Bluetooth for Audio Only

Wow, this actually worked REALLY well.

I HATE having wires strewn through my car. So when I want to listen to Pandora with my Motorola Droid in the cubby, it's annoying at best.

I like the Parrot idea, but I despise having a non-OEM look, and having a black box stuck to the console isn't an idea that excited me.

So I was looking around and found a Belkin Audio receiver. I was ALMOST set to buy one... until I found that there was no possibility of a DC power supply. Back to the drawing board.

I kept hunting down these bluetooth receivers, and I kept coming up empty. Some, like those little pendants, only used batteries. Some, like that Belkin and a model by Sony and one by Motorola, ONLY allowed use of their proprietary AC adapter.

I was about to give up, when I stumbled across this:

http://www.miccus.com/products/blubridge-mini-jack-rx

Powered by a Mini-USB jack, AND it works when plugged in.

I did a dry-test at my desk, and there was no perceptible loss of quality. It works.

The best part? The droid discerns A2DP from a standard headset with mic. So media is the only output. Phone rings? Answer it like normal.

I'm pretty excited! My only reservation is actually with my Droid. I SHOULD be able to simply turn Bluetooth on, on the phone, and have it automatically sync with the BluBridge. That doesn't seem to be the case. It's a measly extra step, but a better compromise than having a cable strung around.

The receiver is super compact, about 1.5" long, .75" tall, and .5" deep or so. It comes with a direct adapter, so it'll plug straight into the Aux-In without flopping around in the console.

I really wish I had multiple outlets in the console so I could charge the phone AND plug the BluBridge in at the same time, but I'll live.

For $50, I think this is a GREAT investment. I have no immediate desire to use bluetooth to answer the phone and everything, so this was an awesome solution for me.

Eventually, I'll try and hack a Microsoft Sync system into the car, but until then I can now enjoy internet radio, in my car, completely wirelessly.

For those interested, Amazon had the best price. I ordered Sunday, it was on my door step Tuesday morning.

Used it for the first time in the car this morning. Works awesome!

I haven't gotten a call yet while it's synched, so I'm not 100% positive that it won't try to answer via bluetooth. We'll see. That's not a big deal breaker for me.

Nope. I'll leave it as a blackbox for now.

My favorite feature is that calls rare independent of the bluetooth receiver. A call comes in, and I can answer it normally. Music pauses and everything, then resumes when I hang up.

I dislike the fact that I have to pair it manually every time I want to use it. So I have to turn the receiver on when I get in the car, then go to the bluetooth settings menu on my phone. Kind of lame.

That's why I'm interested in the Moto unit you guys are using, if it auto-pairs. I just want to be able to answer the phone regularly if I want too.

I'm interested in setting up a A2DP bt receiver with my Leptronix, and ran into exactly the same problem you did BAC. I found the Bluebridge, but I am NOT excited about the pairing method for it. The Belkin and other units seem to pair far better than the Bluebridge unit.

I'm tempted to go with one of the battery powered options right now.

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLYJ2I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLYJ2I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER[/ame]

Anyone try the Belkin Aircast? Reviews seem to be pretty good and setup looks super easy. How badly is audio compressed when streaming via bluetooth?

The Belkin product looks great, assuming that you can get power to it (I'm planning on embedding it in the console somewhere).

AUX in and 12V outlet in the center armrest.

I don't know about the Belkin, but the Blackberry product is surprisingly great. Autoconnects when car is on, doesn't interfere with phone calls, etc.

I would suggest keeping it somewhere accessible - I thought about keeping it hidden too - but you'll want to be able to easily pair devices with it.

AUX in and 12V outlet in the center armrest.

Ah, OK the new version of the Belkin product does not come with a 12v adapter.

and thanks for the note about pairing, hadn't really thought of that.

Yep, I used this:

https://store.griffintechnology.com/powerjolt-dual-micro

which I use to power the BlackBerry Audio Gateway and also to charge my iPhone. I have a shorty USB cable that allows me to tape the Audio Gateway just above the power port (I drilled a hole next to the power port for the aux cable) so it's a perfect spot. I can also quickly touch the gateway to pair other devices or I can unplug the aux cable and plug in another device that doesn't have bluetooth.

I just bought the Tunelink by New Potato. The new potato works flawlessly with my 2010 Legacy and my Iphone. It synchs everytime I get in the car and mutes when a phone call comes in via my HK headunit. I highly recommend this product. It is completely concealed in the armrest, plugs into the aux jack, and came with a USB charging cable which also plugs into the Tunelink which keeps the dashboard cig plug available for my Garmin.

I have a belkin receiver for my office desk and I have to reconnect to it from the iphone when I want to use it. Tunelink is automatic.

Check it out here [ame=http://www.amazon.com/New-Potato-Technologies-1001-01002-TuneLink/dp/B004GJURHM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314923499&sr=8-1]Amazon.com: TuneLink Auto Apple: Electronics[/ame]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLYJ2I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Anyone try the Belkin Aircast? Reviews seem to be pretty good and setup looks super easy. How badly is audio compressed when streaming via bluetooth?

I've got it in my 09 LGT. Hooks up super easy, audio quality is fine. I haven't done a full quality test, but music worked fine the one time I tried it (my phone doesn't work for streaming).

I just have it plugged into the 12V outlet by the shifter, and then toss my phone in the little cubby next to it.

I've got it in my 09 LGT. Hooks up super easy, audio quality is fine. I haven't done a full quality test, but music worked fine the one time I tried it (my phone doesn't work for streaming).

I just have it plugged into the 12V outlet by the shifter, and then toss my phone in the little cubby next to it.

Good to hear since I pulled the trigger on it last night. Should have it delivered and installed by next weekend.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CLYJ2I/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER

 

Anyone try the Belkin Aircast? Reviews seem to be pretty good and setup looks super easy. How badly is audio compressed when streaming via bluetooth?

Got this delivered and installed tonight. I went with this one over the Tunelink mainly due to price, but also the Tunelink lacks any phone call support. The Blackberry Gateway looked good for the price, but I didn't want to deal with getting an adapter to hook up to the cig lighter. This hooks right into the lighter and has a USB charging port open to charge a phone, iPad, or anything else really. Install was super easy. Hooked up to the AUX and plugged into the outlet in the armrest. I ran the cable for the button/mic past the shifter and stuck it above the volume knob.

Paired once with my Droid X and all audio is routed through the speakers. You do have to reconnect every time the car shuts off (but not re-pair) by pressing the button, but it's a small price to pay. I couldn't get the double press to skip songs to work, but that may be a limitation of the phone or the Pandora app for Android. Audio is crisp and clear, not very compressed and it's hard to tell that it's not directly hooked up to the AUX input.

The bonus is that this unit also handles phone calls. Incoming call comes in, music fades out and the phone rings through the speakers. Tap the button once to answer. Calls were crystal clear and on par with my Plantronics headset. The caller did say it sounded like I was on speaker (which technically you are) but sounded good. Press the button again to end the call, and the music resumes playing.

Overall, it's more than I wanted to spend, but the simplicity and ease of use won out. It does everything I want and didn't require any USB chargers or dual USB chargers to keep a charging port open. All-in-all money well spent.

Glad you like that one.

For me though, I tried a TuneLink and sent it back the same day I got it.

The Blackberry Gateway looked good for the price, but I didn't want to deal with getting an adapter to hook up to the cig lighter.

That griffin one I posted is only $15 and it has 2 ports, so you can charge your phone right from it as well.

You do have to reconnect every time the car shuts off (but not re-pair) by pressing the button, but it's a small price to pay.

To me, this would be super annoying. The BB Audio Gateway automatically connects and is ready for audio about 3 seconds after the car is turned on. I have some speakers in my bathroom for when I'm showering and shaving and they don't auto-connect and it really sucks having to open Settings > General > Bluetooth and connect to them every day.

Everything else between the 2 should be the same, they are both A2DP gateways.