Why is state of Bluetooth codecs on Windows so awful?!

I’ve been using bluetooth earbuds on my Windows PC for a very long time now, also for gaming because I don’t have any wire bothering me. Been using Apple’s AirPods 2 and they worked great, they even reproduce enough bass to be engaging for all the explosions and music easily. But recently I’ve upgraded to highly acclaimed SoundPeats Air3 Deluxe HS that get very high remarks almost everywhere and they are very accessible because they don’t cost 300€, yet boast some pretty impressive specs like very good audio profile, frequency response up to 40kHz which is rather rare since most go to 20kHz only and they also support AptX and LDAC which aren’t supported on AirPods 2.

And here comes the problem stated in the title of this article. Windows, for whatever dumb reason just pick codecs almost on random at this point. Most bluetooth audio devices these days support SBC and AAC codecs, of which AAC is superior. However, there are also AptX from Qualcomm and LDAC from Sony, both superior to AAC and especially SBC which just sounds horrendous in comparison.

What I don’t understand is why Windows 11 offers ABSOLUTELY NO control over bluetooth codec selection? Whole bluetooth headphones industry exploded and almost everything these days is bluetooth. Sure, audio purists will insist on wires and on PC I’m one of those, but I can’t deny convenience of wireless so I do use it for evenings. But I’m stuck with AAC with absolutely no way in changing that with Windows 11 itself. There is a tweak that can force disable AAC codec in Windows 11 using this registry modificiation:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\BthA2dp\Parameters]

“BluetoothAacEnable”=dword:00000000

However in my case, Windows just defaults to SBC codec instead of picking up on AptX, making everything sound like hot garbage. And yes, while LDAC isn’t supported by Windows 11, AptX absolutely is, yet you can’t frigging enable it in any way. Why Microsoft? WHY?

I did find way to use LDAC with this Alternative A2DP Driver tool:

https://www.bluetoothgoodies.com/a2dp/

Unfortunately, it’s not free, although it’s quite cheap so if you want to use LDAC, you may want to invest in it because Microsoft sure doesn’t give two flying fucks about state of bluetooth codecs. One would expect a simple, easy way to select codecs in sound settings in Windows and yet you just can’t do it. Ridiculous. Fix this crap Microsoft, it’s embarrassing.

Same company that’s providing the alternate bluetooth driver also offers Bluetooth Tweaker tool which you can use to check which codec is Windows using in your case and also a tool to confirm the above alternate driver is working correctly after enabling LDAC.

https://www.bluetoothgoodies.com/tweaker/

This tool is also available for a small fee and of course, you need headphones that support LDAC. You’ll have to check product specs to see if yours do. Cheap ones usually only support AAC while most higher end ones also support LDAC. Both tools have 7 days free trial so you can check things and test it out for few days before you commit to it or not. But I still hope Microsoft will get of their ass and add proper support for codec selection in Windows 11.

EDIT:

Turns out even Linux has Bluetooth in better state. Using Pipewire Audio subsystem and you can use any codec in a matter of 2 clicks. Not only I could use AptX easily on my laptop paired with SounPeats TrueAir 2, I could even select SBC XQ on the other where I had AirPods 2 paired with it. AirPods only support SBC and AAC, no LDAC or AptX, but still, seeing SBC with higher quality profile (XQ probably stands for Xtreme Quality) which sounds way better.

So, again, Microsoft, get your head out of your own ass. First you nuked hardware audio acceleration that was really amazing before Windows Vista and now you’re lagging even behind Linux with bluetooth audio? How pathetic is that?

Creative Labs turning a new page in history?

I’m pretty sure we’ve all had Creative soundcards in our systems at one point. I’ve started with Sound Blaster 128 back in 1998. And continued this with Sound Blaster Live! 5.1, Audigy 4 Value, X-Fi Xtreme Music and Auzentech X-Fi Forte which was based on X-Fi chip, but with higher quality DAC’s, OP-Amps and audio capacitors. I’ve also had Diamond Monster II with Aureal Vortex and ASUS Xonar Essence STX in between, but that’s for some other time.

Things really changed when I’ve gone back to Sound Blaster with the newly released Sound Blaster Z series at that time. These were the first Creative Labs soundcard series which had zero problems on my system with any kind of audio, be it games or general multimedia. I literally never experienced anything serious with it. That was a good start. Then Sound BlasterX AE-5 happened. Probably the most advanced soundcard made by Creative after X-Fi, capable of outputting 32bit audio at 384kHz and having DSP unit capable of processing 32bit 96kHz audio. They crammed really high end components on it, the sorts you find in Class-D amplifiers. It even makes clicking sound as you’re switching audio/speaker modes and it’s switching circuitry, just like on high end amplifiers. But that’s no surprise, Creative has made high end soundcards before…

What’s really different this time seems to be the part which Creative has been lacking for years and decades. Software and tech support. If you got 2 updates a year and actually got a full driver for new version of Windows, it was basically a miracle. Creative just didn’t even bother. Software was often really buggy, problematic to install and use. Tech support? LOL, what is (was) that?

I’ve had Sound BlasterX AE-5 since October 2017 and what I can clearly confirm is the rate at which Creative is releasing updates for it. To this date, I’ve received 5 driver updates since its launch in August 2017. Last one just released on 9th February 2018. That’s more drivers than 2 old series of soundcards from the past combined! In just half a year time. I’ve also contacted their tech support during this time because AE-5 had a bit buggy software since it’s rocking whole new interface. And they always responded within a day and in case of microphone problems even supplied me a solution and in next update fixed the actual issue. They also dramatically improved installer which is ultra fast now and feels way less problematic than before. And for the new Creative Connect 2 control panel, they listened to our wishes and added few things that were necessary but missing at first (like more user defined EQ presets and not just a single “Custom”). And goodies like Filter mode for the DAC’s which just appeared out of nowhere in the Connect 2.

I have no clue how a long term software support for AE-5 will be, but if they continue this trend and actually provide this kind of level of software and support in the future, things are looking pretty bright for Creative. People won’t have to be scared of buying an expensive soundcard and finding out it’s just a nice paperweight after 2 years or when new major Windows version is released. I guess motherboard makers integrating more and more capable soundcards pressured them into being more active with software support if they want to sell more stand alone soundcards.

If you want an excellent soundcard that actually has superb driver support this moment, get Sound BlasterX AE-5 for sure. Time will tell, but this certainly surprised me. It was about time, damn it. 🙂

New Sound Blaster Z 13.1.01.10 drivers released!

Been quite a while since last driver release of drivers for Sound Blaster Z. And Creative just released a new update. The changelog is as cryptic as the one ASUS releases for their devices…

Changes for version 13.1.01.10

• Bug fixes and general improvements for Windows® 10

DOWNLOAD

SnailDriver, super fast driver updater

Yeah yeah, I know that is a general belief that these driver updaters are garbage and that they always break stuff. Well, sometimes you have an unrecognized device listed and you can’t figure out which one it is. For such situations, these tools are excellent. Or you’re just one of those freaks like me who just wants all drivers fully updated.

I’ve posted Iobit Driver Booster in the past, but I think this one is even better, easier to use and with less clutter in the interface. Found it today by pure coincidence while I was browsing for some other tools.

It’s called SnailDriver and it’s a small, but very fast and minimalistic driver updater.

I’ve tested it on 3 systems, 1x AMD based and 2x Intel based and it worked pretty damn well. Updated all drivers super fast and with ease and while there were minor issues with the app, they weren’t show stopping problems. It’s a new app, it’ll get fixed soon for sure.

Few minor issues:

• Intel SST Audio Device driver causes audio device on Windows tablets (HP X2, ACER Iconia W4) inoperable. Had to rollback the driver manually (not an issue with SnailDriver as I’ve experienced it before).
• System Restore points don’t get created reliably despite this setting being enabled in SnailDriver. I recommend making it manually just to be sure.
• Sometimes you have to repeat scans to find new drivers that require updating. Not a huge issue, but should be checked.

Give it a try, it’s pretty good and can come in handy quite often 🙂

Official webpage:

http://snailsuite.com

New Sound Blaster Z 13.1.01.08 drivers released!

It has been almost a year since last Sound Blaster Z driver release and despite being totally problem free, new drivers are always welcome. I love hoarding fresh drivers 😀

Anyway, Creative hasn’t released anything specific, just “bug fixes and general improvements” for this new drivers release version 13.1.01.08. Which basically means these drivers give you 300% more framerate 😀 Just kidding. 🙂

Download

 

Sound Blaster Z series Windows 10 drivers released!

Creative has released official Windows 10 certified WHQL drivers few days ago for their flagship soundcards Sound Blaster Z and Zx.

DOWNLOAD

Be aware that Sound Blaster ZxR is not yet supported. Drivers for ZxR are planned for a slightly later time.

ADI SoundMax BlackHawk Audio Driver 6.10.2.6585

This is one of the rarest, hard to find drivers for Analog Devices SoundMax Audio chips with included BlackHawk control panel which features SonicFocus audio enhancements for deeper bass and richer sound.

I’m using a rather ancient ASUS Rampage II Gene motherboard with ADI AD2000b audio chip and these drivers are the latest I could ever find with BlackHawk panel (others are the same version without BlackHawk). They are specified as Windows 7 drivers, however I’m just using them on Windows 8.1 64bit and everything works perfectly. ASUS switched to Realtek after this so everyone still on SoundMax are stuck with this one…

I’ve been hosting it on my OneDrive for ages but forgot to make a blog post about it. Hope this will help people get it working again.

BlackHawk Control Panel

Details for Analog Devices (ADI) SoundMax BlackHawk Audio Driver

Provider: Analog Devices (ADI)

Driver version: 6.10.2.6585

Driver date: 2009/05/21

BlackHawk Control Panel (SonicFocus): YES

Supported OS: Windows Vista/7/8/8.1/10 (32bit and 64bit)

Supported audio chip: ADI AD2000b (may work on others)

Update (2015-07-17):

I have just tested this driver pack on Windows 10 64bit and it’s working flawlessly. Installation went without any problems, device is detected as SoundMax HD and SonicFocus audio enhancements function as well. This is good news for all the SoundMax users!

To enhance compatibility of playing music in media player while playing games on Win10 with SoundMax, do the following:

Right click volume icon next ot the clock and select “Playback devices”. Select active SoundMax HD device and click Properties button and then go to Advanced tab. Change the sampling to 24 bit and 96000 Hz and click OK.

This resolved music playback corruption in MusicBee while playing Infinifactory. It might apply to other games as well.

DOWNLOAD:

Driver Download Link

AMD Catalyst 15.15 Fury and 390X modded driver

AMD released new Catalyst driver version 15.15 which is designed for AMD Radeon Fury and R9-390X cards. But clever people have modified the INF file to support all AMD graphic cards (tested and working on my HD7950). I’ve also replaced certain files to ensure DXVA hardware video acceleration.

DOWNLOAD:

New Sound Blaster Z drivers 1.00.28 released!

I’ve just noticed Creative released new drivers for Sound Blaster Z soundcards today. It’s now version 1.00.28 and they are WHQL certified.

Creative is being very secretive regarding included enhancements and fixes, but hey, they are new drivers and new is always better than old.

Download:

http://support.creative.com

Just pick your Sound Blaster Z model through their menus and download the latest version.

AMD Catalyst Omega 14.12 WHQL released!

So, the highly anticipated AMD Catalyst Omega drivers have finally landed. And yes, they actually have Omega in the name and no, they are not in any way related to the old community modded Omega drivers. They feature several interesting features like…

VSR (Virtual Super Resolution)

Basically this is the same as NVIDIA’s DSR. It renders the image at 4K and downscales it to 1080p on the output. It convinces games that your display can render higher resolution than it actually supports, so the game has to offer you option for 4K. All fine and well, except it only works with R9 290 cards. Srsly? Where is that “all GCN cards will get the same treatment” from the past?. HD7900 series are GCN powered. And yet we got screwed. It’s good that in the future I’ll get this feature if I decide to buy another Radeon, but why screw the existing HD7900 users? Which also includes R9-280 users because it is based upon HD7900 series. I’ve been with AMD for the last several generations of GPU’s. Do you think I’d not buy another Radeon if I get VSR now on my HD7950? If that was the case, I’d already have GTX 970 in my box. But I don’t, because I’ve decided to wait for AMD’s response with R9-300 series when it gets out. Maybe HD7900 doesn’t have the 4K grunt for modern games, but there are older games that we play and that would greatly benefit from VSR. Anyway…

Improved Frame Pacing

Supposedly only for multi card configurations, improving many games smoothness. They list Tomb Raider, Metro series, Batman Arkham Origins, Sniper Elite 3 and more. We’ll see if it makes any difference on single GPU…

AMD Fluid Motion Video

This feature is basically what high end LCD TV’s do, interpolate missing frames and make videos super smooth and sharp during motion. Something like Philips Perfect Natural Motion or LG’s TruMotion. Only downside is that it only works in Cyberlink PowerDVD 14. Which makes it kinda useless considering I never used that thing and never will. Media Player Classic Home Theater (MPC HC) or VLC support would make tons more sense…

Video filtering and 1080p Detail Enhancement

These features enhance video quality and are available for regular common media players that use DXVA and also work on HD7900 series. Which is nice.

4K Ultra HD Upscaling

It gives ability to upscale 1080p video into 4K, enhance it and display it on your 4K monitor or 4K TV. I have a 4K Philips LCD, but since I’m on HD7900, I’m out of luck yet again…

Performance Enhancements

AMD claims 19% average framerate improvements which sounds like a lot, but TechPowerUp tests proved a bit differently. You can check it out here: Synthetic tests Game tests

While the differences aren’t all that big I’m still going to use it since I use latest drivers all the time. It has worked well so far so why not. I just wish they’d focus less on R9 only. I get it, it’s their current high end, but by supporting your older userbase, you’re showing them your long term commitment. Showing that you care. And it means a lot to me and is a great factor when I’m considering my next upgrade. If I’m being treated well as a customer even when I don’t have the latest and most expensive graphic card, I sure will buy a new high end card from the same company when I’ll consider my next upgrade. So far AMD showed decent support, but I’d wish  for a bit more…

Download:

http://support.amd.com/en-us