Whether Wireless Audio?

June 9, 2008 9:08 PM

Does anyone have any experience with Bluetooth Stereo Transmitters? I'm looking for a wireless speaker solution for my laptop.

I've been looking at trying to find a wireless speaker solution for my MacBook. There are all-in-one Bluetooth speaker sets, but their sound quality is unknown. I'd rather use my JBL Creature IIs in some wireless fashion. I've seen a few Bluetooth wireless stereo transmitters, such as this one by Sony.

Has anyone had any experience using something like this to make normally wired speakers go wireless? How about on a Mac? (I know Leopard supports A2DP) Am I barking up the wrong tree? Should I just keep my laptop tethered to the speakers at home?

I know the AirPort Express does wireless audio, but I have a Time Capsule, and I really don't need/want another wireless router.

posted by SansPoint to computers & internet (4 comments total)

You might also want to consider the fact that bluetooth transmitters do not necessarily have the same throughput as a wireless signal. If you want to be economical and not dish out $100 for the newest wireless-N Airport Express, then consider the older wireless-G Express. 54 mb/s is more than enough for a 1-2 mb/s audio stream. In my personal experiences, the audio takes about 1-2 seconds to start, and it never lags (I am usually ~100 ft. away). You can also adjust the wireless channel or turn on interference robustness so that other 2.4 ghz frequencies (microwave, cordless phone, etc.) do not interfere. With the more expensive wireless-N, however, you can also use the 5.0 ghz frequency which isn't as crowded as the 2.4 ghz. *However, another added caveat is that if you link a -G Airport Express to a -N Time Capsule, then your whole network will be a -G network*.

Although you mentioned that you don't need/want another wireless router, the Airport Express can play nice with your Time Capsule and extend the range (using WDS). The added benefit of having a portable wireless router with you on-the-go is a must for a travel junkie like myself.

You might be able to grab a wireless-G airport express for cheap on craigslist or ebay (and soon enough, a refurbished version of -N via Apple).

Of course, you can still go out and grab a bluetooth stereo transmitter, but I strong doubt it'll do as good of a job as the -G or -N Airport Express. And one more thing! Some programs like Airfoil will even stream audio from other applications (e.g. DVD player, VLC, etc.) to your Airport Express.

Good luck!
posted by mahoganyslide at 10:40 PM on June 9, 2008

You might be able to grab a wireless-G airport express for cheap on craigslist or ebay (and soon enough, a refurbished version of -N via Apple).

Older 802.11g models do have power supplies that have a bad habit of burning out, so I'd be wary of them. Still, the ApEx really does fit your needs, even if it is another wireless router: and as mahoganyslide points out, Mac developers tend to do more to expand the capabilities of Apple hardware than generic alternatives.
posted by holgate at 10:50 PM on June 9, 2008

Also, Bluetooth and 802.11 tend not to play nice, because they're both using the same chunk of spectrum at around 2.4GHz. If you're already using 802.11 wireless for something, it's better to use it for everything.
posted by flabdablet at 11:29 PM on June 9, 2008

I used to use a Bluetooth receiver that was connected to my stereo. My laptop has Bluetooth, so I was able to just output my music to the Bluetooth device and have it play on my speakers. I was using XP and this Belkin (?) receiver I found online somewhere.

It was pretty cool, and I enjoyed it for a while, but it was less than the perfect solution. Anytime I used my microwave (or one of my neighbors used theirs), it would degrade the signal (usually without breaking the connection), which was really painful to listen to. Plus, I had to wait a little while after my computer started up to connect, or the signal would drop. Now, I just have a dedicated computer hooked in to my stereo which plays my music.
posted by philomathoholic at 7:51 AM on June 10, 2008