As I browsed through DealExtreme new arrivals, I found a type of device I had not noticed in the past: a Bluetooth Audio transmitter and receiver that come with optical SPDIF input and output, as well as 3.5mm AUX port, and sells for $31.99 shipped on DX.
Let’s have a look at the hardware first
- Audio In & Out – 3.5mm AUX port, SPDIF IN, SPDIF OUT
- Buttons – Tx/Rx mode selection, SPDIF/AUX selection, multifunction button
- Connectivity – Bluetooth 4.1 with 10 meters range; use aptX low latency audio
- Power Supply – 5V via micro USB port
- Battery – 350mAh rechargeable battery good for 15 hours on a charge; Charging time: 2 hours
- Dimensions – 6 cm x 6 cm x 1.84 cm
The little device ships with a micro USB Cable for charging, a 3.5mm AUX cable, an optical TOSLINK cable, an RCA Cable, and a user manual.
TX mode allows you to connect your devices without Bluetooth such as older TVs, computers without Bluetooth, MP3 players, etc… to Bluetooth speakers using one of the three provided cables.
RX mode allows you to play audio from your smartphone or tablet to your audio systems lacking Bluetooth or WiFi connectivity such as wired headphones, car stereo, or home stereo system.
There aren’t any reviews on DX yet, but the product is also sold on Amazon US, with users’ reviews generally positive, except one person complaining that
Description states “continuous use” with cable and directions state “Do not leave charging cable connected “
So you can’t leave the micro USB cable attached all the time, which can be a pain. However, another reviewer claims that “it also supports working while charging; you can plug in or unplug the external USB power charger any time you want“, so go figure.
If you only care about a specific use case, there are cheaper options. For example, I’ve been using a Bluetooth FM transmitter in my car, which I bought for about $10 in order to listen music from a micro SD card or my smartphone. I’ve been using for several months, and it works well enough provided you are happy with “FM radio” audio quality.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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I’ve seen similar things without S/PDIF output, once you add the optical interface the price normally goes up a lot.
I’ve used a similar thing from Avantree in my car, an Apt-X bluetooth receiver and hands-free device which has an internal battery. It only has 3.5mm jack though.
How do you connect devices like this to say bluetooth headphones? What I mean is when I turn on my bluetooth headphones and turn on bluetooth on my phone I have to select the headphones and pair for first time use. So how does this device select the headphones and pair with only a single button?
@CampGareth
I can’t find the user’s manual. But I assume you can enter “discovery mode” by pressing the button, then turn on your headphones, the box finds them, and the LED blinks on the power button, you can then press the button to complete pairing. There could be a problem if there are multiple Bluetooth devices in range however.
the problem with keeping it powered on with usb is probably audible interference from the smps charger
also lol @ the ‘multi functional power button’
Doesn’t say what bt chipset is used, any ideas if it can sink from a2dp, or is recording from the hands-free-profile/RFCOMM? Many bt stacks (ex. BlueZ, BlueDroid) that I’ve seen don’t upport a2dp sinking.
I’ve been looking for something that can not only record audio from both types of transmitting profiles (a2dp & hfp/hs), but also send data.. unfortunately, BLE is limited to 250kbps.. while the classic classic 2.1 edr/hs bluetooth supports 2Mbps (ftp profile) yet I haven’t found any bt chipset/stack that supports ftp!
@ben
Uses CSR BC8670. Check Customer Q & A answered by the seller.
@cnxsoft
Another customer confirming the same issue of not staying connected:
“I connected it to a home stereo’s optical input to play from my android tablet and it worked well. However, after several hours of leaving it powered up, my tablet showed it paired but not as an audio media device. May be fine for mobile but not for always on use.”
I own a similar model, albeit purchased at a higher price (US $42.99) – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KO1JNCA/ref=psdc_9926003011_t1_B01MYT2HGZ. I have so far not seen any issue with leaving this connected.
I’m pretty sure we’re going to have a clone war on this front too 🙂 Wouldn’t be surprised if I see <$30 units in the coming months!