Q&A: Do I need a DAC with my Bluetooth Headphones?

[@NevadaScrubJay]

This is exactly what I was not sure I understood completely. If you want really great sound, you need wires My take is that your best general option, without wires, is to buy a good bluetooth headset that presumably has a good quality built in DAC. I am looking for better sound when I watch TV alone. I have a 3 year old $45 Phillips BT that has worked great. I believe their new ones are a couple $ more but considerably superior to what I bought a few years back. Still, a step up would be nice. I think I have settled on buying a SENNHEISER HD 450BT. Hopefully, much better sound without a large price-tag. Headsets wearout and break, so spending big $ may not make sense. Thanks for this educational video.

[@Releaser5]

I recently came into the issue with a dongle that supposed to give the wireless connection a boost but it seems like the wireless dongle connection provides less qualitative sound than that of thee bt 5.1

[@thiscorrosion900]

I think the problem is most BT headphones don't have any decent AMP involved. You're at the mercy of the device unless you employ a newer BT head. amp (which is probably a good idea).

[@garygriffiths7353]

What audio technica headphones are they?

[@dj.antaro]

What if you bluetooth headhones maximum output volume isnt loud enough? In that case amplifier wont help?

[@Currawong]

Possibly. Depends on the headphones themselves if they have a mode where they'll run without battery, and then it depends on what is between the input and the drivers. It may not sound good. I'd just get a proper wired set-up with a good pair of closed headphones. Also consider that listening too loud will permanently damage your hearing. If the problem is too much external noise getting through, then noise-cancelling headphones will help.

[@ramidaoud3776]

sony xm5 uses ldac but my laptop does not transmit ldac. so why in this case I would not need a ldac transmitter?

[@Currawong]

A DAC and an LDAC transmitter are not the same things. DAC = Digital to Analog Converter LDAC = Method of transmitting digital audio over Bluetooth. I think that's where you became confused. :)

[@damnbrosky]

What if you looking for device that can somehow be between your phone and bt earbuds and make sound better than quality your phone delivers? There is any bt device that can add some juice to music on your bt headphones if your phone is not best ? I wish I have something that I can connect to my phone, laptop and to few of my bt headphones and enjoying better quality music.

[@Currawong]

The answer is: Better earbuds (earphones).

[@skydancerforever]

I have a Audioengine D1 plugged into my beelink desktop computer. I use wired earbuds to get the better sound out of the DAC. I would now like to use my new bluetooth earbuds? How do i connect to my audioengine D1? Is it possible?

[@Currawong]

You don't connect it. Bluetooth earphones and headphones cannot be improved by external devices, essentially.

[@hindesite]

Bear in mind that BT headphones have other functionality, giving better phone integration and usually, ANC. For my uses I prefer my BTR1K on a short lead clipped to my old Sony MDRV6, I can use the same DAC over bluetooth or wired, or in conjunction with my IEMs or any other wired headphone I might upgrade to. Budget BT headphones have their uses, but as an example, Sennheiser BT458BT are very convenient, and great for travelling, but just awful for sound quality.

[@Diago767]

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the difference in quality (if any) between a wired DAC, using a type C connection to a phone and a bluetooth connection with something like the BTR5, ive been trying to decide which route to go down but not sure if the bluetooth dac will prevent the headphones from performing to their potential

[@franklogrim8510]

So what if i have a dac amp combo without bluetooth and i wish to use my wireless headset for my pc which supports Aptx low latency. Do i need to buy another dac with BT connection and connect that to my other dac with toslink cable or is there no need for a dac with Aptx x low latency protocol since my headphones have that built in?... I just need a BT transmitter without any protocol?.. You are blessing us all with audio knowledge, such a messy hobby lots of confusion in this field of hobby

[@Currawong]

A DAC is a Digital to Analog Converter. Bluetooth headphones have that built-in. Bluetooth audio transmits *digital* audio, so you don't need a DAC with them, just your computer, smartphone or a DAP which can transmit using APTx Low Latency. If your device can't do the Low Latency version, you might need to get something like the FiiO BTA30 Pro to do that from your computer.

[@sumanthduggirala1887]

How does audeze mobius sound?

[@DroidLocks6971]

My Soundcore Q35 and Q45 Sound better Wired turned off than Bluetooth LDAC CODEC . My Wired Setup Is ZFold3 to Hidizs S9 Pro DAC AMP DONGLE To Q35 , Q45

[@meromeroyakiniku269]

when a wireless headphone plugged into a regular computer without an external DAC through a 3.5mm jack, the headphone will use the computer's DAC instead of its own, right? Does that mean the wireless headphone sounds better when using Bluetooth in this scenario? Also, what about wireless speakers?

[@Currawong]

Yes. A 3.5mm jack is analog, so it will use the computer's DAC. Whether or not it will sound better or worse depends on the headphones or speaker, as well as the computer's DAC. Usually though, if you want better sound, buy regular, wired headphones.

[@MuhammadKharismawan]

will you review the Audio Technica WP900? it seems to be an upgrade over the good old ES

[@johncarrod7364]

When using the home Hi-Fi and wishing to use Bluetooth wireless headphones, then surely a DAC with Bluetooth out is a way to go, especially if fed from the S/Pdif coax fed from the Hi-Fi?

[@Currawong]

Bluetooth is digital. The DAC used will be the one in the Bluetooth headphones regardless of the source.

[@Olando89]

What’s your opinion on Apple Airpods?

[@dnoodspodu1159]

Thanx for all the info

[@ianbrown704]

Thanks for this great video. Can you help with a question? If I use my Samsung s10 with say B&W PX7's in wireless will the sound quality improve by using the cable and not engaging the the noise cancelling? Also will the purchase of a iFi hip-dac - Portable Balanced DAC Headphone Amplifier provide me with a significant improvement in sound when listening to Hi Res on Tidal or would I be better just buying a more expensive wired set of headphones? Many Thanks

[@Currawong]

I haven't used any of those three products, so I couldn't say for sure, sorry.

[@szabiakanich]

Great video. Would be interesting to see a comparison between the built-in DAC/AMP in the BT headphone itself and an external DAC/AMP combo going into the same headphone via a normal cable aka bypassing all the internal DAC/AMP circuitry.

[@Vamp898]

Depends on the headphones. For the Teufel REAL BLUE NC i can say that they sound way more natural, balanced and linear using a cable. You can use them easily as monitors that way. If you use the via Bluetooth, they sound more bassy and overall more non-linear. If you connect them via Bluetooth, they demand you to play modern, punchy music while connected via cable, they can play literally everything.

[@AstroFantastica]

The Sony WM-1000XMs sound terrible when you bypass. Their internal DAC is specifically tuned.

[@allansh828]

Can I use DAP as USB transport? Can it beat running Audirvana on a laptop?

[@Currawong]

With many of them, you indeed can. I can't say how they'll perform vs. Audirvana. That's not so simple.

[@meat_loves_wasabi]

Using BTR5 & Mobius wired to iphone for high res lossless audio

[@lysmicnmaayc]

respected sir, why do i hear a drastic difference in the quality of sound , when i use the same tws(oneplus buds pro) with different devices, ie, a mobile(oneplus 8t) and a laptop(dell inspiron), with the laptopsounding worlds ahead? this is really confusing for me. any help would be highly appreciated.

[@Currawong]

Might be using different Bluetooth Audio codecs, eg: APTx and SBC.

[@lysmicnmaayc]

@@Currawong sir, my tws uses lhdc and my phone's developer settings show that it's using lhdc too, but the anomaly is, that it should've been better than the connection with my pc, and it isn't...

[@handidrummed]

If you wanted to use wired headphones with a phone that doesn't have an audio jack, why would you use a DAC over a lightning or USB to 1/8" converter?

[@Currawong]

The Lightning to 1/8" converter *is* a DAC. Just the most basic one available. Other devices have more power and/or more features, which can help if you have better earphones or headphones.

[@leroyholmes4208]

awesome explanation.😀

[@Currawong]

Thanks! 😃

[@hunter4229]

So torn right now whether to get an ifi xdsd and use the bluetooth capabilities on that to plug in some of my wired IEMs/headphones (Hifiman RE-400/Various Superlux cans) or just straight up get a pair of Sony XM4 buds. The convenience/features of the XM4s vs sound quality of the xdsd is what I'm having trouble deciding. Also the xdsd is probably overkill for the RE-400/Superlux and I'll look to get a better pair of IEMs/headphones in the future.

[@monog870]

So this btr 5 is like a amplified bluetooth receiver ? can it connect wired in between phone and headphones or is it just bluetooth?

[@Currawong]

Yes, you basically connect a pair of headphones to it and wirelessly send music from your phone (or computer).

[@supertrooper8801]

Hey mate, thanks for the excellent information. I have a B&W px7 and am wondering how I can get the best sound quality out of it. Is there any device I can connect to my macbook to get better audio?

[@LoyKucci]

How do you like the sound of the Mobius? I must say for the price and options it provides it sounds very good IMO. Comfort is not the best for my head/ears, but other than that I am quite happy. Also it sounds really good via LDAC.

[@govindpathakwelcomeu]

Hey i am from india . i want to buy sony xb900n .is this a good anc headphone and it does support dac and some high frequency sound.poplease explain.

[@ms-hl4vg]

@currawong I am sorta not sure of the message here, are you saying external dac doesn't make a difference to Bluetooth headphones?

[@Currawong]

I'm saying you don't need one, as Bluetooth headphones have a DAC built in.

[@ms-hl4vg]

@@Currawong got it. I was reading about external DACs in another article and it was talking about the difference in sound quality. Thanks for the clarification.

[@Currawong]

No problem. With Bluetooth headphones, there will already have been some compromise in sound quality. Buying an external Bluetooth adaptor to try and improve on an already compromised design is not something I'd recommend spending money on. If you want better sound quality, you have to use regular, non-wireless headphones. If you need noise cancellation, then you're stuck with that compromise, at least for now.

[@whatarefriends4]

Great job explaining

[@samsue2600]

Saved 200 euros. Thanks.

[@SirBoden]

The Ugreen iPhone dongle adaptor is quite a good DAC/Preamp/IEM amp running at ~75% output. I wouldn’t try to drive anything larger (diaphragm mass) than a IEM/ear buds though.

[@agoogleuser9025]

Which Ugreen dongle? Can you link that? I was thinking of getting a cheap Mpow.

[@SirBoden]

Cy www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Y23BZP2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[@kchuen]

Have you tried the B&o H95? I tried it at the store today, with the other wireless like Sony, Bose, Sennheisser and also the wired ones like Sundara, Clear Pro, 660s, D9200, etc. The H95 sounded very nice to me, the only wireless one that seemed to be in the same tier as the wired ones. But then again, my untrained ears also preferred the Sundara over the Clear Pro very slightly, so what do I know. Wish an expert like you can review the H95. Wireless would become mainstream once the technology catches up. It will be like film to dslr. Probably just a couple years away from the start of the shift

[@shoshishararecordingsshosh1501]

As primarily a vocalist, B&O Beoplays have always been my favorites.,.and I have a lot of headphones.

[@anupambphoto]

I've been curious as to how dacs change the sound signature of the source. I found some places that say sound becomes wider, richer etc. I thought that's an amps characteristic to make it like that

[@stanstaniboy7655]

I have a Teac UD301 which I picked up for 280 Euros. Compared to my pc on-board audio, the sound is wider, more 3D feeling. There's also way more stuff going on. It feels like I am hearing 3x times as many instruments at once. I am also getting a completely new sound gamut in the subbass region, that on the on-board audio just isn't there at all. Percussion is way better rendered and cymbals have a longer decay too. Pretty crazy upgrade.

[@stanstaniboy7655]

The only thing to keep in mind though is that I am using the headphone output that's present on the DAC itself. I can't tell which benefits come from the DAC and which from the build-in amp that the Teac has. I guess the extra detail, the fact that I feel like there are 3x times as many instruments or detail to the sound, must come from the DAC. The wide, 3D'ish sensation must come from the amp. That's what makes sense to me.

[@SlickBlackCadillac]

DACs are also amps. The DAC takes 0s and 1s as you know, which is digital representation of music with no voltage associated with them. The DAC may then output RCA at 2 volts. This requires amplification of NO analog signal to an analog signal. This is the first time the signal is amplified so has heavy influence on what you are going to end up hearing when fully amplified again.

[@alvintamin4729]

@@stanstaniboy7655 would you mind telling us what's your motherboard and how old? i thought that newer motherboard might not be able to feel that kind of upgrade. i have since defer myself from buying a dac.

[@presidentbusiness1rst]

great video kept it simple!

[@jurajrybansky3744]

Can I use phone with bluetooth 4.2 and headphones whit bluetooth 5.0? Thank you for answer.

[@Currawong]

Yes.

[@shootinbruin3614]

Great explanation. Thanks

[@MarkPharaoh]

Doesn't it still make sense if you're on iOS? iPhones don't use AptX or LDAC. Connecting your Bluetooth headphones to an iPhone is only getting you AAC.

[@Currawong]

Then it would make more sense not to use Bluetooth headphones at all, unless you need noise cancelling, then you're losing so much sound quality it doesn't matter IMO.

[@bigjt37]

It is interesting that people asked you that. But it's ok, we all are learning. But, that said; do you like your Q5s and BTR5? just curious.. Your raw opinion.. BTW I still need been needing to get those Mobius 😆 albeit, I may go the way of the drop pandas, now that I've waited so long. 😁

[@allansh828]

I don't like btr5. I can't use it on iOS because AAC coder resamples everything to 48kHz, which sounds quite muffled. LDAC on Android sounds much better. But still not as good as USB DAC mode. I'd rather buy a DAP. Bluetooth sucks.

[@bigjt37]

@@allansh828 haha hey I hear that. Ldac is tolerable. But yeah AAC, ugh. But yes, if go USB Dac is ok. But agree, might as well go DAP. Agree. Thanks. Bluetooth has improved. But it'll never be wired, in its sound. 😆👌🏼

[@DarklyX]

Great video. How about using a pair of BT headphones (Sennheiser Momentum OEBT) wired to a DAC like AQ Firefly. Will they sound better compared to Bluetooth alone?

[@Currawong]

As I said in the video, I reckon that your money would be better spent on dedicated, wired headphones and a separate DAC if you were going to do that. :)

[@thiscorrosion900]

Wired with a good amp/DAC should generally sound superior to BT. I would just go wired if you want the best possible quality.

[@lordcrowgb6619]

Wow thank you !

[@dante19890]

Pretty much all bluetooth headphones are dsp corrected so they will sound extra shitty when u take that away and then u just have a naked, shitty tuned headphones connected to ur dacamp. They arent meant to be used that way.

[@Furybeatsgme]

Can it make your Bluetooth headphones louder though? I don't really care about too much quality while I'm out running or on the treadmill, but i NEED more volume. I like how loud my dj gear drives my headphones I need something close to that.

[@Currawong]

You should be careful that you're not damaging your hearing. If your BT headphones have a 3.5mm input, then maybe using them with an external device will get them louder, depending on whether the input goes directly to the drivers or not. I don't think that's an ideal solution though.

[@woopygoman]

HiFiMan Deva review please. +comparison to Sundara would be much appreciated!

[@Vamp898]

iPhones are the worst choice for music lovers imho. The Xperia 1 II does have an Hi-Res Audio Certified Headphone Jack, that means, the DAC behind it can at least provide 24bit/96KHz with high SNR was able to pass the JAS Listening evaluation process. After several hours of testing i can say that (at least when using Sonys Music Center App) is can easily replace or outperform an Sony Walkman A50 Series or higher. Also, for wireless listening, it provides LDAC with 990kbit/s which can either send lossless Audio CD Quality or lossy Hi-Res Audio. So if you listen to music in Audio CD Quality (or, as most physics, say that Hi-Res Audio is a nice way of quality control but inaudible by humans), there is no need to ever plug a cable into your headphones if they support LDAC. And if you need to plug a cable, you have, as said above, an Hi-Res Audio certified Headphone Jack. Its the ultimate phone for the audiophile. While the iPhone well.... no Audio Jack and no LDAC. Its like the worst of both worlds

[@Currawong]

Some things to note: Hi-Res Audio Certification is meaningless. It's just a marketing gimmick. It does not improve the sound quality in any way. LDAC will almost certainly not connect at 990kbit/sec. Most of the time, it will connect at 330, and 660 if you're lucky. If you force a 990k connection, you'll likely have drop-outs. So you wont even get near CD quality with the transmission. Even at 990k, it's still lossy. If you really want high-quality wireless transmission, then you'd want to get a Chord Mojo and Poly, which uses Wi-Fi. Then the transmission is lossless and you can stream high-res if you want too.

[@Vamp898]

@@Currawong on the road I use the above mentioned Xperia 1 II with the WH-1000XM3 or some wired headphone plugged into my Walkman set to Bluetooth receiver mode. Sometimes I also connect the WH-1000XM3 to the Walkman like at work to not carry the phone around or drain its batteries. Smartphone, Headphones and Walkman are all set to 990kbit/s fixed (when I connect the headphone to the smartphone it asks me if I want automatic or fixed, the Walkman is always fixed) No connecting issues so far. At my workplace I use the Walkman mostly and I can easily leave it on the table, walk around the room, make some tea or whatever. When I'm more than 5m away it starts getting issues, but the Walkman is so small, its no issue to just put it into your pocket. It weights like nothing. My PC does have connection issues with LDAC, that's true, but the Bluetooth module often even struggles with SBC so it's just a bad module. The 990kbit mode transfers 16bit/44.1KHz lossless, it says so in the codec specification and on the Sony homepage and why not? CD Quality Is 1411kbit/s RAW (theoretical maximum), so 990kbit/s is easily possible with lossless compression. It needs some CPU Power to archive that on both sides (that's the reason the WF-1000XM3 In-Ear don't support LDAC) but that's pretty much it. I noticed in certain places (for whatever reason there is a difficult part on a train station I use every morning), when I have the phone in the pocket and I'm walking, I'm getting connection issues, but for those 1-2 minutes I just use connection priority mode. But, as said, beside that scenario I'm always at 990 without any issues. In the above mentioned scenarios I get sometimes artifacts or the music jiggles, but I never had a single drop out

[@Currawong]

I saw someone else with an Xperia get a reliable connection locked at 990. Phones like Sonys will have much better connections because they have the resources to properly test and develop good wireless transmission, both cellular and Bluetooth. I have the XM4 arriving in September and I'll see if I can't borrow an Xperia or Walkman from someone.

[@Vamp898]

@@Currawong the A50 (which is really cheap and still surprisingly good. They are easy to drive in the first place, but even the Z7M2 are no issue for this tiny DAP with supporting 70mw) is alread more then enough for LDAC listening.

[@samridhchawla]

bro, you have me super duper confused now.. HEAR ME OUT .. So, I own a pair of WH-1000X M3 paired with an Oneplus 5T and My HP laptop.. Now the thing is the output wired and wirelessly from my OP 5T is low and not clear but but but when I connect the headphones to my laptop wired or wirelessly they sound very crisp and clear with very good sound separation .. SO, I was wondering to get Fiio BTR5 or UP4 or hiby W3 to enhance the sound quality for music and gaming out of my OP5T .. THIS VIDEO HAS ME ALL CONFUSED

[@Currawong]

Seems like a problem with the audio in your phone. There could be a software or setting solution for your phone that would fix it. Try asking in the Intro/help forum on Head-Fi.

[@samridhchawla]

@@Currawong sure. thanks . I might close a deal on Dragonfly red soon :)

[@angelpage298]

Will the dac amp increase sound volume?

[@angelpage298]

I use the Sony xm4's

[@Currawong]

Buy wired headphones.

[@gerardfletcher1203]

well explained thank u

[@AlexMetslov]

As much as I understand, borough is not involved into signal processing at all. All the job is done in the headphone DAC. A such it's absolutely pointless to buy any in-between Bluetooth player to alter the quality of the sound.

[@Dimitris_Pappas]

Informative video as always. I have a question and I would really appreciate an answer. I own and use the Q5s as my portable DAC (feeding my HD 660s) but also as a DAC to my main speaker system (KEF ls50, Atoll IN100). I'm thinking of an DAC (and maybe a pre-amp) upgrade, and I am really considering the Audio-gd R28 DAC-amp that you reviewed some time ago and you seemed to like a lot. Now, since I am very much familiar with the sound of the Q5S (nice separation, good tonality but maybe a little harsh), I would really like to know how it compares to the Audio-gd R28 DAC-amp. Thank you in advance.

[@Currawong]

The R28 will be a bit more warm and "musical" sounding. You wont have that "a little harsh" aspect compared to the FiiO.

[@ssaleem92]

What kind of Bluetooth headphones are those? (Around your neck)

[@Currawong]

Audeze Mobius.

[@dan44762000]

Ditch the Bluetooth headphones altogether, not a single Bluetooth headset can compete with the quality a decent pair of IEM and DAC can give you

[@Currawong]

If you're on noisy public transport, a BT noise cancelling pair of headphones or IEMs is going to far more listenable, and way less hassle.

[@dan44762000]

@@Currawong In some situations and dependant on what you buy, some IEM have excellent isolation and with correct tips almost as good as noose cancelling but with far superior sound

[@Currawong]

The problem I've had is, the tips that can do this are either bi-flange or tri-flange, and their length messes up the sound quality with a lot of IEMs, which are usually tuned around single-flange tips. Etymotic are probably the exception to this.

[@mcaddc]

Probably should have also touched on the different types of Bluetooth formats, such as ldac and aac etc. Sound quality and latency issues that may arise.

[@Currawong]

If I was to get into that kind of thing, which I might eventually, definitely. That's actually a good idea for a future video. However, I just wanted to ask a question I get a lot on videos from people confused about what devices like the BTR5 and Q5S do.

[@Olando89]

Good video

[@yifanzhu1470]

watching this on an btr5 with a pair of Audeze isine which is my otg setup. Just don’t think it’s very neat sometimes. Wish btr5 could bypass the AirPods dac and pair with AirPods Pro so that I have noise cancelling and good dac! may be I am dreaming. But Really helpful video !

[@markflower8885]

Worth remembering that Bluetooth is a "lossy" format and wont give you the same audio quality if your listening to flac or wav files etc from your source device.. Convenient if you're just listening to MP3's though.

[@kkazakov]

Try some of the recent planars with ldac. You'll change your mind.

[@markflower8885]

@@kkazakov No matter what the headphone or dac is it doesn't stop Bluetooth from being lossy.. Neither can magically replace the bits lost in streaming via Bluetooth..

[@Klefth]

Not gonna lie, I spent most of the video staring at the Susvara hanging in the background.

[@broody952]

Nice! Susvara means "Good sound/voice" in Sanskrit!

[@agustinsapad7575]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO SIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :)