Keychron strikes again; macOS Bluetooth codec frustration; Blink camera battery life; and more!

Qualcomm QCC5125 Package

I got the BLT-2 (which apparently uses a Qualcomm QCC3034 chipset) in the mail today, and hooked it up. The manual I found online says it can work between two phones, but the manual for the device I got says it will remember up to 8 devices. Since I want it to work with both whatever laptop I might be cranking on, or at other times my phone, that’s perfect. So I set up my phone and my work MacBook Pro M1 Pro 14". A quick look at Console.app and it appears it’s still using the SBC codec - WTF? Digging into that. (Seems to be a common complaint, and the how to fix guides are all outdated.) 

https://gist.github.com/dvf/3771e58085568559c429d05ccc339219?permalink_comment_id=4078721

Update: My Macs connect to many devices using AAC, including:

• A Loxjie A40 (log) (Qualcomm QCC5125)
• A FiiO BTR5-2021 (log) (Qualcomm CSR8675)
• EarStudio ES100 (log) (Qualcomm CSR8675)

I’ve ordered a Blafili B3 (which apparently uses the QCC5125), fingers crossed. Blafili support has been encouraging:

Yes, blafili B3 can connect AAC instead of SBC after checking with our team. By the way, [m]y iPhone can connect with AAC too after my testing but all my Apple PCs (MacBook Air and Pro) connect with aptX as in our design aptX is with higher priority than AAC. We always after the best after-sale service.
Don't worry about it. Hope it helps. 

🤞

 

Update 2: The blafili B3 arrived and I immediately connected it to my Core i9 MacBook Pro 16" (Sonoma 14.4.1). Both Console.app and the display on the Bluetooth receiver confirmed: AAC codec in use. Huzzah! Tried it also with my iPhone 14 Pro (AAC on the B3 display), and my work MacBook Pro 14" 2021 M1 Pro, also AAC. (log) Alright, this quest has been completed.

 

In related news, the BLT-2 will be moving along to a new home, hopefully via r/AVexchange (sold the A30 and Modi 3+ pretty much immediately; the Modius so far not so much...)

I’ve had mixed luck with Keychron Bluetooth before (repeating characters, garbage input, etc), but was hoping the Q60 would be different. It is - it just has different problems.

Trying to use the BLT-2 and the Q60 simultaneously was a disaster. The audio playback stuttered constantly and seemed to be running off pitch, almost like when it was able to get some notes played, it was trying desperately to catch up. A quick Google search suggests I’m not alone in this:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Keychron/comments/17gpain/i_want_to_like_keychron_but_their_bluetooth/

I can use the M585 mouse and a NuPhy Air 75 or an MT 68 and no audio hiccups, but as soon as the Keychron Q60 is connected, it’s unlistenable.

Disappointing turns of events. At least the multi-device aspect is working the way it should, and SBC doesn’t sound that bad.

Update: Switching to the blafili B3 Bluetooth receiver, the interference from the keyboard is gone. So at least with this specific configuration, Bluetooth works fine with the Keychron. (I’ll try it with a JBL portable speaker and/or my Bose QC35s and/or BTR5-2021 Bluetooth headset adapter to see if my luck holds.)

I’m doing a sort of dry run of using the Poäng chair as a workstation, using the couch desk adjusted to put the desk and laptop riser approximately where they’d be with the Bateman Labs lap desk. It works. I think I’m going to take the plunge. It’s spendy (more than the chair!), but ...

I’m running a Blink camera on EBL AA batteries and it works well enough, except I don’t really get any warning the batteries are low, they just die. (Li Ion rechargeable AAs have this “cliff” thing they do.) So I started tracking when I recharge and when it dies. Looks like I get about 58 days out of a freshly charged set of cells. So I’ve set an 8 week recurring to do list item in Things:

Screenshot of repeating to do list item in Things