topic Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised in XPERIA archive

Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 06:37:06 GMT

Since the new lollipop update... The Bluetooth audio quality has suffered tremendously.... It's interesting because I did some testing and the Bluetooth works great on an Apt-x device such as a Sony hi-res reciver like always.... However in my car which using the dice/audiovox mediabridge.... The audio quality via Bluetooth has really suffered... It now sounds like I am listening to music through a hollow pvc tube... Through the headphones jack it is excellent but to avoid wearing out the jack I want to use Bluetooth.... Before the update the audio quality via Bluetooth in my car was almost cd level quality....

On another note... I tested it in my girlfriend's dodge dart.... It works and sounds much better than before the update...it used to skip parts of the song and also play the song in a lower key.... Now it works great in her car but not mine....and mine has much much much better speakers and before it was nearly flawless...totally understand that it's hard to make sure that every minor change is compatible with every single device out there but yeah... This one is pretty annoy...

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 06:50:28 GMT

Hi and welcome to the community!

Sorry to hear that you have bluetooth issues after the update.

Have you also tried to update the firmware in your device in the car? I'm not sure if i found your product but Google led me to this page: http://www.diceelectronics.com/fw-update.php?manuf=Audiovox%20Corporation

As it works with our devices and your girlfriends car this sounds like it may be a compatibility issue between the device in your car and Android 5.0. An update of the device in your car may perhaps help.

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 07:34:45 GMT

Ah that may be the problem.... My software on my mediabridge is out of date by one version... I will update that and see if that addresses the problem.... Love this phone... Thanks been a Sony user since the c902a

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 07:36:42 GMT

I will let you know if it fixes the problem... If not it I may just have to wait for an update for the media bridge that addresses 5.0 issues...

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 07:43:37 GMT

Glad to hear that

Yes, please let me know if the update helps or not.

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 19:59:45 GMT

Updated firmware on the mediabridge... Still sounds like it is playing music out through a pvc pipe....unfortunately.....

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Tue, 14 Apr 2015 16:53:47 GMT

So, I did update the Mediabridge to the newest firmware it didn't make a difference in sound quality....

A few days ago... I got a new update for lollipop build version 23.1.A.0.726 on my unlocked Z3 and I tested the bluetooth again with my car hoping maybe there was a change.... Still the Audio Quality is not what it was....

By the way I tested my girlfriends iPhone 6 and to my surpise the Audio Quality was not much better that my Z3 on bluetooth....

On another note.... My NWZ-A17 sounds the same way as my Z3 on bluetooth...

But I guess my point is that the way the bluetooth sounded PRE Lollipop was practically flawless....

I tested a few different apps to see if it was just the Walkman app but it's just the bluetooth in general....

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Wed, 15 Apr 2015 13:06:21 GMT

Sorry to hear that the update(s) didn't help

But you are sure that this is related to the update of the phone and that nothing else have happend with the unit in your car seeing as you also get poor audio with an iPhone?

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Fri, 17 Apr 2015 17:30:24 GMT

hummmmm good point... well if i recall the audio quality with the unit pre update was better significantly better on the z3 than the iphone.... now they are roughly similar.... and like i said my high res walkman also didn't sound as good via bluetooth as my Z3 before the lollipop update... i wonder what was tweeked.... when i connect my walkman it will say that is connected via SBC codec... apparently there are different types/implemetations of the codec... some automatically default to a lower quality... maybe when the update on the z3 was done something in the default codecs were changed?

http://theheadphonelist.com/wireless-fidelity-making-sense-bluetooth-headphone-technology/

supposedly this article was done by with help from sony mobile actually

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Mon, 20 Apr 2015 12:43:04 GMT

I'm afraid i can't see if there's been a change regarding this codec in Android 5.0 but i'll try to find more information about it.

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 06:33:45 GMT

Interesting... I also noticed the same problem when my Z3 Tablet Compact got updated as well...

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Fri, 24 Apr 2015 17:15:20 GMT

Also, This morning I tried my tablet again.... it was updated again two days ago.... when i connected to the mediabridge it seems that it connects under the Headset setting.... maybe this is why it doesn't sound good....

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 15:54:48 GMT

You mean bluetooth headset profile (HSP)? It doesn't stream music over the HSP or HFP profiles so it should not be related.

I have forwarded this internally but i'm afraid i don't have any new information yet.

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Wed, 29 Apr 2015 16:37:18 GMT

thanks for the help.... Interstingly, I found a way that helps my walkman nwz-a17 sound better.... In the settings menu you can somewhat force Different connection types.... you can set it to try and force apt-x or ldac... also it can be forced into SBC (Sound Quality) or SBC (Connection) .... I found when i forced my walkman into SBC (Sound Quality) it sounds signifcantly better.... So maybe its a matter of how the phone is handling the connection type within SBC

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Mon, 11 May 2015 06:44:17 GMT

I received information that there's been no changes made in the SBC codec in the update. But our developers are looking into it to see if it's something that can be improved from our end.

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Mon, 11 May 2015 15:55:29 GMT

thank you... problem still exists in build number 23.1.A.1.28 it is nice to know that the developers are working on it....

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

PatrikS — Thu, 28 May 2015 07:42:45 GMT

I have a similar problem, all bluetooth devices i hook up my Z3 with has intermittent static clicks and the sound is not what it was since the last update.

This applies for a 2010 Nissan Murano and a Jawbone Jambox as well. Its really tiresome...

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

Rickard — Thu, 04 Jun 2015 08:32:05 GMT

@SONICMILLER

I'm afraid i don't expect to get any more feedback from our developers in this case and as i understand it, it may not be possible to improve this from our end. You may need to wait for future Android updates or updates to the firmware in your Mediabridge.

@PatrikS

In some cases, bluetooth may interfere with WiFi on some devices. If you have WiFi enabled, try turning it off and see if it helps.

If that's not the cause of the issue, could you also test your phone with one of our bluetooth devices to check if it's a compatibility issue or something wrong with the bluetooth function in your phone?

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Fri, 05 Jun 2015 18:08:25 GMT

so this may be a issue on google's side of android software.... ahhh well hopefully they will fix this issue as well... thank you though...

Re: Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

SONICMILLER — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:03:13 GMT

To clarify this issue is still occuring in the 232 firmware version... but it may still be a Google issue rather than a sony one....