Aptx support in iPhone 6 and iOS 8

Just in case anyone is still looking at this I thought I'd report something I found very helpful (whether others will is up to them).

I was looking for bluetooth headphones and in the process auditioned five different ones that had received high reviews. In the end I only kept a relatively cheap pair (and actually ended up with a wired set of Bose earpieces that I'm using with a tiny wearable USB receiver but that's a whole other story).

During my testing process one of the things I did was install the free-with-the-phones Jabra music playing app that imports your iTunes library and effectively acts as a substitute for it. What it *does* do is offer the ability to play music using Dolby Digital processing, along with a fairly complete equalizer. It works on both the bluetooth signal as well as any attached via the headphone jack (it might even affect the built-in speaker for all I know but it's hard to tell with my 4s phone).

The difference between using it and the puny EQ built-in to the iPhone is amazing -- cheap headphones suddenly sound like they cost thousands, and "good" headphones sound unbelievable. I was almost going to keep the $150 headphones (which are nice but too heavy for my purpose) just for the app alone, but I see that's available for $5 as a standalone in the store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jabra-sound/id589556828?mt=8 )

If you care at all about sound in your headphones you ought to check it out -- it has completely changed my opinion about using even cheap earbuds with the iPhone. This now makes me not care one whit about the lack of AptX.

I still care about APT-X, its not so much about my own devices but devices we all share.

A good example is that we have some APT-X capable devices in the office everyone shares but people with iPhones are left out of the party and you can really tell the difference when only using standard bluetooth. APT-X gives much crisper bass and refined clarity. I wish apple would get their head out of the sand on this.

By the way, i also wanted to mention i heard that there are two different types of APTx. One for lossless and the other for lossy. With things like Tidal that have come along this only makes the argument to include aptx even stronger.

The point of ripping to FLAC is 1) to have a high quality bit perfect copy of CD that can stream to stereo in home. Then 2) using batch converting one can pick a lossy format to use like OGG, MP3, or ACC. When doing batch converting, more cores works faster!

@Mike Kelley: can you tell me which bluetooth headset you kept? I am looking for an inexpensive pair and a lot of the Amazon reviews are by customers given free products "in exchange for honest reviews". So I don't trust them and would like an unbiased review. Thx.

Well, I'm not sure what I ended up with is going to suit you, given your requirements, but I kept two different solutions (with a third still on its way):

1) The Beats Powerbeats Earbuds which, with the right foam inserts, are the most comfortable and best sounding earbuds I've ever worn and as bluetooth they are small and with no dangling cords to get in the way. For out and about they are my definite go-to solution, even allowing me to watch Netflix on my iPhone with nearly perfect lipsync (many bluetooth solutions don't sync very well with video, if at all, but the Powerbeats went out of their way to do this with a special software update). But they ain't cheap.

2) Very expensive wired headphones Philips Fidelio X2, with the cord detached and plugged in a very tiny, inexpensive bluetooth receiver directly to the earpiece. This is my at-home solution, with the best possible sound (the sound blows away any bluetooth headphones I tried, and most of the wired ones as well, and I bought and returned over 30 pairs in my effort to get something decent) but hardly portable.

3) I also have BTunes receiver coming (someday -- they are getting very close to shipping) which is a bluetooth receiver that plugs into almost any headphone and turns it into a portable bluetooth headphones. The main difference between it and what I am currently using is that it will also work with even those phones that have a VERY narrow plug (like the Bose wired headphones) and it doesn't require any adapter (my present solution uses a plug adapter which isn't very elegant looking).

The problem is that classic programming conundrum: Good, fast, cheap (pick any two). Although in this case it would be Good Sounding, Comfortable, Cheap, pick any two. For your case I might suggest you start at Best Buy or Amazon (where you can return things that you don't like) and do what a lot of us did and keep trying. Eventually you'll find something that works for you.

Best of luck.

Bluetooth adapter might be a way to go if you already have some headphones you like. Also, having a wired option is unexpectedly convenient, as well as the ability to charge the battery while listening. Avoid proprietary chargers, if possible. My headset, for example, has a socket for a regular 3.5mm jack cable I can plug in whenever I can't or don't want to use Bluetooth, and it uses microUSB for charging.

As for recommendations, my choice is Sennheiser MM 450 (very good sound, although somewhat expensive) and Sony BTN-200.

I Just bought a pair of APTx bluetooth and they work perfectly find on my iPhone 5. (iOS9) I just left the gym about 2 hours ago and I'm still rockin 'em...

Cool.

That said, of course, you are not hearing it via AptX because while your headset supports AptX, your iphone does not have AptX hardware.

Thank you Mike! Was researching aptx in regards to potentially purchasing a new set of wireless headphones and came across your post. Given how much I love to listen to music, mostly Grateful Dead, I figured the $5 risk of capital was low so purchased the Jabra app. Can't believe what a difference having Dolby makes - a SIGNIFICANT improvement!

Thanks again.

Glad it helped.

I think one of the things about getting the right listening hardware/software, whatever that might be, is that we are all so individual that it's very hard to find a "one size fits all" solution. So having a lot of options to try is good for all, even if they won't always suit everyone.

Oddly enough, my best listening experience nowadays is in my C-Max playing my iPhone via bluetooth -- just a perfect environment, I guess.

I know I'm very late on the scene for this thread, but I was doing a little research in this topic (aptx) and I was looking for something when I came across this product that has aptx technology by Brightplay. Now admittedly this might be a clunky nuisance for an iPhone but I think it would work great with an iPad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvX1Y6Gckwg

http://www.amazon.com/Brightech-BrightPlay-Transmitter-Technology-transmitting/d p/B00NP9MYFM