I've read a number of reviews that have stated this receiver produced poor sound quality. Let's clear that up right now: This little guy sounds great! The fidelity is more than acceptable for 98% of people who will use it. I have a couple of friends who are audiophiles that griped a little bit but said they would have no problem listening to music through this on a regular basis. But my speaker system cost me about $1000 though and theirs cost about $6-10,000. If you're more like me then you'll like the quality of this device. If you're more like them, go for the Sonos and drop the extra cash. But generally speaking, trust me, this sound quality is great!
HOWEVER!!! I mainly purchased this so I could stream music from my Nexus One (Android phone) through my speakers in the living room while I was in the kitchen cooking (where I spend most of my time). I do not live in a big house and there is line of sight between the stove and the TV - probably a 20 foot distance. At that distance this thing will drop in and out a lot!!! Someone doesn't even need to block the line of sight, they just need to be near the device and it somehow interferes with the music. When I move it even close (say, 10 feet?) still if someone comes between my phone and the receiver it will drop the music. The best luck I've had so far is to leave my phone in a corner where I know no one will walk between the two. But that defeats the whole purpose of why I bought this. I'm going to experiment a bit and see if I can find a more suitable placement to get better results and I'll let everyone know if I find any worth sharing. NEW Version Belkin F8Z492-P Bluetooth Music Receiver
I'm pretty happy with this device although it the transmission is sensitive.
I wanted to use it in my vehicle as well without having to plug the device into a power inverter.
I already had a Belkin USB lighter adapter, so I went to the local gadget store (The Source) and bought an iGo USB charging cable and an iGo Power tip that matched the Belkin bluetooth receiver. It worked great but will cost you about $20 for the cable and cable power tip adapter, as well as a USB lighter adapter if you don't already have one.
The iGo power tip I bought was Samsung A740,A840,A920,SCP-7050,SCP3100
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Standard USB output is the 5 volts (+/- .25v) the Belkin requires. I was told that the Belkin will take the amps it needs, up to the usb limit of .500 and the Belkin only uses .180 amps
So far it's worked great and the device seems fine, but anyone else who wants to try this is taking their own chances...I am not responsible for any damages.
Purchased this item to connect my iPad with my home stereo for playing my music, Pandora, etc. Was a little concerned by the reviews indicating range/interference issues, but I have had consistently great results. I connected it to my stereo, powered it up, and my iPad found and connected to it without any trouble. Have used it for several weeks now with no issues.
I got this product because I wanted a way to connect my iPhone 4 to my home stereo, much like an Airport Express, but in a way that would play any and all audio coming out of my iPhone. (My stereo is a Yamaha receiver/amp plus Paradigm speakers. I play music through it using an Airport Express, and I'm perfectly happy with the sound quality, but it probably wouldn't pass muster with an audiophile.)
Before buying this product, I read the reviews about sound quality, and as might be expected, there were varying opinions. Some said sound quality was horrible, while others said sound quality was pretty good as long as you're not an audiophile. I figured the only way to find out for myself was to buy one.
I have an Airport Express set up, so I've been able to do a direct comparison between the sound quality of the Airport Express vs. the Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver, using the same music coming from my iPhone. Also, I tested with my iPhone within three unobstructed feet of the Bluetooth receiver, so that signal strength wouldn't be an issue.
In my opinion, the issue is not so much about sound QUALITY as it is about sound LEVELS. With the Airport Express, audio gets transmitted at fairly even levels, and the sound is crisp and clean and reproduced accurately. But with the Belkin Bluetooth Music Receiver, the bass gets amplified way up and the treble way down, and the sound comes across as muddy, distorted, and "clipped".
I discovered that I could compensate for this by turning my stereo's bass all the way down and its treble all the way up. At this point, the sound quality is MUCH better, and it begins to approach the clarity and quality of that coming through my Airport Express (though it's still fairly obvious that it's not as good).
What this product needs is a graphic equalizer app for the iPhone that can be set for the bluetooth transmission only. (Perhaps an app like that already exists? I couldn't find one. The EQ for the iPod app does not make much of an impact.) If you could control the levels getting transmitted, you could compensate for the bass-heavy lopsidedness, and it would probably sound much better to most people.
But as it is now, every time I want to play music through bluetooth, I will have to get up and adjust my stereo's levels, and then of course remember to adjust them back. In my opinion, that negates the convenience factor of having a wireless bluetooth connection. Hence the low rating.
This device has great audio quality and terrible range (not what is claimed), but if you've already bought it you're in luck! There is a quick modification that can restore this device to the advertised range.
Modification Instructions (you'll need a small flat head screwdriver and a hot glue gun):
Pop the top off of it with the screwdriver starting at the ports.
Pull out the circuit board and you'll see a large piece of metal. This metal is entirely unnecessary and serves only to satisfy customers who innately feel that heavier is more valuable.
The piece of metal is held in place with double sided tape, so just pop it out.
Put the circuit board back in place (it should sort of snap in).
Put hot glue around the edge of the enclosure and put the top back in place.
Now this device conforms to all the specifications that Belkin specifies.
I hope this helps everyone out! I'm currently trying to resolve this with Belkin's support department.'
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