A Geek Goes Flying

Following up on a previous post , I can now confirm that, in addition to the reliable Qualcomm QCC5125 and CSR8675 chipsets (and unlike the QCC3034 , apparently), the “Flagship QCC518x”[ 1 ] chipset in the ifi Zen Blue v3 also connects via AAC to Mac  computers. Huzzah. I have one patched into an original Schiit Jotunheim (with the AK4490 Balanced DAC card installed ) via a 4.4 mm to dual XLR cable , and it sounds incredible . iFi Zen Blue v3 circuit board ifi Zen Blue v3 Bluetooth transmitter/receiver/DAC

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 (Seems to be a common complaint, and the how to fix guides are all outdated .)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 sup...

HIEbee Bluetooth receiver So I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never really given Bluetooth codecs much thought. I guess I just figured, reasonably modern devices would have complementary capabilities and would negotiate the best possible stream, and away we go. Turns out, maybe not so much. I picked up the cheap! ($10) HIEbee 5.2 Bluetooth Audio Receiver (which identifies itself as YET-R30 via Bluetooth), along with a cheap ($8) short 75 Ω coaxial cable for S/PDIF, to patch into the last remaining digital input on the back of my Modius . For the very low price, I thought it might be nice to be able to listen to my iPhone over Bluetooth as a convenience, vs. patching it in through the Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter (which I’m finding finnicky to get charging, and so try to leave it connected to the surplus iPhone 12 Pro I’ve dedicated to my listening station). The device comes with a 3.5 mm male to male cable and a cheap feeling optical TOSlink cable, and has bright blue status...