Science & Tech · Gadgets & EVs · 3 hrs ago
Most Bluetooth codecs reduce lossless audio quality
A test with Realme Buds Air 8 earbuds and a OnePlus 13R highlights a limit of listening to lossless music over Bluetooth.
FLAC files keep their audio data when compressed, but phones usually encode them again for Bluetooth, and common codecs discard some data.
CD-quality audio needs 1,411 kbps, while the codecs discussed top out below that, apart from options described as nearly lossless.
A Hi-Res Audio badge does not guarantee lossless sound, which can make earbud claims confusing.
Realme warns that using its higher-definition codec can shorten battery life, add delays when there is interference and disable Spatial Audio.
The headline points to a possible solution arriving in 2027, but gives no details about what it is.
Bluetooth codecs generally compress audio in a way that loses data, so a lossless audio file may not remain lossless when sent to headphones.
The article says CD-quality audio requires 1,411 kbps, while the listed common Bluetooth codecs top out below that.
It describes LHDC Lossless and aptX Lossless as capable of transmitting audio at nearly CD quality.
A Hi-Res Audio badge does not necessarily mean a device supports lossless audio, the article says.
The author tested Realme Buds Air 8 earbuds with a OnePlus 13R and found that the phone’s HD setting used AAC.
- Who
- The article’s author, Shivansh, tested Realme Buds Air 8 earbuds with his sister.
- What
- The article explains that most Bluetooth codecs reduce audio quality, while some can transmit nearly CD-quality audio.
- When
- The article was published on Nov. 13, 2026; the author says he received the earbuds in January 2026.
- Where
- The author tested the earbuds with a OnePlus 13R. The test location is Not stated.
- Why
- Bluetooth cannot directly transmit as much data as a FLAC file may contain, so a phone encodes the audio using a Bluetooth codec.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The author says he received Realme Buds Air 8 earbuds at a Realme 16 Pro launch event.
The author paired them with a OnePlus 13R and checked the available Bluetooth codecs.
XDA published the article.
- CD-quality bitrate
- 1,411 kbps
- SBC top bitrate
- 328 kbps
- LDAC top bitrate
- 990 kbps
- LHDC 5.0 top bitrate
- Up to 1,000 kbps
- Earbuds tested
- Realme Buds Air 8
- Phone used
- OnePlus 13R
What people are saying
Every one of those Bluetooth codecs squeezes a FLAC file before it leaves the phone.
Spotify itself steers lossless listeners toward wired headphones.