Bluetooth Profiles

Bluetooth devices need to select one profile at a time. The profile for music is A2DP or Advanced Audio Distribution Profile and allows high quality music reproduction. Unfortunately, this takes up the entirety of the bandwidth and does not allow for a microphone signal. Because of this, when the headset recognizes a switch to a Communications scenario such as engaging in a softphone call it switches to HFP (Hands Free Profile) or HSP (Headset Profile) profile. This profile allows both a transmit signal from the mic and receive signal from the caller to be communicated through he headset. But since the bandwidth is shared with the mic signal, music grade audio quality is no longer possible. The headset will recognize these differences and switch between the appropriate profile automatically when on and off a call.