Microsoft is addressing one of the biggest issues facing Windows 11 users: the poor audio quality of Bluetooth headsets. The company’s new LE Audio feature, added to the operating system, eliminates the problem of muffled audio, particularly in game chats and online calls.

Windows 11 Takes Audio Quality to the Next Level

Based on the Bluetooth Low Energy standard, this technology delivers high audio quality thanks to a new compression algorithm. Microsoft says this technology will significantly improve the audio experience, especially in games and calls.

When used with LE Audio in Windows 11 and a compatible headset, there is no audio quality degradation when switching to chat audio during gameplay. Game audio remains in stereo, while speech is transmitted in super-wideband quality.

This new system replaces Bluetooth Classic’s Hands-Free Profile (HFP) protocol, which has an 8 kHz sampling rate and can cause muffled audio. LE Audio uses a 32 kHz sampling rate for voice communication in apps like Teams or Discord. Many Bluetooth headsets today already offer “wideband” or “superwideband” audio support using more advanced compression methods.

LE Audio support also improves calls in apps like Teams. While Teams offers spatial audio support on wired headsets, it only provided stereo audio on Bluetooth headsets. Spatial Audio is now available in the Teams app thanks to Bluetooth LE Audio, and can be enabled in the audio settings of the Teams app on Windows.

To use this feature, users must have a headset that supports Bluetooth LE Audio, a Windows 11 computer with the same support, up-to-date drivers, and the Windows 11 24H2 update.

The necessary driver updates for existing computers will be rolled out later this year. Microsoft also states that most new laptops released starting in late 2025 will include this support factory-installed.