Airpods Pro: very bad quality in Headset mode on Windows 10

Anonymous
2020-04-02T12:50:11+00:00

Dear all,

I've got my new Airpods Pro, they work well with my iPhone.

Also on Windows 10 via bluetooth, sound quality is good when using the "Airpods stereo" mode.

However, in the headset mode ("Airpods Hands-Free AG Audio") sound and especially microphone quality is extremely bad. I tried to change the default format (see screenshot, it's only 8000Hz), but I cannot change it as it's grey. Any advice to get a better microphone quality?

Windows for home | Windows 10 | Devices and drivers

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Anonymous
2022-01-17T19:57:00+00:00

According to this post it should be fixed already in Insiders Build (currently Dev Channel only).

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  1. Anonymous
    2021-05-14T06:22:30+00:00

    Not sure if this has an impact on the setting for hands free audio which we are talking about here.

    Will check that as soon as my IT dept. rolls out the update (my biz notebook is centraly managed by our IT).

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  2. Anonymous
    2021-05-14T17:21:35+00:00

    I've been trying to get Microsoft to fix this problem for over 12 months. Bluetooth headsets on Windows 10 are terrible quality. If Apple and Android can get it right, why can't Microsoft?

    I've had arguments with Microsoft employees with ridiculous responses from them like "disable the microphone" or "it's a bandwidth issue not a problem with Windows".

    It's 2020 and you can't use a bluetooth headset on Windows because the audio quality is very poor.

    It isn't a ridiculous response, unless they didn't elaborate, because it is indeed a bandwidth issue -  a Bluetooth bandwidth issue with carrying audio along with mic. Better Bluetooth tech is coming that will fix this. In the meantime the best option if you want to use airpods for conferencing etc. is use stereo mode and use something else for a mic. I use a Blue Yeti for the default mic so it works fine this way for me but I know not everyone will want to do that. Just saying it is a Bluetooth problem not a Windows problem. Hope that helps a little at least.

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  3. Anonymous
    2021-05-14T17:40:03+00:00

    Did you read any of the other posts? Apperantly not. Bluetooth is maybe one part of the whole problem. BUT if Android and Apple are able to find a workaround, why cant Microsoft, for years? Thats ridiculous. 

    There are people like me with ultrabooks and similar ultramobile devices: it is NOT an option to connect any additional dongles, mics or whatever (suggested here several times) everytime when opening your ultramobile windows device (on the go).

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  4. JosephT71 9,220 Reputation points
    2021-05-14T18:27:58+00:00

    BUT if Android and Apple are able to find a workaround, why cant Microsoft, for years? Thats ridiculous.

    No "workaround" exists because this is a MONEY issue.

    Qualcomm invented the aptX codec and they threw it in for cheap if the phone manufacturers buys their Qualcomm chipset. And if you buy a pair of wireless headphone with aptX codec then you are all good to go. Of course, if you buy a pair of Apple AirPods then that wouldn't help.

    Apple paid AAC codec on both their computers and their iphones. Apple got the AAC codecs for cheap because Apple iTunes music store is huge.

    The way it supposed to work is Dell buys a bluetooth chipset from Intel and Dell decides whether to pay for the extra fancy codecs. But since no pc manufacturer ever paid for AAC codec and Microsoft kept on hearing complaints about it --- Microsoft has decided to pay for the AAC codec themselves (for 21H2).

    It is the same as people complaining for 6 years on why Windows 10 doesn't have 5.1 optical out. It's a MONEY issue.

    People always talked about their Realtek audio chipset supports 5.1 or 7.1, but do they read the last sentence. If your motherboard manufacturer or your PC manufacturer didn't pay for Dolby Digital, then you don't have Dolby Digital and you won't have 5.1 optical out. Nothing to do with Microsoft.

    https://www.realtek.com/en/products/computer-peripheral-ics/item/alc892

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