Codec Compatibility Checker

Select your devices to discover which Bluetooth audio codecs they share and find headphones that deliver the best quality across your entire ecosystem.

Your Devices

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Codec Reference Guide

Everything you need to know about Bluetooth audio codecs, from baseline SBC to lossless aptX.

SBC

Basic
Max Bitrate345 kbps
Latency~200ms
Quality Tier1/7

Universal baseline codec. Adequate quality, high latency.

AAC

Good
Max Bitrate256 kbps
Latency~150ms
Quality Tier2/7

Apple ecosystem default. Good quality, moderate latency. Quality varies by implementation.

aptX

Better
Max Bitrate384 kbps
Latency~150ms
Quality Tier3/7

Qualcomm codec. Better than SBC with lower latency.

aptX HD

High
Max Bitrate576 kbps
Latency~200ms
Quality Tier4/7

High-definition Qualcomm codec. Near-CD quality audio.

aptX Adaptive

Very High
Max Bitrate420 kbps
Latency~80ms
Quality Tier5/7

Dynamic bitrate codec. Balances quality and latency in real-time. Excellent for video.

aptX Lossless

Lossless
Max Bitrate1200 kbps
Latency~150ms
Quality Tier7/7

True CD-quality lossless Bluetooth audio. Requires Snapdragon Sound.

LDAC

Hi-Res
Max Bitrate990 kbps
Latency~200ms
Quality Tier6/7

Sony hi-res codec. Near-lossless at max bitrate. Best pure audio quality over Bluetooth.

LHDC

Very High
Max Bitrate900 kbps
Latency~150ms
Quality Tier5/7

Savitech hi-res codec. Similar to LDAC, used by some Chinese brands.

Samsung Scalable

High
Max Bitrate512 kbps
Latency~100ms
Quality Tier4/7

Samsung proprietary codec. Good quality with adaptive bitrate for Galaxy devices.

LC3 (LE Audio)

Very High
Max Bitrate345 kbps
Latency~30ms
Quality Tier5/7

Next-gen Bluetooth LE Audio codec. Ultra-low latency, efficient. Still emerging.