How to get better sound from your Android phone
Engadget explains how Android handles audio and what wired DACs and Bluetooth codecs you need for higher quality.
The facts
- According to Engadget, Android processes audio in 32-bit floating point by default and outputs it at 48kHz with 16 or 24 bits of depth.
- Since Android 14, an app can send audio straight to the hardware layer, but only if the phone maker, the player app and the DAC all support lossless USB audio.
- The standard Bluetooth codec, SBC, tops out at 320 kbps and AAC at 250 kbps, while Sony's LDAC outputs up to 24-bit, 96kHz.
- Engadget says aptX Lossless is bit-perfect only at 16-bit, 44.1kHz, works on few phones and drops back to lossy if other wireless devices are nearby.
Case notes · Danny's take
Why it matters
Good headphones are only half the chain. Your phone can change the sound before it ever reaches your ears. Most people will never notice, and the guide says so. But if you care, the fix is mostly switching things off and checking what your gear supports. Not a new purchase. A settings audit.
For builders
Lossless USB audio on Android works only when the phone, the app and the DAC all support it. If you build a music or audio app, that is the gap to close, and support for it is what audiophile users will check first.
Not financial advice. Do your own investigation.
This story was summarised with AI from Engadget's reporting and checked against our editorial policy. Danny's take reflects his views. Disclaimer.
Danny Walter
Founder of Moon Republic, Volt Terminal and Moon Republic Academy. Author of The Market Is a Crime Scene and After the Applause.