Bluetake Bluetooth Adapter, Headphones and Audio Station

Reviews: Multimedia

Author:
Editor:
Sponsor:
Published:

Richard Poelling
Kurtis
Bluetake
Dec. 22, 2004

<< Previous

Next >>

Getting Started

USB Adapter

To begin using the USB adapter, I installed the software onto the computer and plugged the device in. I first started by installing the software onto a Windows 2000 machine. The software will install an icon in your system tray as well as a "My BlueTooth Places' icon which allows you to manage all your great Bluetooth gear. I was also able to install the device on Windows XP without ever having to install the software. The drivers for the device were resident as well as support for Bluetooth in general.

The adapter really doesn't do much except act as a gateway for other devices to connect to. I will say that I was able to successfully connect a Palm-based PDA and synchronize it with my PC using the Bluetooth adapter, so I know the thing works. We will get back to the adapter later in the review when we try to get all these other devices talking to it.

i-Phono Headphones

The i-phono headphones work off of a simple principle. The small transmitter plugs into your audio source such as an MP3 player and then transmits the sound via Bluetooth to your headphones. To begin, you first must pair the transmitter and the receiver to each other such that they ignore all other Bluetooth devices. Pressing the button on the headphones causes them to flash a red and blue light on and off, pressing the button on the transmitter soon after initiates the pairing. After the devices are paired, they will blink with only a blue light. Once paired, they should work seamlessly. Firing up an audio source, I was able to get music streaming to the headphones. Overall, it only takes about 2 minutes to be up and running with these headphones, most of that time will be spent plugging in the transmitter.

Hi-Phono Audio Station

Now if you know how to properly wire a home theater setup, then all these wires shouldn't be too confusing. If the words Home Theater scare you, definitely follow the directions. Setting the Hi-phono up was actually pretty easy. The hardest part about this system is finding enough power outlets, and not tripping yourself on the wires. This is because each transmitter uses a separate power supply, as does the amplifier. So you will be replacing your two single wires running to the rears with 5 cables, although they will be hidden nicely behind your couch, assuming you have a couch to hide this stuff behind, if not, get one. Since I am testing this with my stereo surround, I unhooked the wires running to my rear speakers and jacked in the two wires which convert from standard speaker wire to the RCA type connections. This then went directly into the transceiver. The receiver was hooked to the amplifier which in turn was hooked to each speaker. After turning on the whole system, (3 buttons, each on its own device) I began to pair the Bluetooth devices. Pairing only required pressing the button labeled "pairing' on each device. Once that was done, the only left was to hide all the wire.

Once paired, I was able to adjust the volume of the rear speakers via the built-in volume control. I was also able to turn them up quite a bit, although you really don't need the rears up to a very high level. It's all about balance. With that done, I now move into the testing phase of this project.(i.e. watching movies).

<< Previous

Page 3 of 6

Next >>

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Impressions
Page 3: Getting Started
Page 4: Testing
Page 5: Interoperability
Page 6: Conclusion

Subscribe to Headphones [more info]

Add Comment

1 User Comment

1 - Posted by jwinograd on May 27, 2005 - 4:46 pm

No one should buy any Bluetake products unless you are willing to live without any technical support. I've had several problems with my i-PHONO BT420 headset and sent them emails on 4-Mar-05, 5-Mar-05, 13-Mar-05, and two on 12-May-05. The emails went to bluetake@bluetake.com, which is the address generated by their End User Enquiry Form on their website. I've tried both techniques -- filling out the form and sending emails directly. I've never gotten a single reply (and I can't find a phone number for them). I just sent a sixth email today asking them if their company is still in business and, if so, how I get technical support. I haven't heard back and, quite frankly, don't expect to. The headset cost me nearly $200 and I'm very angry that it's not working properly, but even angrier that I can't get any help from the company. Caveat emptor! Regards, Joe

Add Comment

To add a comment without being a member, you may omit the password field, but you must enter your name (or nickname) along with your comment. * Denotes required fields.