StarTech.com Bluetooth Audio Receiver with NFC - Wireless Audio - Aux BT Speaker Adapter / Converter for Home Theater or Stereo (BT2A) Black

After scratching my head to find something bad to say about the BT2A, I finally decided that having to plug in into a wall outlet was inconvenient and it did not have unlimited range. I have one of the original potatochip-can Alexas. It has no connection for audio and only plays mono. Using the Alexa app it immediately paired to the BT2A. The 3.5mm output is stereo. The sound quality on my Sennheiser headphones was excellent. You can switch from bluetooth back to the Alexa's internal speaker by simply telling Alexa "turn off bluetooth." If you want music to your stereo system, "turn on bluetooth" switches it back. I unplugged it and moved it to different locations. Up to about 40 feet and through one wall, each time I plugged it back in and told Alexa to turn it back on, it immediately paired. I suspect the range is variable based on wall construction as well as distance. In my home, two walls and a flight of stairs was too far. Remember, it's a RECEIVER. That is only half of the range issue. The location, strength and quality of the transmitter has a lot to do with the range. Electrical noise and interference can also prevent reliability. A device may claim Bluetooth capability, but unless it says what type of Bluetooth, you really have no idea of range. I am assuming that the "2" in the BT2A may indicate type-2, which would suggest a 2.5mw power level and be able to return a handshake at 30-40 feet, IF it can receive the transmitted signal. As far as pairing, there was no difference between my Amazon Dot and the original Alexa Echo. Unless the BT2A stops working or burns up, I am not going to be able to complain.

This product worked perfectly. It was easy to install, for which I am grateful. Sound quality is fine for the classical music I play. Voices have natural tone. Bluetooth connection was simple and quick.

The BT2A has the most features for the best price, BT 4.0, NFC, Analog and Digital Out, APT-X, Wolfson DAC...it's very hard to find a BT receiver with these five features for the price of the BT2A. It's probably one of the best values on the market today. The only negative comment that I have with the unit is its BT reception, it's about 15' then it starts skipping after that, and you need to be in the line of sight from your device to the BT2A. The sound quality is very good using the internal Wolfson DAC, when using the Digital Out, the unit will bypass the internal Wolfson DAC and use the internal DAC in your AVR. I haven't experienced any drop-outs or skips within the 15' range. I use it mainly in my car, with my Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which supports BT 4.0, NFC, APT-X as well as support for playing hi-res 96/24 audio files which plays flawlessly using the BT2A. Because it supports NFC, it's very quick to connect to the BT2A, no need to push a pairing button. I have an Arcam r-Blink BT receiver which is about 5 times more expensive than the BT2A and the sound quality is the same, the only difference is the reception, using my Galaxy Note 3, I can get a good BT signal from about 150' away, oddly, using an iPhone 5, the signal drops out around 40' away. Overall, I'm very pleased with the BT2A receiver.

>> Note: This review is within 3 hours usage. In regards to the range, it's normally about 12-25ft depending upon the environment. I was able to hit about 12-15ft through two non-supporting walls at a 45 degree angle when paired with my BlackBerry Z10 before it started to lose range. By laying my BlackBerry flat, it was able to max out at roughly 18ft through two parallel walls. The optimal position for the receiver and master device are both tilted upwards. (LED of the receiver facing the ceiling) When leaning the receiver against a lamp, the range easily became a solid 24-30ft. I think that it hit about 32ft with the Z10's antenna array not covered through the two parallel walls. --- WARNING: If this does not color audio, it does so quite subtly! Low bitrate files *will* show their true nature. --- Anyways... This receiver certainly has nearly the same DAC quality as its implementation in the BlackBerry PlayBook! While this most certainly has better quality than playing over Bluetooth without aptX, I'm honestly still not quite 100% convinced to go wireless with my audio for standard use. Further testing is required. I'm currently running it directly from the 3.5mm output to my Logitech Z313 stereo. The LED lights up a subdued pearl-white when connected to a device. It's quite close to a subtle nightlight in luminosity. :) --- To be honest, this unit was stupidly easy to set up. I unboxed it, plugged it into my desktop for USB power, discovered it to be powered on by the optical port's glow, hooked up the 3.5mm out to my stereo, enabled Bluetooth and NFC, tapped for pairing, and started playing right from the get-go! :D My only gripe with it so far is that the Bluetooth name is misspelled as "Music Recever" (should be "Receiver").

No issues. Just keep in mind that Bluetooth has a range limit and anything between the receiver and transmitter will reduce the range. In an open room, 25 ft seems to be the reasonable limit based on my use.

La qualità audio è eccellente, unica pecca piccoli "salti" di segnale di tanto in tanto ma comunque non rilevanti nel giudizio complessivo del prodotto. Io lo uso in auto nel cassetto portaoggetti in quanto ho lì sia l'ingresso aux sia l'usb con la quale alimento il ricevitore e sono molto soddisfatto della qualità del risultato ottenuto, di molto superiore ad altri ricevitori più economici. Lo sconsiglio per chi ha necessità di un ampio raggio d'azione.

Excelente equipo: fácil de instalar y fácil para poner en operación. Lo conecte a un pequeño amplificador Nad y se escucha espectacular con la música del celular, no hay perdida en la calidad del sonido. Nota: después de varios meses de uso, la calidad del sonido me sigue convenciendo, pero pierde con facilidad la señal si el celular no tiene “vista directa”. Si eres de los que les gusta andar de un lado para otro con tu celular mientras escuchas la música mejor busca otra opción.

Works perfectly with no noticeable degradation in sound quality.

Very good product, very happy for its performance