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A Legendary Audio Brand Just Made a Plug-and-Play Hi-Fi Upgrade for Your Desktop

The revered German audio company’s gadget breathes new life into your old laptop or desktop.

Sennheiser Bluetooth dongleSennheiser

By Tucker Bowe

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Sennheiser just announced a tiny Bluetooth dongle that’s designed to upgrade your laptop, desktop or smartphone’s streaming capabilities so that it’s better aligned with the standards of today’s top-of-the-line wireless headphones.

Sennheiser BTD 700

Sennheiser Bluetooth dongle
Sennheiser’s BTD 700 is USB-C dongle that adds supports for aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless to your smartphone, laptop or desktop.
Sennheiser

A 24-bit upgrade

The Sennheiser BTD 700 is a no-frills Bluetooth dongle that plugs into your device’s USB-C port — or USB-A port, as it comes with an adapter. And it’s compatible with all devices: Android, iOS, Windows and macOS.

The main appeal of the BTD 700 is that it supports aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, which are Bluetooth audio codecs that support high-resolution streaming up to 24-bit/96 kHz. Most older devices, as well as all iPhones and Macs (new or old), lack native aptX support.

Additionally, the BTD 700 adds Auracast support to your device. This allows you to stream audio from it to any other Auracast-enabled speakers or headphones; it’s effectively multi-room streaming tech, but over Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi.

It also has a dedicated low-latency mode for gaming. According to the brand, it “delivers audio latency as low as 30 milliseconds on supported headphones, keeping sound in sync with fast-paced visual action.”

Sennheiser Bluetooth dongle
The Sennheiser BTD 700 adds Auracast support, as well as a low-latency mode for gaming.
Sennheiser

Your headphones matter

It’s important to note that the Sennheiser BTD 700 is designed to fix your device’s Bluetooth streaming shortcomings — and that’s it. This means that if your wireless headphones or Bluetooth speaker don’t support the necessary high-resolution codecs (aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless), then the BTD 700 will not unlock new abilities in them.

Of course, most of today’s flagship headphones from premium brands — such as Sony, Bowers & Wilkins, Bose and, of course, Sennheiser — support these high-resolution codecs. Many also support Auracast, although it is an even newer technology.

However, Apple’s devices notoriously do not support these advanced Bluetooth codecs or Auracast. This includes iPhones and Macs, as well as its entire line of AirPods. So if you use an iPhone or Mac and non-Apple headphones, the BTD 700 will unlock these new capabilities. If you use AirPods (any model), it won’t help.

Sennheiser Bluetooth dongle
For the BTD 700 to work best, you’ll need a pair of wireless headphones (or speakers) that support these high-resolution codecs, too.
Sennheiser

Price and availability

The Sennheiser BTD 700 is available now for $60. You can purchase it from Sennheiser’s website or other authorized online dealers.

About the Author:

Tucker Bowe has been on Gear Patrol’s editorial team since 2014. As a Tech Staff Writer, he tracks everything in the consumer tech space, from headphones to smartphones, wearables to home theater systems. If it lights up or makes noise, he probably covers it.

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