BT sound poor on most apps, okay during voice calls

[cattledogit]

My 6800 bluetooth sound quality is very poor when listening to audio files over my Plantronics 510 on any player and when using voice command, however the sound quality improves a lot during phone calls using the 510. By poor sound, I mean that the sound is so tinny that the notes in songs all sound the same and I can only distinguish the rhythms. Also, the volume is significantly lowered.

On my previous 6700's I always got good sound quality on this headset, so it's not a headset problem.

Device Information shows ROM version 3.08.666.1, and (stock) Radio version 3.42.02. PPCKitchen WM 6.1 20931 is installed with BT Quicklink, acbToggleBT, BT BPP, and PhoneWeaver's Today Plugin installed, among other apps.

Do I need to upgrade the Radio? I saw few of the reported improvements with radio upgrades on the 6700, and radio upgrades look more complicated on the 6800, apparently wiping out settings (?).

[cattledogit]

After testing the stock rom and an upgraded radio, the sound quality remained poor.

I called Plantronics and was told that poor sound to non-A2DP headsets is characteristic of the Titan and similar recent A2DP models, but not the 6700. Apparently good sound quality is reserved for A2DP bluetooth connections on the Titan. I did quite a bit of searching without finding another solution, though I found that the problem has been reported elsewhere such as http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread...ighlight=tinny.

Suggestions included using the equalizer and DSP features of Pocket Player ($), or SRS WOW HD (free) which improved sound for some users,. I also tried changing the registry setting HKLM\\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Bluetooth\A2DP\Settings\U seJointStereo without effect.

Some comments said that podcasts were listenable with equalization, but I found that I could only tolerate a few minutes on the 510. I think the quality varies among headset models. For example, flyers2114 reported good sound from a Jawbone 2 (http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showpost.p...0&postcount=32).

I'll try a Plantronics 855 A2DP headset though I hate to give up the 510 because the ability for callers to hear me clearly is most important for me and reportedly the 855 doesn't match the 510 here (http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showpost.p...8&postcount=28). I also don't like gel ear tips and prefer the behind the ear headset style.

[cattledogit]

I'm happy with the Plantronics 855. My callers report that the sound quality at their end is as good as the 510's, though MS Voice Command seems to have more trouble understanding the 855. I like the 855's stereo capability, and I've gotten used to the gel ear tips.

[bbsandkm]

a2dp is the best quality you are going to get. you must have an a2dp BT. i recommend voyager 855 by planttronics. the a2dp sound is the best you are going to get with a BT that size. (ear size instead of covering over the ear)