The Sony WF-1000XM3 are the best true wireless headphones you can buy right now, and they may be about to get better, with rumors that wireless headphones are about to support Hi-Res Audio. The headphones briefly appeared on Qualcomm's aptX website, being described as "aptX HD enabled"; This post was quickly deleted, but not before The Walkman Blog spotted it. Although we don't know if this was a bug or a premature message on the website, it could mean that aptX HD support is coming to the Sony WF-1000XM3 as a firmware update aptX HD is a Bluetooth codec that can wirelessly stream audio files from high resolution at 24-bit / 48 kHz, something the Sony WF-1000XM3 has so far been unable to handle.
What is the advantage of aptX HD?
Unlike lossy MP3 files, Hi-Res Audio codecs are capable of reproducing the full range of sounds from recordings that have been mastered from higher-than-CD-quality music sources, faithfully reproducing sound quality. with which the musicians and engineers worked. in the studio at the time of recording. Hi-Res Audio's higher bit depth improves the dynamic range (or sound of a track), essentially giving you a wider variety of things to actually hear from the recording, making tracks wider and more detailed. . Audiophiles rely on hi-res streaming services like Tidal, Amazon Music HD and Qobuz for that reason, and if the Sony WF-1000XM3 can appeal to this market by bringing the fidelity of Hi-Res audio to the comfort of the real thing wireless headphones, it could reinvigorate your already brilliant headphones. Support for aptX HD is a feature that only a few true wireless headphones can claim, including the Cambridge Audio Melomania 1 and Master & Dynamic MW07. Apple AirPods and the new AirPods Pro certainly don't come with Hi-Res Audio support.
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A screenshot of the message before it was removed. (Image credit: Qualcomm via Walkman blog) If the Sony WF-1000XM3 receives aptX support, this raises questions about the brand's high-resolution wireless audio codec. Like what Hi-Fi? he points out that Sony already has its own 24-bit compatible codec, called LDAC, which it could use for free, unlike aptX, for which Qualcomm charges licensing fees. That said, the WF-1000XM3 never supported LDAC, and its premium-class headset, the Sony WH-1000XM3, supports aptX HD and LDAC, and comes with a processing chip very similar to its true wireless sibling. So it's quite possible that the bosses will one day be able to manage the two codecs. With rumors of another competitor coming to market (the AirPods Pro Lite, to be exact), Sony could add smart hi-res support in whatever guise, and it could guarantee the WF-1000XM3's place at first true wireless. for the rest of 2020.