 come out, they support LHDC v5.
Snapdragon has been flirting with the idea of bringing Snapdragon XPAN (Expanded Personal Area Network), which uses Wi-Fi to expand the range and resolution of the sound. Currently, only Xiaomi has launched TWS with Snapdragon XPAN support in China, so I am not holding my breath for this one.
