Creative BT-W5 Smart Bluetooth 5.3 Audio Transmitter with aptX Adaptive, High-Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz Audio, Device-Switching Function, Works with PC/Mac/Gaming Consoles

As mentioned by others, A2DP implementation in macOS leaves much room for improvement (in my case,15” Late 2016 MBP). Audio was choppy and latency perceptible regardless of the codec used (SBC, AAC or AptX). Switching over to the BT-W2 with Aukey EP-B80 earphones was a massive upgrade. While sound quality remained the same, chops and cutoffs were gone - as was the lag (as if you’re using wired cans). The sound was stable, clear and lag-free, in real-time.Admittedly, B80s do support AptX-LL, which makes all the difference in latency department. But even without said benefit, the lack of interference was impressive: using Magic Mouse 2, Magic Keyboard and several 2.4GHz networks near the adapter had zero impact on signal quality. Speaking of which, it holds up about 7-8m line of sight, and penetrates one brick wall before dropping off. Pairing was easy, and took 4-5 seconds only.As for cons. I could never make the audio-in work, despite LED light telling me it’s on, and macOS recognizing the mic. It just stays silent. Also, volume control is tricky: technically, it IS adjustable with volume up/down buttons (you can hear it) — but controls neither system nor app volume. Think of it as an external, analog amp, in terms of OS interaction.Last but not least. Is Bluetooth 2.1 EDR outdated? Yes, but only if you need hi-res audio. Otherwise, there is little difference in Bluetooth Classic A2DP implementation across 2.1, 3.0, 4.0, 4.1 or 4.2 iterations. 5.0 on the other hand, could certainly improve the range, support heavier codecs and concurrent clients - but in my experience, it works as intended. No hiccups.

There's no easier way to listen to your music than just to open up a folder and press Enter on whatever file you want to listen to. Yet for years it was impossible to do something this basic without compromising on fidelity. If you wanted HD audio you were mostly stuck having to buy something like a Bluesound and navigate your music collection through its horrible app interface. Finally there's a better option in AptX HD. If you have an AptX HD-compatible receiver or amp, you can play wireless music not technically lossless but still at 24bit better-than-CD quality - *almost* realizing the dream of pressing Enter in your Windows folders and having the file play through a real stereo system.The "almost" is because Windows itself has no AptX HD compatibility so you need a solution like this to take over. I bought it to pair with Emotiva's TA1 amp, which has a built-in AptX HD Bluetooth receiver so requires no extra hardware beyond this little dongle: the complete system is 1) laptop, 2) dongle, 3) TA1, 4) speakers. I did experience some frustration at first with Windows trying to output through its regular Bluetooth instead of this dongle, which seemed stuck in an interminable pairing mode. The solution, which the help line at Emotiva helped me figure out after web searching proved fruitless, is to turn OFF Bluetooth on Windows. Then you plug this thing in, it automatically takes over as the audio output source, the amp automatically finds its signal - press enter on a FLAC and a little orange light pops up confirming your 24-bit signal as your room fills with music. It's been working flawlessly and as an essential component in an HD audio system for twenty-five bucks, it's hard to beat the value.It also felt pretty good buying another Creative Labs product after my first SoundBlaster circa 1991.

What I like: it beats the pants off Windows stack bluetooth audio with the ability to actually choose your sample rate and bit rate. I can actually play BT audio at 24bit/96000hz! Also, I really like that once paired in Windows, it'll stay connected to any other device its plugged into, such as working when booting to Linux. Normally bluetooth devices paired in Windows or Linux cannot be used with one another. Another thing is the built in crystalizer and the equalizer, two things that I no longer need a separate app for.What I don't like: lack of AAC. Plus I've yet been able to find a way to switch the codec manually in the app. AptX HD is pretty good, tho, and standard Windows BT doesn't offer AptX HD (but it does use AAC). Also my Crusher ANC when using Bass Boost in app actually makes the bass quieter.But yeah, this dongle is really good.