Aptx

[Kestrel]

How important is APTX when watching video? I'm in the market for a bluetooth amplifier, and I'm thinking specifically about the latency aspect. I've already ran a TV show with the sound going over bluetooth, and I didn't recall there being a latency issue - that's the kind of thing that I would normally notice, and be really irritated by, but it's possible I just wasn't paying a lot of attention.

Right now, I'm trying to balance features - there are a couple of amps which I would otherwise like, which can play audio files off of USB or SD cards, and have a decent amount of power, but they do not have APTX. If the APTX does make a noticeable difference to the audio/video sync due to less latency though, that would be the most important thing to me as this amp is going to get a lot of use in tandem with a projector for some outdoor movies over the summer.

Thanks for any input you can throw my way!

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[guinness]

Aptx is supposed to help with latency and improve audio quality, but without doing a A/B test, not sure if you can say for certain that aptx is better/worse/neutral for your application.

Right now, as long as your not experiencing any lag, that's a good thing.

Curious about your setup, if you have access to internet, could you use a Chromecast to do the streaming? That uses HDMI, and that will carry A/V in one step.

Or, could you use a 3.5 mm Bluetooth adapter? Like this one (says it supports aptx low latency), optical, 3.5 mm, RCA, transmit/receive:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KO1JNCA/ref=psdc_9926003011_t2_B00P24XKS8

The biggest downside I could see, is depending on how far your source is from your receiver/amplifier, you could start hearing more delay and interference, just the nature of the beast. I feel that the up range given in many BT spec sheets is very optimistic.

As far as noticeable difference aptx or not, I'm honestly not sure, as while I have it on my Sony cans and Totu buds, I'm pretty sure my Civic doesn't support it, and it sounds good enough for basic car audio.

I'm theorizing that if a device has BT 4.0+ support, it should support aptx at this point.

 

[Kestrel]

Thanks for the response. I'm running a cheap projector in my back yard, and it's connected to my Windows tablet via a USB-C to HDMI cable. I'm streaming from a Plex server, so I'm using wifi. I've been running audio to a mini amp via a 3.5mm to RCA cable, to a couple of bookshelf speakers that I take outside. I want a new amp with some more power, and a bluetooth amp would give me more wiring flexibility, making it easier for people to gather around and watch (having a remote would be nice too). The amp would likely be within 5 or so feet of the tablet. The one amp I'm looking at is BT 4.0, but doesn't support APTX, while another one I'm looking does have it, but is missing other features.

Edit: To be clear, the projector can do its own sound, so if I understand what you're saying, the Chromecast isn't necessary for sound, but who wants to listen to that? The point of the amplifier is to run the sound through a nice pair of Wharfdale speakers, and really enjoy the experience.