Microsoft Finally Improves Bluetooth Sound Quality During Calls
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Has this ever happened to you? You’re playing a game on your computer using Bluetooth headphones, and suddenly your friend wants to start a voice chat. But when you answer the call, the sound quality in the game drops dramatically, becoming muffled and monotonous. What’s going on?
The problem, as Microsoft’s Mike Ajax explains , is how Bluetooth traditionally balances microphone inputs with audio outputs. When you’re just listening to something on your PC and it sounds great, you’re probably hearing it through the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), since that profile doesn’t allow the use of a microphone. However, when you need your microphone, your Bluetooth device switches to the Hands-Free Profile (HFP). This profile supports the use of a microphone, but reduces the audio quality and downgrades it to mono. You don’t have to be an audiophile to notice the difference between high-quality stereo audio and low-quality mono: it’s like night and day, and it makes audio designed for stereo experiences like games, movies, and music sound terrible.
Windows 11 Will Get a Bluetooth Update
In Windows 11, things are changing. In the same post, Ajax announced that Microsoft is rolling out an updated PC audio standard called LE Audio: Ultra Wideband Stereo. LE Audio is based on Bluetooth Low Energy technology and introduces two improved audio profiles for Bluetooth devices. A2DP and HFP have been replaced by the Telephony and Media Profile (TMAP) and the Hearing Aid Access Profile (HAP). Both profiles support media playback and microphone use, but TMAP is designed for Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, while HAP is for hearing aids and cochlear implants.
Ajax says TMAP requires Bluetooth audio devices to support “ultra-wideband” audio with a 32 kHz sample rate when the microphone is enabled. But the big change is that Windows can now use this feature regardless of whether the microphone is in use: The new updates support stereo audio when the microphone is enabled, whereas previously LE Audio in Windows only allowed mono. Not only should the audio itself sound better, but you’ll also be able to discern directional detail that would otherwise be unavailable.
This means that if your Bluetooth headset supports LE Audio and your PC supports wideband stereo, switching to in-game chat while playing will not affect the audio quality. An example of the difference can be heard in the Ajax message: muffled mono audio changes to much better stereo sound.
Even if you’re not a gamer, you’ll notice a difference during voice calls over Bluetooth headphones and over-ear headphones. In apps like Teams, you’ll be able to use Spatial Audio with wireless headphones for the first time. (Previously, Spatial Audio in Teams was only available for wired headsets and during the period when stereo audio was available.) Spatial Audio during video calls makes it seem like people’s voices are coming from wherever they are on the screen, making the experience more natural. With the right hardware, this feature should be available via the Spatial Audio toggle in Teams’ audio settings.
Equipment requirements
You may already have devices that support this new Bluetooth architecture: you’ll need a Bluetooth audio device that supports Bluetooth LE Audio and a Windows 11 PC that also supports LE Audio. Ajax says many new PCs and Bluetooth audio devices support LE Audio, but be careful with PCs that only support Bluetooth LE technology, as not all of them support LE Audio.
You’ll also need to update your PC to Windows 11 version 24H2 (the latest version of Windows 11 at the time of this writing) and install an updated Bluetooth audio driver from your PC manufacturer. If your PC doesn’t already have these drivers, they’re expected to ship later this year. Microsoft also expects most mobile PCs coming later this year to support these drivers out of the box.