Bluetooth SIG developing standard wireless lossless and spatial audio

Bluetooth audio is widely used but typically delivers lossy playback. The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is working on standardized wireless lossless audio, spatial audio and surround-sound support to close that gap. Currently, SBC is Bluetooth's default codec and prioritizes connection stability over fidelity.

Other codecs such as LDAC, AAC and AptX can carry more data and approach lossless quality, but they are not standardized and can be inconsistent or carry licensing fees. The SIG aims to upgrade LE Audio to handle higher data throughput so hi-res, lossless audio can be standardized across brands.

LE Audio also provides a framework for multi-channel playback and the LC3 codec supports higher bandwidth, lower latency and independent streams, which enable 3D audio, precise timing and spatial imaging. Bluetooth supports an open-source LE Audio protocol for head tracking, as seen in Google's Dynamic Spatial Audio, but bandwidth improvements are still needed to rival proprietary systems such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

bluetooth sig, wireless lossless, spatial audio, le audio, lc3 codec, sbc, ldac, aac, aptx, dolby atmos