LDAC, AAC and lossless
on a Mac
Your WH-1000XM5 supports LDAC, and Apple Music offers lossless. On a Mac over Bluetooth you get neither; here's what you do get, and when the cable is worth it.
Short answer
A Mac plays Bluetooth audio as SBC or AAC. Apple's accessory specification lists only those two for the Mac, and macOS has no setting for LDAC or aptX, so your Sony headphones use AAC or SBC on a Mac even though they support LDAC.
- Lossless isn't possible over Bluetooth. Apple says Bluetooth connections aren't lossless.
- For lossless, use the 3.5 mm cable that came with your headphones, plugged into your Mac's headphone jack or a USB-C headphone adapter.
- No app can add LDAC to macOS, Open Sound Connect included.
What a Mac uses for Bluetooth audio
Apple's Accessory Design Guidelines, the specification accessory makers build to, define two codecs for Bluetooth music on a Mac: SBC, which every Bluetooth headphone supports, and AAC. LDAC and aptX aren't mentioned. Apple doesn't publish a page saying "LDAC isn't supported", but there's no way to turn it on: macOS chooses the codec itself, and you won't find a codec setting in System Settings → Bluetooth or System Settings → Sound.
Every 1000X model supports AAC, so that's what the Mac usually uses with them.
Codecs by model
| Model | Codecs the headphones support (Sony) | On a Mac |
|---|---|---|
| MDR-1000X | SBC, AAC, aptX, LDAC | AAC or SBC |
| WH-1000XM2 | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC | AAC or SBC |
| WH-1000XM3 | SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX HD, LDAC | AAC or SBC |
| WH-1000XM4 | SBC, AAC, LDAC | AAC or SBC |
| WH-1000XM5 | SBC, AAC, LDAC | AAC or SBC |
| WH-1000XM6 | SBC, AAC, LDAC; LC3 over LE Audio | AAC or SBC |
| WH-1000XX | SBC, AAC, LDAC; LC3 over LE Audio | AAC or SBC |
LDAC, aptX and aptX HD still work with phones and players that support them; the headphones haven't lost anything, the Mac just doesn't send those formats.
Lossless and hi-res music
Lossless and hi-res files, including Apple Music's lossless tiers, are compressed again for Bluetooth on the way to the headphones. Apple's own support page is direct about it: "Bluetooth connections aren't lossless." That's true of AirPods too, not only Sony headphones.
To hear a lossless source without Bluetooth compression:
- Plug the 3.5 mm cable that came with your headphones into them and into your Mac's headphone jack. On a Mac without one, use a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter.
- In System Settings → Sound → Output, choose the headphone jack or the adapter.
- Play your music. Bluetooth turns off in the headphones while the cable is plugged in.
Keep in mind that the WH-1000XX has to be switched on to play over the cable, that the headphones' microphone isn't used over the cable, and that Open Sound Connect can't reach the headphones without Bluetooth. Using Sony headphones with a cable covers each model.
What settings in the headphones can and can't change
Some models have a Bluetooth Connection Quality setting with Sound Quality and Stable Connection, and headphones with LE Audio, such as the XM6 and WH-1000XX, can report LE Audio connection settings. These are the headphones' own settings. Open Sound Connect can change them where your model reports them, but none of them adds a codec to macOS: on a Mac the audio is still AAC or SBC. On the WH-1000XX, Sony notes that LDAC also needs the sound quality priority setting, which matters on a phone, not on a Mac.
Open Sound Connect also doesn't show which codec is in use. What can help on a Mac is DSEE, the upscaler in the headphones, which is designed for compressed audio like AAC.
When AAC suddenly sounds worse
If music turns thin or muffled during or after a call, it's usually not the codec. When an app uses the headphones' microphone, Bluetooth switches to a headset mode with lower audio quality until the microphone is no longer in use. Quit the app using the microphone, or choose your Mac's microphone in System Settings → Sound → Input. Bad call audio on a Mac explains it in full, and stuttering on a Mac covers dropouts.
Common
questions
Can Open Sound Connect enable LDAC on my Mac?
No. The codec is chosen by macOS, which supports SBC and AAC for Bluetooth audio. Open Sound Connect changes the headphones' settings; it doesn't add codecs or process audio on the Mac.
Is AAC on a Mac good enough for music?
For most listening, yes: AAC is the same codec AirPods use with Apple devices. If you want lossless, use the cable.
How do I see which codec my headphones are using?
Open Sound Connect doesn't display it. On a Mac with Sony 1000X headphones it will be AAC or SBC.
Where to next
- DSEE on a MacDSEE HX, Extreme and Ultimate by model, when each one is active on a Mac, and where to turn it on.
- USB-C and wired listeningWhy USB-C doesn't carry audio, how to use the 3.5 mm cable with a Mac, and what changes when you do.
- Settings for music on a MacA short checklist for listening to Spotify or Apple Music on a Mac with Sony headphones.
Put your headphones
in the menu bar
macOS 15 or later · Apple silicon and Intel