Artistic BT-W5 evaluate: A worthwhile audio improve

As I wrote back in December, certainly one of my favourite methods to play the Nintendo Swap is on the sofa, subsequent to my girlfriend. She will be able to watch TV whereas I attempt to make a dent in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Even when we’re not doing the identical factor, we’re nonetheless spending time collectively. And I get to play my favourite video games on the Swap OLED’s fantastic screen.

Once I play the Swap handheld, I exploit my Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones. It is a win-win for all concerned. My companion is not subjected to noise bleed from my open-back Sennheiser HD 58X headphones, and I can not hear the TV. However I not too long ago seen there was one thing lacking.

If you understand something in regards to the Swap, you most likely know the place that is going. Nintendo’s handheld has had Bluetooth support since 2021, however that help is proscribed to SBC. Even if you happen to’ve by no means heard of SBC, you’ve got used it. When folks affiliate Bluetooth with subpar audio high quality, SBC is sort of all the time the wrongdoer.

Consider it this manner, SBC is to Bluetooth codecs what SMS is to messaging. Each Bluetooth gadget works with SBC. And if the 2 gadgets you are attempting to pair collectively do not help the identical set of protocols, they are going to default to SBC for audio playback. That is nice for interoperability, however the issue with SBC is that it would not sound significantly good. It is a lossy format, which means not each little bit of audio info your supply gadget sends is preserved throughout transmission. For gaming, SBC can even undergo from latency points.

Within the final decade, there’s been lots of innovation within the area, with a lot of it coming from Qualcomm. In 2024, the corporate has just a few totally different codecs to its title, however all them primarily provide a greater expertise than SBC. Once more, the issue is interoperability.

Take my WH-1000XM3 headphones for example. Outdoors SBC, they help AAC, Qualcomm’s aptX and aptX HD codecs, in addition to Sony’s proprietary LDAC protocol. For the reason that Swap is proscribed to SBC, my Sony headphones sound a shade worse once they’re linked to the Swap, then say the iPhone. It isn’t an enormous distinction, however sufficient that I’ve at instances thought to myself sure background tracks or audio cues felt flat whereas taking part in a sport.

Fortunately, I’ve discovered a simple and reasonably priced approach to make the Swap — and practically each different gadget I personal — sound higher over Bluetooth: the Artistic BT-W5.

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BT-W5

The Artistic BT-W5 is a USB-C dongle that extends the Bluetooth capabilities of Nintendo Swap, Sony PlayStation, Mac, and PC gadgets to permit them to transmit Bluetooth audio over Qualcomm aptX codecs.

Professionals

• Small, simple to make use of
• aptX, aptX HD, and aptX Adaptive help
• Swap, PlayStation, Home windows and Mac suitable

Cons

• USB-A adapter not included
• A bit expensive

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Value, availability, and specs

The BT-W5 is out there to buy on Amazon and the Artistic web site for $50.

If you wish to get monetary savings, Artistic additionally presents the BT-W3X, which presents all the things the BT-W5 does except for aptX Adaptive compatibility. In consequence, it usually prices $10 much less.

What I preferred in regards to the Artistic BT-W5

An almost excellent bundle

Artistic’s pitch for the BT-W5 is straightforward. It is a thumb-sized dongle you insert into your Swap, Home windows PC, Mac, PlayStation 4 or PS5 to increase the Bluetooth capabilities of these gadgets. With out the necessity for any further software program, the gadget will transmit the audio sign your pc or console produces over the most effective aptX codec supported by your Bluetooth headphones. So as from finest to worst, the W5 helps aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX and SBC. Within the case of Qualcomm’s newest protocol, you may configure the W5 to default to both the codec’s Excessive High quality or Latency mode.

I did not get an opportunity to check the W5 with Sony consoles, however on Swap, Home windows and macOS, the expertise of utilizing the accent is seamless. As an example, after I plugged the W5 into my Swap, the console instantly acknowledged the gadget and switched to its built-in USB DAC mode. At that time, I may proceed to make use of the Swap’s bodily controls to regulate the quantity. Over on PC and Mac, the method of utilizing the W5 was solely barely extra sophisticated. On these platforms, I needed to first change the sound output, which meant digging into the respective fast settings of every working system. In any case, Artistic has made the W5 about as user-friendly as attainable, and it really works as promised.

It doesn’t matter what gadget I used the dongle to attach my headphones to, I instantly seen a distinction in audio high quality and latency. It was particularly noticeable on Swap, the place the W5 allowed my headphones to connect with the console over aptX HD. Taking part in Hole Knight, for example, Christopher Larkin’s haunting soundtrack felt fuller and extra nuanced, with higher separation between devices. In the meantime, audio cues just like the Knight’s nail strikes sounded extra impactful. I used to be already an enormous fan of Hole Knight’s audio design, however after experiencing the sport with higher sound, I ended up appreciating it much more.

Now, if all of the W5 did was give me a simple approach to get hold of higher Bluetooth audio from my gadgets, I might advocate it to folks, however this gadget does a lot greater than that. To start out, it smooths over one of many extra annoying elements of utilizing older Bluetooth headphones.

Within the case of my Sony cans, they do not help Bluetooth multipoint, which means at any time when I wish to join them to my iPhone, Swap or Mac, I have to first disconnect them from no matter gadget I used to be utilizing them with beforehand. With the W5, there is no want to try this. As an alternative, I merely plug the dongle into the gadget I wish to use my headphones with, energy them on, and the W5 does the remaining. It may possibly bear in mind 4 connections without delay, and switching between these is as simple as urgent the one and solely button on the accent. In my testing, the W5 was additionally sooner at connecting with the WH-1000XM3, and did a greater job of sustaining a strong connection.

I am additionally a fan of the Artistic app. You need not set up it in your pc to make use of the W5 with Home windows or Mac, however the software program allowed me to set a custom EQ, which I discover is important for making a bass ahead pair of headphones just like the WH-1000XM3 sound their finest. I additionally appreciated the very fact I may change the order the W5 cycles between paired gadgets.

Associated

How the aptX HD codec boosts Bluetooth performance

Bluetooth expertise is not fairly the identical as wired audio high quality, however aptX HD helps bridge the hole.

What I did not like in regards to the Artistic BT-W5

Not a lot

My solely criticism in regards to the BT-W5 is that does not include a USB-C to USB-A adapter. A couple of competing aptX dongles, most notably the Sennheiser BTD 600, do. Fortunately, I had a spare adapter, however the truth you aren’t getting one contained in the field is price contemplating because the W5 is likely one of the pricier aptX dongles available on the market.

Do you have to purchase the Artistic BT-W5?

Sure, if you wish to improve your PC or console’s audio, and also you personal a pair of headphones that may reap the benefits of the W5’s aptX connectivity, I can not advocate this gadget sufficient.

Individually, I believe it is an effective way to increase the lifetime of an older pair of Bluetooth headphones. After six years of use, I used to be pondering of changing my Sony WH-1000XM3 resulting from simply how annoying it had grow to be to modify between connections. Between the W5 and a contemporary set of earpads, I do know really feel like I am going to get a decade of use out of my Bluetooth headphones. I like devices that assist you to try this.

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BT-W5