There are many different algorithms, the most basic being SBC or the standard Bluetooth codec.
A codec (short for compression/decompression) is the algorithm that tells a Bluetooth source (your PC) and receiver (your headphones) how to encode and decode that information for wireless transport. Are Bluetooth codecs important?īluetooth audio must be compressed because the standard doesn’t offer enough bandwidth to transmit raw audio data. In a very small sliver of instances, some headphones simply don’t work well with Windows. In other cases, a user might have a third-party program going, for example, a screen and audio recorder meant to capture video gameplay, that’s hijacking the audio device and confusing the system. In some cases, the headphones themselves need their firmware updated, which you can check and learn how to do by visiting the manufacturer’s website. Unfortunately, there’s a tiny minority of cases where other things at play can interfere with Bluetooth headphone connectivity. As long as the PC is relatively recent (i.e., has Bluetooth 4.0 or newer) and is fully updated via Windows Update, the fix for most Bluetooth issues is simply turning the feature off, then turning it back on again. Luckily, that appears to be changing as hardware, software and Windows system files become further streamlined. The cold, hard truth is that Windows and its Bluetooth implementation don’t have a very good reputation for playing nicely with headphones. Since the relationship between Windows and Bluetooth headphones can be complex, it’s important to know what you’re looking for to find the perfect headphones to complement your desktop or laptop.
However, plenty of work still gets done on PCs, and the criteria for choosing headphones for PC is different from that of mobile devices.
There’s a lot of focus today on picking the best headphones for use with your Android or Apple smartphone. Which Bluetooth headphones for PC are best?