Bluetooth audio quality has been compromised

[SONICMILLER]

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...

[Rickard]

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.

[SONICMILLER]

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 My software on my mediabridge is out of date by one version...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

[SONICMILLER]

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...

[Rickard]

Glad to hear that

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

[SONICMILLER]

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

[SONICMILLER]

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....

[Rickard]

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?

[SONICMILLER]

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

[Rickard]

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.