Reviews related to : Bluetooth accessories
Bluetooth is a short range (3m or so) wireless technology designed as a replacement for infra-red. It's now supported on most mobile phones and a range of products has grown around that from bluetooth headsets to wrireless picture frames.
Are their occasions when your audio system is on but for whatever reason you are in another room, unless you have a system from a recent vintage it will not have Bluetooth so their choice is either turn it up very loud – and annoy the neighbours – or do without. Now there is a choice with this little dongle from Brando that allows you to transmit to Bluetooth headphones.
It can also work in the reverse direction so a Bluetooth enabled device can stream to your quality speakers in your audio system, truly a two in one device and unusually for Brando the Kings of everything USB no USB charging is involved, however there is a USB on one end of the dongle. So to keep things simple I shall call receiving mode ‘RX’ and transmitting mode ‘TX’.
Designed for the bookshelf, this next audio system features two-tone speakers.
Developed by Edifier, the R1700BT product is a Bluetooth bookshelf speaker system. The kit consists of a pair of speakers covering active and passive roles. The speakers can be connected to a gaming console, computer, TV or for delivering streaming audio from Bluetooth-aware devices such as a smartphone or tablet. Also included in the package are a small remote control unit, a selection of leads and a User Manual booklet in various European languages.
After a number of in-ear products, this next listening device is of the over-the-ear offering.
Developed by Sandberg, the Blue Storm is a wireless headset which forms part of the company’s Esports Equipment range of products. Arriving with a five year warranty, this product consists of the Blue Storm headset, a 16cm audio cable for use when the music is supplied from a non-Bluetooth source, a 54cm micro-to-standard USB lead and a small, brief Quick Guide booklet which relies more on illustrations than text.
I usually tend to think of headphones when the topic of Skullcandy and its product line-up is broached but this is not the only type of audio product produced by the company. Rather than purely personal listening devices, such as the Crusher headphones, Skullcandy also manufactures speakers for a wider audio output distribution. One such product is the Barricade XL which is the subject of this next review.
As part of a series of speaker units, the Barricade XL is a Bluetooth unit. It has dimensions of 101.6 x 172.7 x 86.3mm (W x D x H). While the size of this device, and its weight of 867g, is such that you are hardly going to feel comfortable carrying this speaker around in a jacket pocket, it does feature a stitch decorated strap. This can be used to carry the Barricade XL around if you do not mind it occasionally banging against your leg during your travels.
This is a Bluetooth Speaker sold by a company from the Isle of White. To confuse everyone the company making the product is Lexon who as far as I know is French, so what has this turquoise blue unit got to offer listening wise.
The Lexon Tykho Booster measures 24x8x7cm, weighs 705grams and is covered in rubber so should be water resistant to a point where a shower of rain should be OK. This does not mean it should be left outside as it is not designed to be water proof.
A drum has long been used as a means of communication even before the development of Bluetooth.
Combining art with modern technology is a speaker from Ultimate Ears.
The UE Roll 2 is a wireless speaker available as a Limited Edition Drippy model featuring a design by the American artist Jen Stark who is probably best known for her paper sculptures. As well as its rather unusual name, the Drippy UE Roll 2 also stands out with regards to its circular appearance and the patterned Jen Stark inspired front fabric skin.
Now where are my car keys? I am sure I left them in a certain place but they are nowhere to be seen!
Sometimes I am of the opinion that inanimate objects have a life of their own. Items, such as mobile phones, tablets and keys, have a habit of managing to move themselves from where ever you carefully placed them. I have lost count of the number of times that my keys or smartphone is not where I was sure I had left them ready for when I needed them.
Not a totally new item but an enhanced version and if anything it is a little smaller than previous versions I have seen. There are occasions when headphones or earbuds are unsuitable and for one reason or another full room speakers also so this small unit can then has its say.
It is 7cm tall and 7cm across at the base it then barrels out slightly and then tapers towards the top where it is 6cm across, it weighs 204grams. My unit was red apart from the bottom 2cm that was purple.
Spreading its audio net wide, Edifier’s latest speaker system can connect to a range of sources.
As sometimes happens, a model number gives very little away regarding the product's purpose. However it does give me the opportunity to explain that the R2730DB is a multimedia speaker system from the Edifier comprehensive range of audio products. This particular model consists of a pair of speaker units, a small remote control device and an assortment of leads for specific purposes plus a User Manual booklet.
It is a long way when travelling between Yorkshire and China. However this is the journey made by the Damson Jet and then some as it have continuing on a journey that brought it to London where I can check out this Bluetooth Wireless Stereo Speaker System.
Designed in Yorkshire and manufactured in China, the Damson Jet is a two-piece speaker system that delivers its audio output through the use of Damson’s pioneering sound-enhancement Incisor Diffusion technology. Along with the pair of Jet speaker units, this kit comes with leads covering power and a daisy-chaining facility which also doubles as the means of connecting a non-Bluetooth aware audio source.
One problem with a sound bar is that to get a good improvement on the naff sound coming from your TV is that you really need both the soundbar and a sub-woofer, probably expensive and for a lot of people it needs more space, here a different solution a Soundstage.
So there are a few around and they are not cheap but this offering that goes on sale - as with all ALDI specials - when they are gone they are gone and at the price they are selling it at they will not be available for long. In essence it’s a black box measuring 54x31x8cm and it will fit under your TV providing the TV stands legs are not wider than 54cm. It is stated to stand up to 30KG placed on it, few recent TVs weigh anywhere near that.
This is an interesting item. The light effects around the forward facing mirror give an indication of volume level and things like drums tend to activate them more. Apart from that you have a reasonable pair of speakers giving a good sound, welcome to Infinity.
The Infitiy Bluetooth speaker measures 17x8x5.5cm the corners are rounded making it appear as an oval. The front is a mirror. The sides are the 3watt speakers. The figures assume you use it without a 3.5mm connection if you have a lead connected this will add 2cm to the last figure the depth. The top has touch buttons to increase or decrease the volume. The back has an on/off slider an LED beside it to denote it’s on then a 3.
Like many others, Im sure, I tend to carry out various activities while listening to music being played in the background. However this next speaker unit, which is currently delivering my favourite music, has been trying to distract my attention from other tasks with a display of lights.
The product in question is the JAM Trance Mini which is described as a Bluetooth Wireless Light Show Speaker. Attractively packaged in a Perspex box with a yellow lever that can be used to test the product's Light Show feature while it is still boxed. Unpacking the product reveals that the speaker comes with a small pinhole type tool, short micro to standard USB lead for charging purposes and a folded sheet of paper containing instructions in a multitude of languages.
The Rewind is a small portable Bluetooth speaker. This product forms part of the Jam family of offerings that are distributed by HoMedics.
This is a Bluetooth only set of headphones; it is small enough to take up little more space than a set of earbuds simply because of the design which is to fit around the back of the neck rather than the normal one of over the head.
If this sort of headset is new to you then it will seem like a puzzle as you try to straighten out the earpieces. They naturally pair to each other and become almost fixed into a pair that is only 4cm thick and the sprung part is only 7cm wide so how does this untangle to fit around the back of your neck.
JAM Wireless Audio, the company responsible for the number one Bluetooth speaker in the UK according to GFK (March 2015), has increased its range of offerings with five new Bluetooth models with prices that range from £49.99 to £19.99. The first of this new batch of Bluetooth speakers to come under my gaze is one of those at the top end of the price range. This product is the JAM Thrill Wireless Stereo Speaker.
Adopting a slight squashed cylinder shape, the Thrill is available in a choice of red, blue, black (my review unit) or grey. The Thrill has dimensions of 174 x 65 x 68mm (W x H x D) and weighs 390g. This means you are unlikely to want to slip in a pocket but it could fit snugly in a bag when you need to have some extra boost to your music while enjoying the outdoors.
With the tag line of Liberate your Sound, the CHANT is a portable Bluetooth audio speaker developed by the House of Marley. This product is available in Mini and BT versions with this review being based on the larger BT model which shares many of its features with its smaller brethren.
The CHANT BT is available in a choice of Black, Navy or Blue Hemp. Unpacking the product reveals the CHANT unit; a recyclable aluminium carabineer clip for attaching the CHANT to a belt or other accessory; one of the shortest standard-to-micro USB leads, measuring just 20cm, I have seen; and a folded sheet of instructions using a font size that immediately had me reaching for my magnifying glass.
Bluetooth Speakers continue to be a popular item with regards to new products. This latest offering arrives from Lindy.
Under the tag line of “Connection Perfection”, Lindy has released its BTS-360 product which is a Bluetooth speaker with NFC (Near Field Connection) functionality. Included in the box with this compact speaker is a micro-to-standard USB lead for charging the unit’s 1000mAh Lithium Polymer battery and a small User Manual covering English, German, French and Italian languages.
Do you like using headphones or earbuds but do not like being tethered to the source of your music? The answer then may be at hand with this small object from Noble Audio that is about half the length of a ball point pen that you plug your buds into.
Of course if you are playing music from a SmartPhone then although slightly larger and heavier the phone could sit in a jacket or shirt pocket. However if playing better quality sound from a larger device then Wi-Fi or Bluetooth is required and this solution is a small easy to use Bluetooth option. However the thing you are playing your music from must send out Bluetooth signals. It is 6cm long and 1.2 to 1.6cm on its sides the larger figure is the pen grip type clip.
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