Sennheiser BTD 700

The Sennheiser BTD 700 is a Bluetooth dongle that adds aptX Adaptive and Lossless support to your existing headphones. It delivers excellent low-latency audio for gaming and video, but the mic quality is poor and it only makes sense if your headphones support the right codecs. At around $60 or EUR 38-63, it's a solid niche upgrade for the right setup.

The BTD 700's whole reason for existing is audio quality, and on that front it delivers. aptX Adaptive supports up to 24-bit/96kHz audio, and aptX Lossless can push CD-quality 16-bit/44.1kHz streams without compression artifacts. In our database, its sound score lands at the 58th percentile, which is solidly middle of the pack. That might sound underwhelming, but remember, this is a dongle, not a headphone. The actual sound quality depends heavily on what you plug into it. Pair it with a good set of cans and you'll notice cleaner highs and less of that watery Bluetooth compression you get with standard SBC or AAC codecs.

Latency is where this thing shines. Sennheiser claims around 30 milliseconds in game mode, which is low enough that lip-sync issues in videos basically disappear and gaming feels responsive. Connectivity scores well above average at the 71st percentile, and Bluetooth 5.4 means pairing is quick and stable. The Auracast support is a nice bonus if you want to share audio with multiple devices simultaneously, though it's still a niche feature most people won't use daily.

Compared to something like the Sony ULT WEAR WHULT900N/B or JBL Tune 670NC, the BTD 700 isn't really a direct competitor. Those are full headphones with their own batteries, drivers, and ANC. The BTD 700 is an accessory that upgrades headphones you already own. If you're starting from scratch and need a complete audio solution, the Sony or JBL are better picks. They include everything in one package and don't require a dongle hanging off your laptop.

Where the BTD 700 makes sense is if you already have high-end headphones like the Audio-Technica ATH-S300BT or something even nicer, and you want to squeeze better wireless performance out of them. The TOZO HT3 and Truefree HF-10 are budget options that won't match the codec support here, but they're also cheaper and self-contained. The dongle's mic score is a real weak spot at the 15th percentile, so if you take a lot of calls, even budget headphones with a decent built-in mic will serve you better.

At $60 in the US and EUR 38 to EUR 63 in Europe, the BTD 700 sits in a weird spot. It's not expensive, but it's also not an impulse buy for something that just makes your existing headphones sound better. If you already own a pair of aptX Adaptive or Lossless headphones and you're tired of your laptop's mediocre Bluetooth, this is a reasonable investment. The best deal in our data is the EUR 38 listing, which makes it much easier to justify. But if your headphones only support standard SBC or AAC, you won't see much benefit and should probably save your money. The GBP 119 UK price is hard to recommend under any circumstances.

The Sennheiser BTD 700 is a Bluetooth audio dongle, not a pair of headphones. It's a small USB adapter that upgrades your existing wired or wireless headphones with aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless support. If you've got a decent pair of headphones that don't quite sound their best over standard Bluetooth, this little gadget is aimed squarely at you. It plugs into your laptop or PC, pairs with your headphones, and handles the audio codec side of things so you get higher bitrate sound than most built-in Bluetooth chips can manage.

Pricing is a bit all over the place depending on where you shop. In the US it's around $60, while European listings range from EUR 38 to EUR 63. The GBP 119 price in the UK is frankly baffling, so if you're in Britain, maybe wait for a sale or import one. The dongle supports Bluetooth 5.4, works with Windows 10+, macOS 12+, iOS, and Android 13+, and comes with a USB-C to USB-A adapter in the box.

People searching for this type of product usually want to know two things: does it actually improve audio quality, and is it worth buying over a new pair of headphones? The short answer is yes on the first one, if your headphones support aptX Adaptive or Lossless. On the second, it depends on what you already own.

Skip the BTD 700 if your headphones don't support aptX Adaptive or aptX Lossless, because you won't get the audio quality benefits that justify the price. It's also a poor choice for anyone who takes frequent calls, since the mic quality is genuinely bad. If you need a complete audio solution with good call quality, look at something like the Sony ULT WEAR or JBL Tune 670NC instead. And if you're in the UK, the GBP 119 price makes this a hard pass no matter what.

The Sennheiser BTD 700 is a niche product that does its job well. If you have aptX Adaptive or Lossless headphones and you're frustrated with the audio quality from your computer's built-in Bluetooth, this dongle is a genuine upgrade. The low latency mode is excellent for gaming and video, and the plug-and-play setup means you'll be up and running in under a minute.

But it's not for everyone. The mic quality is rough, the build feels a bit flimsy, and there's no battery, so it only works when plugged into a device. If you're looking for a complete audio solution or you take a lot of calls, you're better off buying a decent pair of wireless headphones instead. For the right person, though, this little dongle is a smart buy.