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I have multiple bluetooth audio devices which I want to be able to play audio to synchronously. I would like to be able to do this for connecting multiple bleutooth speakers, earbuds or airpods at the same time and playing audio to at least 2 devices at once. When using Google to search for information pretty much all websites say you can do this but only with bluetooth 5.0, which I don't think is true. I can connect multiple bluetooth devices to my laptop at once for example, same goes with my macbook and my phone. They connect as audio devices but I just can't select them all at a time. I would like to know if this can be done for Android, MacOS and Windows, preferrably with the option to choose what device plays left and what plays right. I assume it's likely not possible on iOS due to the locked down operating system.

Some Samsung phones have this feature but I am not sure if it's exclusive to galaxy buds or if it works for all devices, as the feature is not present on my galaxy A51. I do not have devices with bluetooth 5.0, but maybe there would also be a way to do this by streaming audio from one device to for example a local web page you can access on your phone and then playing audio from your computer and phone to each speaker. The same way online radio or YouTube stream audio. I couldn't find a light weight Apple HLS tool nor a simple library that lets you host audio streams from a C# program. Audio streams would also introduce lag, so it would also be nice to be able to set a delay for each device so they play at exactly the same time because otherwise it would sound more like an echo.

Any suggestions would be appreciated, I will try some other stuff myself and share it when I find anything helpful. Thanks!

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  • I think the only built-in way for windows is to use the Stereo Mix, which allows linking two output devices together basically: minitool.com/news/… . Some 3rd-party software like Voicemeeter can do more devices (but I haven't used them)
    – Cpt.Whale
    Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 22:48
  • Hey @Cpt.Whale, you are absolutely right! I had already looked for stereo mix but I don't have it on my Lenovo 13 Windows 11 for some reason. It is present on my older HP probook with Windows 10. I don't know why as I have the latest Realtek driver installed. I had also come accross the same website but the info on the stereo mix missing but it did not help in my case. I tried Voicemeeter, and that actually works! Voicemeeter even lets you change the delay on the audio. The problem with it is I can't find where to change the left and right channels, it's like the speakers output both together.
    – Foxyz
    Commented Jan 7, 2023 at 0:07
  • Stereo mix is hidden by default. Double-check in the 'recording' devices tab > right-click in the white space, and select Show Disabled/Disconnected Devices to make sure
    – Cpt.Whale
    Commented Jan 9, 2023 at 18:53

2 Answers 2

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I have found a solution for MacOS and Windows.

Like Cpt.Whale commented on Windows you can try two things: Use Stereo Mix or use Voicemeeter. Voicemeeter is donationware so it can be used for free. To less experienced users it can be a bit confusing and messy. Another downside is that you have to launch Voicemeeter every time you want to play audio through it. In my case it can sometimes use a high amount of CPU but restarting it usually solves that. If you want to use Voicemeeter for more than 2 devices, you can use the more advanced Voicemeeter Banana or Potato. It should theoretically work on Windows XP and up.

On MacOS you can use the audio midi setup utility: Apple kindly explains it here.

This is possible with bluetooth 4, so I'm not entirely sure why we have the dual audio feature with bluetooth 5 then.

I am currently looking for alternative solutions that are simpler and require less setup for Windows. If I'm motivated enough I might look into creating some software for this myself but it might be a bit complicated.

I hope this helps people!

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Steelseries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless do it. Any wireless and any bluetooth together! (iOS, Andriod, PC, Mac etc) it uses a DAC to do this i think. They are not cheap. Why don't more/all devices do this and particulary ear buds?!?!??!?!?

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