This discussion has been locked.
You can no longer post new replies to this discussion. If you have a question you can start a new discussion

Integrating a Music Quality Setting for Spotify on the 245 Music

I've seen it voiced in the forum that there is a noticeable discrepancy between the music from Spotify, as an app on a phone, that is paired with Bluetooth earphones compared to the quality experienced when listening to the Spotify app on the 245 Music watch.

I use Sennheiser Momentum 2 TW Buds for reference and it's obvious to me that the 'very high' quality available on the app on the phone is noticeably higher audio fidelity than the standard imposed by the watches app.

This essentially stunts the music label on the watch for me. I'd much prefer to use my earbuds with my phone and Spotify if it means I can experience the best in sounds quality Spotify has to offer.

I'm asking that a quality setting is integrated into the app settings on the watch. This would allow the user to choose less songs with higher quality or more songs with less. I don't mind at all this means a lower capacity of songs. I feel many would think the same. Just to be given the option to select the highest quality available would be an excellent addition.

Otherwise some clarification to the technical limitations of this feature would be welcome to know.

When I exercise, it would be better not to bring my phone with me to listen to music. All that requires for me is the 'very high' quality to be an option when downloading music to the watch.

  • From what I understand you tested:

    1. 945 + Airpods vs Shuffle + Earpods
    2. iPhone + Airpods vs  Shuffle + Earpods
    3. 945 + stereo speaker system vs ?

    I'm not going to defend Garmin and say that they play great audio but these tests are ridiculous. It's like saying that you tested a vinyl + amp + speakers vs Spotify + iPhone + Airpods and saying that there is a problem on your iPhone.

    There's just too many links in the chain playing music via the watch, and the OP is not even using the same model as yours nor is he using the same audio files nor the same earphones. 

    Let's start with Spotify. I haven't seen any credible information on the actual files Spotify uses on the Garmins. My guess is they're very compressed. And no, they wouldn't be worried about losing subscribers because of subpar audio. Garmin doesn't make audio equipment. Spotify hardly counts as an audiophile service, and even with the launch of Spotify HiFi it is an upgrade service to Spotify Premium which is what has been marketed to work with Garmin (along with others).

    The watch hardware is also in play here. Let's stop talking about Bluetooth as digital with ones and zeroes. Just stop. Like the specs on Spotify, I also have not seen any credible information on the Bluetooth codec used by these watches but I seriously doubt they have aptX or LDAC.

    Which brings us to your Airpods. I doubt Garmin uses aptx and LDAC less as much as I doubt they support AAC, which is the only codec used by Airpods. Your Airpods are literally designed to be used with iPhones. They don't even play well with Androids. The AAC codec is another part of the chain BOTH on the side of the watch and on the side of your earphones.

    Saves my brain getting fried too as I don't think radiation that can pass through thick concrete walls is good that close to your ear canals / brain. 

    You essentially said you use the same earphones on an iPod Shuffle and a Garmin 945. Then you elaborated on your testing methodology. Seeing how scientifically you do things I don't think there is any credibility on this statement coming from you.

  • Alvin. As the OP all I wanted was to understand is why my Bluetooth IEM's don't sound nearly as good paired to my Garmin 245 Music as they do to my phone (tested on both Pixel 5 and Pixel 2 XL) Previously I tried playing music on my Samsung Gear S3 watch paired with the same Bluetooth earbuds and it sounded close to the Spotify quality paired to my phone. I thought a fix would be to integrate a quality setting for Spotify on Garmin's watches in their Spotify app, the same as the phone has a quality setting, being able to set the watch to the very high preset. My watch could have the same maybe. So in reality my experience wouldn't feel like I was losing out on something pairing my earbuds to my watch, rather than them paired to my phone. The issue seems more confusing than this, from posts I'd read. Some users don't seem to hear a difference. As I understand, Bluetooth audio devices have everything onboard to make sound as I said before. So only a transfer of data occurs from the Bluetooth player (the watch) and the device it's paired to. I thought that integrating the choice of streaming quality in the included app would make it similar sounding to the experience with the earbuds paired to my phone. But I think after reading others experiences that it is probably (but not sure) a hardware issue. That the Bluetooth chip/module used in some of these watches made by Garmin can't transfer enough data, or has enough throughput/bandwidth to play songs in a similar quality as I hear on my phone. It's probably not fixable. But would have cost the company another few dollars per unit. The 245 Music is a pretty cheap watch anyway. I shouldn't expect it to be great for the price. I love the e-ink display and how much better battery life I get from it opposed to an OLED or LCD type screen. But this post was made because it can't play music to my expectation and I was looking for an answer to why. If it was a software fix, fine, do it. But if it's hardware. Well, you get what you pay for. 

  • Airpods sound the same on Android as they do iPhone and they sound a lot better on my Galaxy S10e than my 945. Also Airpods don't decode audio codecs that's the job of the device they're connected to. Don't need an audiophile service to hear the difference. 

  • I realized I strayed off topic a little bit and I apologize. My points above apply though. There's too many variables at play, and most if not all of them are probably to blame.

    Some users don't seem to hear a difference.

    Sound perception (among many things) is always relative. I've tried wearing the same headphones connected to both the 245 and my phone and playing Spotify on them alternatingly. I wouldn't say that the 245 sounds bad especially for what it's supposed to be but there is definitely a difference in quality. I don't think I'll be testing these with mp3s (haven't listened to them in maybe 10 years and I frustratingly can't even remember where the HDD where I have my entire collection is) so I can't comment on playing the same audio files but I can say that at least Spotify is one point of failure. This part is a software issue that in theory can be fixed.

    However, even if they are able to fix the software issue it brings us to the point you mentioned about the Bluetooth chip on the watch. No, it wouldn't be just a few dollars per unit. And the impact among other things would include the battery life that you enjoy. 

    To be fair to Garmin the 245 is a running watch that plays music. It's not advertised as a DAP, nor is it even a lifestyle smartwatch like the Apple Watch or the Samsungs. 

  • Airpods sound the same on Android as they do iPhone

    Probably not.

    they sound a lot better on my Galaxy S10e than my 945

    Most likely yes.

    Also Airpods don't decode audio codecs that's the job of the device they're connected to.

    AirPods, AirPods Pro, AirPods Max, and Beats wireless headphones use Apple AAC Bluetooth Codec to ensure excellent audio quality. https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT212183

    Don't need an audiophile service to hear the difference

    No you don't.

  • Yes the Airpods use the AAC codec to convert the waveform from the signal it doesn't really matter if the watch has mp3 or flac or whatever. The reason the watch doesn't sound as good is because of the DAC on the watch is inferior to the one in my phone and my Shuffle. The Shuffle has a very high qaulity DAC. 

  • Can you explain to me how an analog signal from either your watch or your phone will get to your Airpods?

  • It's off topic. But you could plug wired headphones into something like a Fiio BTR5

  • It's not analog it's digital 

  • It's not analog it's digital 

    Exactly. There's no "DAC on the watch" doing a digital to analog conversion.