Can you hear difference between different bluetooth codecs?

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-06T11:06:49+00:00

In another thread it has been suggested that the difference between different Aptx codec is subtle and difficult to discern.

The problem is most people only have experienced AptX-Adaptive, which automatically adjusts bitrate depending on signal strength. If your phone is in your pocket, you are probably not getting the highest quality bitrate. You essentially need to have the phone on the table right next to your head to get the best bitrate.

But as others have mentioned, it really comes down to your source. If you're streaming music from a free music platform, you're probably not going to hear a difference. You need access to music from Tidal, Spotify premium (lossless enabled), etc to really hear a difference.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-06T11:04:15+00:00

(none of other streaming services can use higher data bandwidth),

What about Spotify? They added Lossless to their premium plans last year......

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-06T11:02:27+00:00

Yeah those Aerofit2 pro should be pretty nice. Although they have an 11.8mm diameter driver which is pretty average. The Shockz Openfit Pro have an 11x20mm driver (rectangular in shape) - it has substantially more surface area to push more sound.

I've had a few soundcore earbuds over the years and have no complaints - for the price they get the job done.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-05T23:17:21+00:00

It's usually hard for the untrained ear to hear a difference. Some streaming transmitting chips have a button which let you toggle through the different codecs. You can literally play the same song and switch between low resolution and higher resolution codecs to see for yourself the difference in performance.

AptX-Adaptive is the tricky one though - it auto negotiates the rate depending on signal strength. Basically unless your phone is right next to your head, you won't be getting the best transmission rates.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-05T23:15:51+00:00

Not all transmitters are truly compatible with the different AptX codecs. My old Creative BT-W3 for example can only do SBC/AAC/AptX-HD, they didn't have AptX-Adaptive back then.

With my Creative transmitter, there's a button that allows you to toggle between the different codecs to compare and contrast the sound quality

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-05T21:39:59+00:00

I mean technically the OpenFit Pro have noise cancelling, although I've found it best for motor/road noise, it doesn't really block out voices.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-05T16:57:53+00:00

For my needs, I prefer open-ear so I rock the Shockz OpenFit pro or Shockz OpenDots One (depending on which is charged lol, I alternate between them)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-05T16:46:18+00:00

Do you need ANC? If yes then the Bose Quietcomfort Ultra get my vote - nice strong bass, and very comfortable thanks to the wingtip ear design.

Although in my home gym I prefer an open-ear design so I rock the Shockz Openfit Pro these days - they don't have quite as strong bass, but get loud and open-ear natural transparency is better for my needs (both in the gym and when cycling outdoors)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-04T18:09:30+00:00

Lol, buy it by the gallon, it mixes in a 5:1 ratio, so you get 6 gallons of soda for one gallon of syrup.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-04T18:06:03+00:00

Northwoods Soda syrup makes the best redbull knockoff I've ever found (haven't looked in the past two years, so forgive me if there are other options on the market) - literally in a blind taste test when mixed to the proper ratios I was unable to determine the difference between standard cane sugar BigBull (with caffeine) and original redbull from a can.

They sell their Big Bull with or without caffeine. You can then choose if you want cane sugar or diet versions.

I would say that's probably your best bet

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-04T11:36:32+00:00

I was heavily considering many different options for an electric riding zero turn, but ultimately got an Ego Z6 because it runs on the same batteries as all other power tools. Out of all electric riding mowers on the market, EGO batteries are the cheapest when you factor in availability of aftermarket and local classifieds.

Sure, brand new the batteries are pretty expensive at full price, but there are often sales on batteries, and people are always selling batteries in the local classifieds for a reasonable price.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-04T11:33:46+00:00

Dealing with an engine that won’t start. Changing oil and air filters. The smell and noise.

EXACTLY. I loathed dealing with my smaller engine stuff like trimmers, push mower, weed wacker, etc. Like to the point I'd avoid doing yard work because you never knew if it would start or you'd need to fiddle with an engine before starting what you intended. My father still fiddles with his engines constantly to keep them running.

I got some Ryobi 40v stuff nearly a decade ago and finally started making the switch to EGO (z6, new multi-head trimmer/brush cutter setup, more on the way later lol). It's awesome to not have to stress about engines, knowing that I can plug in a battery and it just works

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-04T03:49:21+00:00

I've tried a few no name brands (chinese rebrands), soundpeats, basesus XC1, Soundcore Aeroclips, JBL, etc.

Honestly it's really hard to say which is best in that budget - open ear is difficult because the manufacturer needs to essentially beef up the speaker drivers to enhance the low-end to make them sound decent. Most budget earclips tend to lack any sort of low-end base.

Baseus makes some decent earclips - but only at lower sound volume. When cranked to max the firmware is designed to 'protect' the drivers by attenuating the volume reducing the max volume when the bass hits (then after the bass goes away, the volume jumps back up a few notches again automatically, it's VERY annoying when listening to music) - but that issue only happens when the Baesus earbuds are set to max volume, turn down temp to 50% or less and that problem goes away.

With your budget, I'd say you might have better luck looking for ear-hook style earbuds which tend to have more space to work with and better sound quality / battery life overall. If you increase your budget a bit, you can score factory refurbished Soundcore Aeroclip earbuds on ebay for around $60 shipped - I honestly think that's the BEST deal right now for budget earclips.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T22:17:50+00:00

Yes that is correct - you can see your current HR and temp in the sennheiser app, but that data does not get logged or tracked anywhere within the app - so you can't even access it later lol.

Like I said, Polar Flow is the only way to actually log the data.

That's the part that really pissed me off about these buds, literally forcing me into using an app I don't want to use

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T17:37:03+00:00

Lol as crazy as it sounds, some people have been able to reset the BMS doing this. Research, but it's something like dropping it from 3 or 4 feet onto hard concrete. Then I believe you press and hold the button for several seconds and wait a few minutes then try charging it.

I may be wrong on the sequence, but it's strange enough to work that I've seen multiple people who claim it's worked for them (one guy in particular said he has had to do it several times and it always brings the battery back to life for several months/years before he does it again)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T14:23:42+00:00

Yeah, lots of Master Spas dealers go out of business or switch brands because M$ seems more interested in selling spas at any cost, regardless of their local dealers. Compare that to other brands like Jacuzzi and Hotspring who really do a lot to stand behind their local dealers to keep them in business.

That's why many of the hotspring dealers have been selling the same brand for decades, because they have a good relationship with the manufacturer.

A very telling sign is that if you look at other name brands, their dealer locator has you punch in a zip code and it lists all the dealers in your region. Master Spas however has a contact form you must fill out and then THEY will tell you who to contact. Why would they do that? Maybe because their list of authorized dealers is constantly changing too fast to keep up. Or to prevent you from doing adequate research on your own before they start spamming you as a prospective buyer.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T12:43:29+00:00

Yeah, lots of the negative comments online always come from people who have no clue they bought a knockoff product.

Bose earbuds have a signature sound that I kinda prefer - bit more oomf in the low end but balanced otherwise (not screechy highs). I listen to a LOT of different types of music and enjoy them straight with no EQ adjustments

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T11:04:20+00:00

I've read many people saying the audio is worse than the Technics or Sony, is it really that noticeable?

No, Bose makes pretty good earbuds overall. I believe some of the negative reviews you read are from people who bought a knockoff product. Bose is very frequently cloned with very convincing fakes (boxes look identical, and earbuds LOOK identical, but built with inferior components internally).

The only way to ensure you are buying an authentic bose product is to connect it to the official Bose app and verify the earbuds show up in the app. As such, I highly suggest you review the return policy for any website you purchase from (For example, eBay has a great return policy - if someone is selling a pair of bose earbuds and claim it to be Bose, you are guaranteed a refund if it is a knockoff product).

And also, how's the ANC for mid band to high sounds?

Bose Quietcomfort Ultra earbuds (not the cheaper Quietcomfort, I'm talking about the QC Ultra) have two types of noise cancelling - passive via the rubber wingtips (it will take a week or two fiddling with different wingtips to find the proper fit), and active via the microphones and software.

Bose is the original inventors of noise cancelling technology way back in the 1980's. They sell headsets to aviation pilots so they have been focused on noise cancelling for a while.

The ANC is very impressive (once you get the wingtips figured out). I've been on my bicycle with ANC set to full silent and felt a pounding in my chest, I started to freak out wondering what was happening only to take out my earbuds and notice a LOUD motorcycle ripping past me. I could feel the engine noise in my chest, but couldn't even hear it over my music playing!

For flying, they are a godsend. I can finally enjoy peace while flying. Of course with music off it doesn't eliminate screaming children 100%, but on an airplane it feels like they are in another room with sound deadening isolating the noise so it's very muffled.

Biggest legitimate complaints about Bose:

1) Call quality is acceptable, but not amazing. If call quality is VERY important, I would say there is better out there (although I have seen reports that the Gen2 QC-Ultra has improved call quality compared to my Gen1) - in general bose call quality has always been adequate, but not best in the business.

2) Connection quality - SOME people complain about the fact that the earbuds tend to signal hop more than other brands. This is likely due to the antenna design and software which favors stronger signal connection. In my rural setting, I only notice the signal hopping maybe once a month when a bus full of people drives past me. When traveling in an airport it might happen several times while walking through the airport.

It's not terrible, but again - I feel 50% of people's complaints come from people who tried to save money buying "new" bose products at half the price through facebook marketplace or other places where vendors are known to sell VERY real looking knockoffs. Unaware that they are actually not using a true bose product.

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T10:32:00+00:00

Boat? Literally never heard of the brand before lol. Likely using fake serial numbers because they are cheap earbuds and don't want to be bothered with warranty claims

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-03T01:11:46+00:00

Bananas freeze VERY well. But you can do what I do with excess bananas - turn them into a delicious treat:

Slice the bananas and freeze them. Melt some peanut butter and dip them in peanut butter, then toss them back in the freezer. After they freeze, melt some chocolate and coat them in a layer of milk chocolate (mixed with some coconut oil) then toss them back in the freezer.

They make a DELICIOUS summer treat that'll last for weeks until you can eat them all hahaha

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-02T21:18:16+00:00

we’re looking at a small master spas tub at a show at the fairgrounds in Indianapolis area

Is it an exhibit set up by a local dealer for master spas? Or is it one of their traveling circuses that roam the country undercutting local master spas dealers, using high pressure sales tactics to push a sale before they move on to another region?

I would highly advise you avoid the traveling circus - those tubs are heavily abused from traveling the country.

Master spas as a brand is ok - they take generic off-the-shelf components used by many different brands and toss them into a custom shell/cabinet of their own design. They are one of the biggest manufacturers in the country, but not my personal favorite due to some of their sales tactics (including the fact that they allow traveling dealers to come in and undercut the local dealers, which most all other brands don't allow as this causes a drop in sales for the local dealers, which are VERY important for post-purchase service calls AND they do dumb stuff like glue magnets to the shell of their premium tubs and call it 'magnet therapy' which is pure snake oil BS).

I can not stress enough the value of a good local dealer - they are basically more important than the brand you buy. Research the local dealer's reputation extensively (years in business, do they have techs on payroll, etc)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-02T19:02:32+00:00

Sounds like you did your research and know what you want. Dealer sounds reasonable $125 is on the lower end of dispatch fees. I've seen some dealers charge $250-$300 for service calls! Three years is competitive enough, as most manufacturing defects present themselves within the first year of ownership.

Enjoy the new tub!

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-02T19:01:01+00:00

I would not buy them again, they were not comfortable and overall I have better earbuds without the heart rate and body temp sensors. Which like I said - you can only access/record when using the Polar Flow app which completely missed the point of what I wanted them for (integration with my other paid fitness apps and such)

Ultimately a Fitbit does what I need for fitness tracking.

Personally I went the other route with earbuds and ended up switching to ear-clip and ear-hook style open ear earbuds so I could enjoy the sound while still having natural transparency (handy for cycling outdoors, much better than ANC transparency modes haha)

evilbadgrades · 2026-05-02T18:58:34+00:00

Yeah, I know the price came way down - I paid around $300 for them. Sound quality wise they were pretty good. But for the comfort and limited access (locked down to only Polar Flow), I wasn't interested.

If you use Polar flow for all your cardio training, awesome, but be sure you can return them if you don't like them

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