AAC vs LDAC vs LC3: Bluetooth Codecs Compared

What a Bluetooth codec is

A codec is the rule a Bluetooth audio link uses to turn audio into data and back into audio. A headphone listing names a codec so the buyer knows which rule the pair is ready to receive. The name is a compatibility word, not a quality figure.

Both devices in a link must use the same rule. When they do not, the pair and the source fall back to a common default codec that both support. This is why the codec names on a listing matter for matching the pair to your phone, tablet or computer.

The codec names on headphone listings and maker pages include AAC, LDAC, LC3, SBC and the aptX family. This article reads the first three: AAC, LDAC and LC3, and tells you what each name means on a listing and what to check before buying.

AAC: the codec most Apple sources use

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) is the Bluetooth audio codec Apple devices use as their standard. A pair whose listing or maker page names AAC is ready to link with an iPhone, iPad or Mac at that codec. AAC is also supported by many other sources, which is why the name appears on listings beyond Apple devices.

When a listing names AAC and no other codec, the pair still links with sources that use a different codec, but the link may use the common default rule instead of AAC. The buyer reads AAC as a compatibility word for Apple sources, not as a promise about audio performance.

The catalogue will not state a data rate for AAC. The learn article on AAC and SBC (AAC and SBC compared) reads both names the same way: as codec words that describe which source they match.

LDAC: the codec name tied to wireless Hi-Res audio

LDAC appears on listings and maker pages as the codec for wireless Hi-Res audio. The soundcore maker page states that a pair delivers "wireless Hi-Res audio, refined by LDAC", which shows how the name reads on a product page: a signal that the pair is built to receive a Hi-Res wireless stream.

For LDAC to work, the source device must also support LDAC. When the source does not, the link falls back to a common default. So the buyer with an Android phone checks the phone's Bluetooth settings for LDAC, and the buyer with an Apple source reads LDAC as a compatibility word that does not match their phone.

The Hi-Res headphones guide compares pairs that print Hi-Res words and codec names such as LDAC on stated details. The aptX versus LDAC article reads both codec names the same way.

LC3 and Bluetooth LE Audio

LC3 is the low-complexity codec that Bluetooth LE Audio uses. The Bluetooth technology website lists LE Audio among its feature enhancements, and the Bluetooth technology overview describes the Bluetooth LE radio as a radio designed for very low power operation.

On listings, LE Audio appears more often than the codec name LC3. The buyer reads "LE Audio" as a signal that the pair uses the newer Bluetooth audio transmission path, and LC3 as the codec name that walks with it.

The Bluetooth overview page describes the LE radio as supporting isochronous connections, the transport LE Audio uses. No maker page in the source set states an LC3 data rate or a latency figure, so this article leaves those numbers out. The low latency codecs article explains latency as a term: the time audio takes to travel from the source to the pair.

Which codec matches your phone

The codec that works is decided by both sides. A phone that sends only AAC will not send LDAC, even when the pair supports LDAC. A pair that supports LDAC still links with such a phone, at the common default codec both support.

• Apple phone or tablet: look for AAC on the listing.
• Android phone: open the phone's Bluetooth settings to see which codecs it offers, then match the pair.
• Gift with an unknown phone: choose a pair that works at the common default with any source.

What the catalogue can and cannot tell you

The catalogue names codecs on listings and maker pages. That tells you which sources the pair is meant to match. It does not state a data rate, a latency figure, or a quality ranking. The site's guides compare listings on stated details only, so two pairs with different codec names are compared by the codec words they print, not by any measured performance.

When a listing omits a codec name, read the omission as "not stated by the seller" and check the maker's page. When the maker's page also omits it, the pair still works at the common default, and the buyer chooses on other stated details such as fit, connection and battery figure.

The learn articles on codecs (wireless codecs compared, Bluetooth audio profiles, Bluetooth version impact) read each codec name the same way: a compatibility word to match to your source.

The wireless headphones guide compares pairs on stated details including codec words, and the wireless earbuds guide does the same for earbuds.

What to pick for your situation

Questions

Which codec should I look for on a listing?

Match the codec to your source device. Apple sources link at AAC, Android sources may offer LDAC for wireless Hi-Res audio, and the newest Bluetooth path is LE Audio with LC3. The codec name is a compatibility word, so the right name is the one your phone also supports.

Does LDAC work with an Apple phone?

Apple devices use AAC as their standard Bluetooth codec, so a pair that names LDAC links with an Apple phone at the codec both devices support. The LDAC name tells you the pair can receive a Hi-Res wireless stream from a source that sends LDAC, not from an Apple source.

Is LC3 on every newer pair?

No. LC3 walks with Bluetooth LE Audio, and LE Audio is one feature a pair may state on its listing or maker page. Pairs that do not state LE Audio still work at the common default.

What does wireless Hi-Res audio on a listing mean?

It is a term on the listing or maker page. On the soundcore page, wireless Hi-Res audio is stated alongside LDAC. The guides read it as a stated detail and compare listings on those words, not on any measured figure.

What if no codec is named on a listing?

Read the omission as "not stated by the seller" and check the maker's page. If the maker's page also omits it, the pair still links at the common default, and you can choose on other stated details such as fit, battery and connection.

Does the codec name change the battery figure?

The catalogue does not state any link between a codec name and battery runtime. The battery figure on a listing or maker page is the one to quote, and the codec name is read only as a compatibility word.