Sound quality with phone tethering

[PunkRockDoc]

Has anyone noticed a difference in sound quality when using Spotify or Apple Music off of a tethered phone versus connect+?

Sponsored

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

Has anyone noticed a difference in sound quality when using Spotify or Apple Music off of a tethered phone versus connect+?

I don't have either of those services. I think Amazon music sounds exactly the same whether native app or tethered. I can toggle Atmos streaming on my phone when tethered and can hear the difference. I believe the Amazon music native app is using Atmos although I can't find any documentation.

 

[josh0]

Bluetooth is a relatively low bandwidth connection, and audio streamed over it will always be compressed. The difference between playing your music on a Bluetooth speaker and an AirPlay speaker is dramatic. The same will be true of Bluetooth vs native Rivian app; Bluetooth simply isn’t capable of transmitting particularly high quality audio.

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

Bluetooth is a relatively low bandwidth connection, and audio streamed over it will always be compressed. The difference between playing your music on a Bluetooth speaker and an AirPlay speaker is dramatic. The same will be true of Bluetooth vs native Rivian app; Bluetooth simply isn’t capable of transmitting particularly high quality audio.

I used to think the same thing but I to was wrong. Apple Bluetooth Atmos Support

 

[josh0]

I used to think the same thing but I to was wrong. Apple Bluetooth Atmos Support

Interesting, must be an update to Bluetooth since I last looked at it. I’m positive Apple’s own documentation used to say roughly the same thing I am.

That said, this specifically says that you need to be using Apple manufactured headphones to listen to Atmos over Bluetooth, so it’s possible that it’s either a special proprietary Apple enhancement to Bluetooth, or even that it’s handing off to a different wireless protocol such as AirPlay2 in order to make this possible with compatible hardware.

 

[josh0]

Yeah, the lossless audio documentation still says that Bluetooth isn’t capable of playing lossless audio, and it can only be used with Apple headsets that use Apple’s own AAC Bluetooth Codec (which I suspect is still lower quality than lossless otherwise). https://support.apple.com/en-us/118295

(Also, is it me, or is this app just terrible with autocorrect? I seem to get so many more typos and other errors when posting here than anywhere else.)

 

[RedRaiderRivian]

Interesting, must be an update to Bluetooth since I last looked at it. I’m positive Apple’s own documentation used to say roughly the same thing I am.

That said, this specifically says that you need to be using Apple manufactured headphones to listen to Atmos over Bluetooth, so it’s possible that it’s either a special proprietary Apple enhancement to Bluetooth, or even that it’s handing off to a different wireless protocol such as AirPlay2 in order to make this possible with compatible hardware.

There is also documentation that Samsung phones can link up with certain headphones. The Amazon Music app shows whether the Bluetooth device is capable of accepting Dolby Atmos streams. When I connect my Samsung Note 20 to my R1T it shows an Atmos compatible device. Dolby Atmos is not lossless anyway so they are not directly connecte streaming formats.

 

[josh0]

There is also documentation that Samsung phones can link up with certain headphones. The Amazon Music app shows whether the Bluetooth device is capable of accepting Dolby Atmos streams. When I connect my Samsung Note 20 to my R1T it shows an Atmos compatible device.

Well, very cool! I wonder If it is possibly handing it off to WiFi for higher bandwidth, or if there’s just an atmos profile for Bluetooth now.

 

[josh0]

Now that I’m reading up on it, I’m also wondering if there’s necessarily any connection between Dolby Atmos and audio quality. The primary function of Atmos is to provide 3D audio for a more immersive experience. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t still downsample the audio for a lower bandwidth connection, but still use all 9.1 channels to provide an immersive Atmos experience with lower quality audio.

 

[godfodder0901]

Now that I’m reading up on it, I’m also wondering if there’s necessarily any connection between Dolby Atmos and audio quality. The primary function of Atmos is to provide 3D audio for a more immersive experience. I don’t see any reason you couldn’t still downsample the audio for a lower bandwidth connection, but still use all 9.1 channels to provide an immersive Atmos experience with lower quality audio.

Yep, it's all marketing garbage. Audio over Bluetooth will be compressed and will NEVER have the same fidelity as other sources due to bandwidth limitations. They can call it Atmos all they want, just like 480i and 1080p video are both technically HDTV because they part of the ATSC standard.

Atmos over Bluetooth is simply misleading marketing.

 

[godfodder0901]

I don't have either of those services. I think Amazon music sounds exactly the same whether native app or tethered. I can toggle Atmos streaming on my phone when tethered and can hear the difference. I believe the Amazon music native app is using Atmos although I can't find any documentation.

That's not the tethering he's talking about. He's talking about tethering the data connection to a phone hotspot.

 

[Glembi2]

(Also, is it me, or is this app just terrible with autocorrect? I seem to get so many more typos and other errors when posting here than anywhere else.)

it is not just you. The autocorrect in this app has a mind of its own.

 

[Chinna]

I felt sound qulity is good while using phone hotspot.
I Guess my phone 5G data loading quick via wifi compare rivian 4g data speed .

 

[PunkRockDoc]

I guess my question has more to do with how the phone connects to the car for WiFi tethering. Is data the transmitted over WiFi or Bluetooth?
Trying to weigh the options when it comes to subscribing to C+. Since the subscription ran out, I’ve been tethering my phone as a hotspot and using the native Rivian audio apps that way.

 

[TexasBob]

I guess my question has more to do with how the phone connects to the car for WiFi tethering. Is data the transmitted over WiFi or Bluetooth?
Trying to weigh the options when it comes to subscribing to C+. Since the subscription ran out, I’ve been tethering my phone as a hotspot and using the native Rivian audio apps that way.

No difference. My phone / wifi has better bandwidth than the Rivian modem anyway.

I have noticed a delay of 10-30 seconds when I get in the truck before the wifi connects to the hotspot, however.

Sponsored