Avantree C81-Gaming - USB-C Bluetooth 5.3 Audio Adapter for PS5, Qualcomm Chip, aptX Adaptive & HD, Premium Sound, Works with AirPods, Bose Headphones & More

If you’re experiencing choppy Linux audio, especially with a Realtek Bluetooth chipset, stop fighting with BlueZ and consider replacing the Bluetooth hardware entirely with a USB audio-to-Bluetooth transmitter. My PC has a Realtek Bluetooth chipset on the internal sound card, which has been a persistent source of audio problems on Linux. The most noticeable issue was music skipping in Spotify, along with intermittent stutters and lost audio frames. After far too much troubleshooting and frustration, I finally looked for a clean hardware solution. Imagine installing a completely new sound card just by plugging in a USB dongle. That’s essentially what I did. I purchased the Avantree C81-PC Bluetooth transmitter and the Avantree Audition 3 over-ear headphones, and they work perfectly. Setup was truly plug-and-play. No drivers, no configuration, no BlueZ issues, and absolutely no hassle. I just plugged in the adapter, selected it as my audio output, and music played flawlessly. I’m genuinely impressed. This isn’t an advertisement. I have no affiliation with Avantree, and before this week I had never even heard of the company. I’m simply sharing a practical solution for anyone struggling with Bluetooth audio under Linux—especially if you have a Realtek chipset and experience skipping or playback instability. Why this works Instead of relying on the internal Realtek Bluetooth radio, the Avantree adapter behaves as a USB audio device and handles Bluetooth transmission in hardware. This completely bypasses the Linux Bluetooth stack, kernel drivers, Realtek firmware, BlueZ profiles, and related audio quirks. If your audio problems come from chipset or driver instability—this approach simply eliminates them. Avantree C81-PC (Key Features) Microphone support: Your Bluetooth headset’s mic works in meetings and calls. High-definition audio: Supports aptX-Adaptive, aptX-HD, and aptX-LL (low latency). No perceptible delay: Perfectly synced audio with compatible headphones. Long range: Advertised up to 30 meters. It comes with a USB-C to USB-A adapter and is compatible with PC, Mac, and Linux. Avantree Audition 3 (Headphones) Excellent comfort and battery life aptX Adaptive / HD support for improved fidelity “Clear Voice Mode” for spoken content Wireless charging dock included Lightweight and comfortable for long use Any other headphones or earbuds that support compatible aptX codecs will also work well with the C81-PC. Bottom Line If you’re struggling with choppy audio, stuttering, or Spotify skipping under Linux and you suspect a Realtek Bluetooth chipset is involved, a hardware USB audio transmitter is a highly effective workaround. In my case, the difference was immediate and dramatic. This may be the solution you’ve been looking for.

Works great! Bought this adapter because of a new gaming laptop where the bluetooth only works under Windows, not Linux. The adapter is detected as a pair of headphones, the system simply treats it as a USB audio device, and doesn't care about the bluetooth aspect. That's a bit of a black box, but the LED at least provides some guidance. Press the pairing button on the adapter and on your headphones, put them together, and they'll pair. Have tried it with a cheap-ass bluetooth headset, which gets a quality downgrade, and with my regular high-end receiver and studio monitors, which connect using aptX. Range is excellent, sound quality matches the protocol used between the devices. When unplugged, the adapter does not remember next time it's plugged in, as far as I can tell. You just have to pair again. But it does carry over across multiple reboots, including across operating systems.

I purchased this device over the weekend and it arrived yesterday. Today, I have spent a couple hours trying to use it with my laptop and Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones. The headphones connect easily enough to the dongle, no problems there. The audio through various different apps (Youtube and Twitch via Chrome, Apple Music desktop app) crackles and drops out consistently. I am comfortable doing troubleshooting, so I did some googling and also went to the Avantree website, and proceeded to follow the instructions that I found, which included changing power settings, trying different ports, disabling settings in the Sennheiser headphone app, disconnecting from all nearby devices, factory defaulting the dongle and the headphones, updating firmware (which doesn't work very well, the program for that probably needs to be updated a little, it hung up or just wouldn't start almost every time I tried to run it), and reinstalling the drivers for the dongle itself. After going back and doing some searching in the reviews on here, this model seems to not work very well with the Sennheiser Momentum 4 headphones. I would not recommend it if you are trying to use them with these headphones. I emailed the Avantree support this morning through their website and have yet to hear back, hopefully they will respond, but I am planning on sending the dongle back and trying something different. May change my rating to 2 stars if the support response is helpful, but for now, I will leave it at a 1 star.

Ok so, I have every USB audio adapter I could find to work with my PS5. And because Sony doesn't allow "other" Bluetooth headphones, you have to be very smart on what you buy to get your non Sony headphones to work. I have a pair of Bluetooth Jabra 75's with microphone that I use for work. Because I have small ears and every manufacturer on this earth makes HUGE gaming headphones!! I wanted to use these with my PlayStation and every single USB audio adapter i tried didn't work. EXCEPT for this one! Finally, I get to use my headphones with this adapter! Also, when I turn off my PS and turn it back on, my headphones are automatically connected again. This product is a great value because it works!! Very easy to set up too! I believe it has been out of stock before, so I encourage you to buy this one and try it out instead of going through a ton of them like I did.

I had know idea if this product would be any good... but it seems to do exactly as it advertises. At first I had a little trouble with the Bluetooth connection and I thought the audio quality was really bad... but after reconnecting my AirPod Pros a couple more times and after using the device a couple more sessions, all those issues seemed to subside. In terms of the actual audio quality... I really don't know as I am not an audiophile. That said, there doesn't seems to be very much latency and the audio sounds pretty good to me. I WOULD purchase again if necessary.

This is some awesome Bluetooth tech. Going through the previous reviews I had some mixed emotions after reading many. I just wanted to say that I haven't had a negative experience whatsoever. I've connected a pair of XM3's, a pair of XM5 earbuds, and a pair of XM6 over the ear headphones. The pairing process takes seconds, and the adapter works right out the box. The entire time I have had my PS5 (since launch) I've been doing wired connection to my headphones. Now that one of my controller's AUX 3.5mm port is on the fritz, going with this just makes sense (instead of buying specialized Wireless 2.4 Pulse Headphones or their off brand equivalent) - and I am so pleased. I can finally use earbuds with my PlayStation. Given the cost of this unit, its astounding that this tech isn't in the PS5 to begin with. Oh well. Never going back. For 30.00, I see some definite value for money here. Now, I get to seamlessly listen to audio on a pair of 300.00 headphones, rather than me ss with a pair of 185.00 Pulse Elites that are prone to breaking. It is quite durable, and I can see it occupying my second USB port permanently. I am surprised that I was able to connect it to so many types of headphones and that its compatible with essentially everything Bluetooth.

This device is does not work well with Avantree Aria Pro Wireless Headphones (Item No.: BTHS-AS90P). I planned on using this device at work during hours long conference calls on my workstation laptop that operates using Windows 11 operating system. I want to share with other potential customers that although this device connects relatively easily with the Avantree Area Pro Wireless Headphones (Item No.: BTHS-AS90P), the audio/sound during a conference call is static or garble noises when someone else talks for more than 15 minutes. The only good thing about this device is that my microphone works fine. For instance, my colleagues can hear me clearly when I speak during a conference call via Microsoft Teams. Pro: ~ Connects easily with my Avantree Area Pro Wireless Headphone (Item No.: BTHS-AS90P) ~ My microphone/voice does not drop during an hour long conference call. Con: ~ I cannot hear my colleagues properly when they are speaking during an hour long conference call.

It’s June 2025. I used to pair my Apple AirPod Max’s and pro 2 to my PlayStation 5 Pro with zero issue. Noise cancellations works, audio pairs right up every time and beyond easy to pair from my phone and iPad back to console. The fact I can use my AirPods with my phone and iPad and then send to console in 2 seconds with no issue worth its weight in gold. The fact this product works so well with Apple eco system is fantastic. Truly great product that works as intended flawlessly. Roughly took about 5 mins if not less to setup instructions were very clear and mainly easy so easy an infant can do it. Highly recommend this product. I also paired a Milwaukee Jobsite speaker to it and same it’s very easy to switch. High plus also is how incognito product is you don’t notice it on console.