Did you know you can customize Google to filter out garbage? Take these steps for better search results, including adding my work at Lifehacker as a preferred source.Has this ever happened to you? You're playing a game on your PC with Bluetooth headphones, when a friend wants to start a voice chat. But when you jump on the call, all of a sudden your game's audio plummets in quality, sounding muffled and monotone. What gives?The issue, as Microsoft's Mike Ajax explains, is due to how Bluetooth has traditionally balanced microphone inputs with audio outputs. When you're just listening to something on your PC, and it sounds great, you're likely hearing it through the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP), as this profile doesn't allow the microphone to be engaged. However, when you need your mic, your Bluetooth device switches to the Hands-Free Profile (HFP). This profile supports microphone usage, but drops the audio quality and downgrades it to mono. You don't need to be an audiophile to tell the difference between high quality, stereo audio, and low fidelity mono: It's night and day, and it makes audio designed for stereo experiences, like games, movies, and music, sound awful.Windows 11 is getting a Bluetooth upgradeThat's changing on Windows 11. In same the post, Ajax announced that Microsoft is bringing an upgraded audio standard to PCs with LE Audio architecture: super wideband stereo. LE Audio is built on top of Bluetooth Low Energy technology, and introduces two improved audio profiles for Bluetooth devices. Instead of A2DP and HFP, there's Telephony and Media Profile (TMAP) and Hearing Access Profile (HAP). Both profiles support media playback and microphone usage, but TMAP is for Bluetooth headphones and earbuds, while HAP is for hearing aids and cochlear implants. Ajax says that TMAP requires Bluetooth audio devices to support "super wideband" audio fidelity at a 32kHz sample rate while the microphone is engaged. But the big change is Windows can now take advantage of that whether or not you're using the microphone: The new upgrades support stereo sound when the microphone is engaged, when previously LE Audio on Windows only allowed for mono. Not only should the audio itself sound better, but you should pick up on directional details you wouldn't get otherwise.That means if your Bluetooth headset is an LE Audio device, and your PC supports wideband stereo, jumping into game chat during a game won't kill your audio quality. You can hear an example of the difference in Ajax's post, which goes from muffled mono to a much higher quality stereo sound.Even if you're not a gamer, you should notice a difference during voice calls on Bluetooth headphone and earbuds. In apps like Teams, you'll be able to use Spatial Audio with wireless headphones for the first time. (Previously, Teams Spatial Audio was exclusive to wired headsets and when stereo audio was available.) Spatial Audio on video calls makes it sound like voices are coming from where those people's positions are on your screen, to make the experience feel a bit more natural. If you have the right equipment, this should be available via a Spatial Audio toggle in Team's audio settings. Hardware requirementsYou may already have devices that support this new Bluetooth architecture: What you need is a Bluetooth audio device that supports Bluetooth LE Audio, and a Windows 11 PC that also support LE Audio. Ajax says that many new PCs and Bluetooth audio devices support LE Audio, but watch out for PCs that just support Bluetooth LE tech, because not all support LE Audio as well. You'll also need to update your PC to Windows 11 versions 24H2, the latest version of Windows 11 as of this article, and an updated Bluetooth audio driver from the manufacturer of your PC. If your PC doesn't have these drivers yet, they should release later this year. Microsoft also expects most mobile PCs that come out later this year will support these drivers out of the box.